High-Frequency Dynamics of Ocean pH: A Multi-Ecosystem Comparison

The effect of Ocean Acidification (OA) on marine biota is quasi-predictable at best. While perturbation studies, in the form of incubations under elevated pCO(2), reveal sensitivities and responses of individual species, one missing link in the OA story results from a chronic lack of pH data specific to a given species' natural habitat. Here, we present a compilation of continuous, high-resolution time series of upper ocean pH, collected using autonomous sensors, over a variety of ecosystems ranging from polar to tropical, open-ocean to coastal, kelp forest to coral reef. These observations reveal a continuum of month-long pH variability with standard deviations from 0.004 to 0.277 and ranges spanning 0.024 to…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 1040952, 0927445, OCE 0927445, 0844394, 1040960
• DA
  David and Lucile Packard Foundation
• GA
  Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• NC
  Nature Conservancy
• NO
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• UO
  University of California, San Diego
• CP
  Climate Program Office
• NM
  National Marine Fisheries Service
• OA
  Ocean Acidification Program