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With global warming becoming a more dreading issue today, a lot of attention and research has been focused on coral reefs especially due to countries relying on these organisms as tourist attractions. One type of research that is ongoing is the observance of the ocean’s pH versus the extracellular and intracellular body fluid pH of calcifiers. Many marine organisms like corals and shellfish use body fluids to regulate their body fluid’s pH but because of change in seawater chemistry, these mechanisms have become overwhelmed (Cerrano et al. 2013). Corals not being able to constantly exert energy to increase pH has led to coral bleaching and the breakdown of their skeletons. Researchers are looking for solutions to this problem as well as observing the rate of decline in ocean pH and the rate of growth productivity under these circumstances. 

 

Similarly, another type of research done by Anne L. Cohen and Michael Holcomb found that heterotrophic feeding or increase in inorganic nutrients may help counteract the effects of ocean acidification. Corals live in acidified water and need to use excessive energy to raise the pH of the calcifying fluid to an appropriate level for skeletal growth (Cohen and Holcomb, 2019). These stressful environmental conditions exhaust corals (and other calcifiers) but a possible solution may be that by increasing heterotrophic feeding and inorganic nutrients like nitrates and phosphates, this may be an alternative to fuel calcification by providing energy to calcifiers. 

 

Knowledge Gap Within the Scientific Community Regarding Ocean Acidification Effects on Marine Environment Conditions

 

While reviewing research done on ocean acidification and how the environment of marine calcifiers is affected, I encountered some knowledge gaps within the scientific community. Although there is significant evidence to prove rising carbon dioxide levels affect marine life and seawater chemistry, it is hard to pinpoint the severity of effects on biological and physical processes in the future. Intake of carbon dioxide is increasing at an alarming rate and scientists are not able to predict how marine life like corals will be able to perform processes like biomineralization. There are also no easy solutions such as removing carbon dioxide from the ocean and even increasing heterotrophic feeding. Heterotrophic feeding and increases in inorganic nutrients may help calcifiers to fuel calcification, however, these calcifiers continue to become more vulnerable to ocean acidification as the rate of carbon dioxide has not slowed down. 

 

Additionally, there is evidence to prove the ocean has been experiencing an undersaturation of nutrients due to ocean acidification effects (stratification, etc.). Undersaturation of essential nutrients such as phosphorous, nitrogen, and iron has led the scientific community to question how marine life will cope with this change. Already living in chemically altered environments, marine organisms compete for nutrients for survival. It is inevitable that many populations of species will begin to decline and this will eventually cause a chain reaction to affect the marine food web to eventually affect humans. It is not projected when and how severe this issue will take effect.