De Barcelona, U.-. U. A. (2023, October 11). Ocean acidification in the Mediterranean is already affecting the calcification of marine plankton. UAB Barcelona. https://www.uab.cat/web/news-detail/ocean-acidification-in-the-mediterranean-is-already-affecting-the-calcification-of-marine-plankton-1345721847335.html?noticiaid=1345900262048

 

According to an ICTA-UAB-led study, ocean acidification is already affecting marine plankton calcification in the Mediterranean. The study, done in partnership with institutions in the United Kingdom and Germany, examined records from the Alboran Sea, off the coast of Barcelona, and the Strait of Sicily over the last two thousand years. The study focused on foraminifera, a form of marine calcifying zooplankton, and found that anthropogenic CO2 emissions, which cause ocean acidification, are the principal driver of the drop in foraminiferal calcite mass. The Mediterranean Sea’s pH has dropped by 0.08 units since the Industrial Revolution, reducing marine plankton’s ability to create calcium carbonate, potentially affecting marine ecosystems and the services they provide.

This study emphasizes the concerning effects of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions on the fragile balance of marine ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea. it highlights the far-reaching impacts of ocean acidification on the calcification of planktonic species, which play critical roles in the marine food web, biogeochemical cycles, and weather regulation. Calcifying plankton are essential components of marine ecosystem services, therefore the Mediterranean’s ongoing ocean acidification poses a severe danger to climate regulation, ocean functioning, and food security. This highlights the critical need for worldwide efforts to mitigate climate change by significantly reducing CO2 emissions in order to protect the health and resilience of marine ecosystems and their crucial services to the planet.