Acidification impacts shellfish size
Shellfish such as shrimps (pictured) are an important food source, not just for humans but for tropical seabirds and seals. Consequently, the changes are likely to affect the entire food chain, including our food industry. Image: apsimo1/iStockphoto An international study to understand and predict the likely impact of ocean acidification on shellfish and other marine organisms living in seas from the tropics to the poles is published this week in the journal Global Change Biology.Ocean acidification is occurring because some of the increased carbon dioxide humans are adding to the atmosphere dissolves in the ocean and reacts with water to produce an acid.The results suggest that increased acidity is affecting the size and weight of shells and skeletons, and the trend is widespread across marine species.These animals are an important food source for marine predators such as tropical seabirds and seals as well as being a valuable ingredient in human food production....