Articles | Volume 15, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-671-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-15-671-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Review
| 
03 Jun 2024
Review |
| 03 Jun 2024
| 03 Jun 2024
Are physiological and ecosystem-level tipping points caused by ocean acidification? A critical evaluation
Christopher E. Cornwall
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Biological Sciences and Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, 6012, New Zealand
Steeve Comeau
Sorbonne Université, CNRS-INSU, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Ben P. Harvey
Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Shimoda, Shizuoka, Japan
Labex ICONA International CO2 Natural Analogues Network, Shimoda, Japan
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Carbon dioxide concentrations (pCO2) in the atmosphere play an integral role in Earth system dynamics, especially climate. Past climates help us understand future ones, but reconstructing pCO2 over the geologic record remains a challenge. This research demonstrates new approaches for exploring past pCO2 via the carbon isotope fractionation in general algal lipids, which we test over a high CO2 gradient from a naturally occurring CO2 seep.
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Short summary
Ocean acidification will cause profound shifts in many marine ecosystems by impairing the ability of calcareous taxa to grow and by influencing the photophysiology of many others. Physiological tipping points will likely be reached in the next 20 years. Small changes in organism physiology result in larger ecological tipping points being crossed. Ecosystems will shift from having higher abundances of calcifying taxa and towards increased abundances of non-calcareous species under elevated CO2.
Ocean acidification will cause profound shifts in many marine ecosystems by impairing the...
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