The Pacific Ocean Now So Acidic That It's Dissolving Dungeness Crabs' Shells According To Recent Study

Feb 07, 2020 by apost team

The Pacific Ocean is increasing in acidity every day. One of the first creatures to feel the effects of this are crabs that live in the coastal waters.

The Dungeness crab is very important to the commercial fisheries. However, the low pH levels are starting to damage and dissolve its shell. This damages its sensory organs.  This, in turn, impacts the economies along the coast. The study done on this acidity didn’t predict the damage would happen so quickly to these crabs.

These crabs being affected like this can have a great effect on the food chain as well. Dr. Bednarsek stated, “If the crabs are affected already, we really need to make sure we pay much more attention to various components of the food chain before it is too late.”

Change needs to happen, as stated in a recent study by Dr Nina Bednarsek that was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

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The study was given funds by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NOAA is an agency that studies the acidification of the ocean and the impacts it has on the coast.

So how does the ocean acidify? Long story short, this is caused when the ocean absorbs too much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This lowers the water’s pH levels.

This also affects the coasts by releasing too many nutrients which creates algae blooms and an increase in the water temperatures. There are some creatures that rely on carbonate ions such as crustaceans and coral to build their shells and skeletons. However, these ions are less abundant in acidic waters.

Clams, oysters, and plankton also rely on these carbonate ions. Sea creatures along with humans rely on many of these creatures for food and the economy.

How are the crabs hurt by this? Their shells are corroded on the Dungeness crab larvae. This causes them to not be able to protect themselves against predators and they can’t regulate their buoyancy when they are in the water.

These larvae are also suspected to have developmental delays because they are smaller than the other larvae who didn’t have dissolving damage.

The shells weren’t the only thing damaged by the acidity. The tiny structures that have hair-like features are what crabs use to navigate in their environments. These were damaged as well. Without these, they have trouble getting around and have a hard time swimming and finding food.

So what happens next? So far, we are only seeing the impact on the larvae, not the adult Dungeness crabs. However, it still requires more research. With the larvae being affected, they are not likely to survive into adulthood.

The NOAA has a plan for the acidifying ocean. They want to reduce our carbon footprint in order to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the ocean. They also want to teach people to adapt to the changes that are happening in the sea.

They are also working with local fisheries along with policy makers on the conservation efforts. 

We need to make changes to help save our wonderful planet. Let friends and family know about how they can help by passing on the news.