ABSTRACT
There are numerous factors affecting the chemical composition of the Earth’s oceans in the present and past. It has also become evident that the earth’s
1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Ocean acidification has rapidly become a field of primary interest among ocean chemists and biologists due to the rapid changes within the historical time frame as well as potential implications for the calcification and survival of organisms (e.g. Kleypas et al. 1999, 2001, 2006, Riebesell et al. 2000, Crowley & Berner 2001, Caldeira & Wickett 2003, Raven 2005, De´ath et al. 2009, Doney et al. 2009). A number of basic questions can be asked of the rock record as well as echinoderm fossils with respect to the current debate of climate change and ocean acidification:
1. What changes can be seen in the fossil and sedimentary record?
