Journal
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
Volume 34, Issue 2, Pages 221-231Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s12237-010-9307-0
Keywords
Biocalcification; Bivalve; Chesapeake Bay; Estuarine acidification; Oyster; pH
Funding
- National Science Foundation [OCE-0622999]
- St. Mary's College of Maryland
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduce pH of marine waters due to the absorption of atmospheric CO2 and formation of carbonic acid. Estuarine waters are more susceptible to acidification because they are subject to multiple acid sources and are less buffered than marine waters. Consequently, estuarine shell forming species may experience acidification sooner than marine species although the tolerance of estuarine calcifiers to pH changes is poorly understood. We analyzed 23 years of Chesapeake Bay water quality monitoring data and found that daytime average pH significantly decreased across polyhaline waters although pH has not significantly changed across mesohaline waters. In some tributaries that once supported large oyster populations, pH is increasing. Current average conditions within some tributaries however correspond to values that we found in laboratory studies to reduce oyster biocalcification rates or resulted in net shell dissolution. Calcification rates of juvenile eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, were measured in laboratory studies in a three-way factorial design with 3 pH levels, two salinities, and two temperatures. Biocalcification declined significantly with a reduction of similar to 0.5 pH units and higher temperature and salinity mitigated the decrease in biocalcification.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available