Ocean Acidification Causing Pacific Oyster Die Off
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To wind down the year, we pooled our favorite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), showing off 12 shots of raging seas, marine life and other surprising underwater finds.
12 Days of the Ocean: Photos
To wind down the year, we pooled our favorite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), showing off 12 shots of raging seas, marine life and other surprising underwater finds. On the first day of the ocean, it was too choppy to dive but made for a striking image. NEWS: Oceans May Hold 250,000 Tons Of Trash
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program
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NOAA Okeanos Explorer program
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A remotely operated robotic vehicle, the Deep Discoverer, captured this pompom anemone. VIDEO: What Do Our Oceans Reveal About Global Warming?
NOAA Okeanos Explorer program
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NOAAWorld Ocean Day Photo Contest Submission by Dr. Steve Lonhart.
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Residents of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument explore a small part of its 140,000 square miles of ocean and coral reef habitat. VIDEO: How Much Trash Is In The Ocean?
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A manta ray passes over a reef, inviting a host of small fish to clean parasites and other debris off of its skin. BLOG: Acidifying Ocean Could Lead To Marine Extinctions
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A group of elephant seals sleep in the sun around a sand dune at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of California. NEWS: Will Jellyfish Rule The Ocean?
Robert Schwemmer, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries
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A mom and baby elephant seal roll around on the beach in Ano Nuevo Island, Calif. PHOTOS: Small World Under The Sea
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A humpback whale breaches in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of California. PHOTOS: Tiny People Swim With The Fishes
Robert Schwemmer, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries
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Super Typhoon Hagupit grew as it approached the east central Philippines. PHOTOS: Life in a Drop of Water
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As CO2 levels increase in the atmosphere, near-shore waters are becoming more acidic, which can hurt the shell strength of marine organisms. The early stages of shell growth are sensitive to increasingly corrosive seawater, reports a new study, and it's causing commercial oyster operations in the Pacific Northwest to fail.
Young oysters begin shell building very quickly, so that within 48 hours they can begin feeding. The researchers found that oysters can start building calcium carbonate shells within 12 hours after fertilization, when they're just 1/100th the diameter of a human hair.
But in acidic water, the oysters need to exert more energy for shell building and have less for swimming and getting food, the researchers say.
"The hatcheries call it 'lazy larvae syndrome' because these tiny oysters just sink in the water and stop swimming," said George Waldbusser of Oregon State, the lead author of the paper.
A very small change in ocean chemistry leads to oysters that can't grow shells properly, the researchers said.
"These organisms have really sensitive windows to ocean acidification -- even more sensitive than we thought," Waldbusser said.
The findings were reported this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.
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