The article highlights the alarming effects of ocean acidification on oyster larvae in the Pacific Northwest, with hatcheries experiencing major losses due to increased seawater acidity. Scientists determined that rising carbon dioxide levels are lowering ocean pH, leading to corrosive conditions detrimental to marine life, particularly shelled animals like oysters. This change is unprecedented, occurring faster than any historical shifts in ocean chemistry. Sarah Cooley's journey, from witnessing the crisis to engaging in science-policy intersections, underscores the need for coordinated efforts among scientists to address this growing environmental threat.
By 2008, the largest oyster hatchery on the West Coast suffered losses of 80 percent due to mysterious deaths of oyster larvae, highlighting the urgent need for research.
Ocean acidification, caused by increased carbon dioxide levels in seawater, has made the ocean 30 percent more acidic in the past two centuries, impacting marine life.
Cooley remarked on the science community's urgency during the oyster crisis: 'There was a lot of all-hands-on-deck feeling... How can we rise to the challenge?'
The harmful effects of ocean acidification extend beyond oysters, threatening various marine species and destabilizing entire ecosystems that humans also rely on.
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