ABSTRACT
Near-future ocean acidifi cation will have dramatic negative impact on fi shery and shellfi sh resources and other marine species, with likely consequences at the ecosystem level (Bradshaw 2007; Dupont et al. 2010; UNEP 2010). It is frequently assumed that these impacts will fade away soon thereafter, but recent models suggest that signifi cant impacts will persist for hundreds of thousands of years after carbon dioxide emissions cease (Montenegro et al. 2007; Tyrrell et al. 2007). One challenge currently facing scientists is to predict the long term implications of ocean acidifi cation on the diversity of marine organisms and on the ecosystem functions this diversity sustains (Widdicombe and Spicer 2008). The main goal of the present work is to critically assess the available information on changes in marine pH due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide generated from combustion of fossil fuels, and to assess the potential implications for marine life. Supporting chapters include: a historical perspective of CO2 and ocean pH values through the millennia; biological, physical, and anthropogenic sources of ocean acidifi cation; chemical, physical, and biological mode of acidifi cation; projected acidifi cation effects on marine fl ora, invertebrates, and vertebrates; results of fi eld studies on carbon and its compounds in select marine bodies of water; physical and chemical modifi ers known to affect pH and CO2 values and effects; and proposed mitigation strategies including ocean sequestration, environmental legislation, and others.
