Büdenbender, Jan, Riebesell, Ulf and Form, Armin (2011) Calcification and carbonate dissolution of an Arctic coralline red algae exposed to ocean acidification. [Poster] In: EGU General Assembly 2011. , 03.-08.04.2011, Vienna, Austria .

Full text not available from this repository. (Contact)

Abstract

CO2 induced acidification could render Arctic waters sub-saturated in the coming decades, making them corrosive for calcareous organism. It is presently unknown what effects this will have on calcifying organisms living in the
Arctic Ocean and on the ecosystems of which they are integral components. We investigated calcification rates
of the Arctic habitat-forming coralline red alga Lithothamnion tophiforme in laboratory experiments simulating future atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Algae were tested under Arctic summer and winter light conditions in two separate experiments. A significant negative effect of increased CO2 levels on the calcification rates of L.
tophiforme was found in both experiments. Annual mean net dissolution of L. tophiforme is estimated to start at
an aragonite saturation state of 0.8 which is projected to occur in parts of the Arctic surface ocean before 2050 if
emissions follow business as usual scenarios. Coralline red algae consist to more than 80% of calcium carbonate
and are most likely unable to withstand natural stresses such as water movement, overgrowth or grazing without
their massive skeleton. Based on our results a wide-spread loss of Arctic crustose coralline red algae habitats may
occur during this century potentially impacting the Arctic ecosystem.

Document Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Keywords:	Marine Biology; red algae; ocean acidification
Research affiliation:	OceanRep > GEOMAR > FB2 Marine Biogeochemistry > FB2-BI Biological Oceanography
Date Deposited:	11 Oct 2011 11:21
Last Modified:	23 Feb 2012 05:27
URI:	https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/12327

Actions (login required)

View Item