IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-023-44438-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Severe 21st-century ocean acidification in Antarctic Marine Protected Areas

Author

Listed:
  • Cara Nissen

    (University of Colorado Boulder
    Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung)

  • Nicole S. Lovenduski

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Cassandra M. Brooks

    (University of Colorado Boulder)

  • Mario Hoppema

    (Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung)

  • Ralph Timmermann

    (Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung)

  • Judith Hauck

    (Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung)

Abstract

Antarctic coastal waters are home to several established or proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) supporting exceptional biodiversity. Despite being threatened by anthropogenic climate change, uncertainties remain surrounding the future ocean acidification (OA) of these waters. Here we present 21st-century projections of OA in Antarctic MPAs under four emission scenarios using a high-resolution ocean–sea ice–biogeochemistry model with realistic ice-shelf geometry. By 2100, we project pH declines of up to 0.36 (total scale) for the top 200 m. Vigorous vertical mixing of anthropogenic carbon produces severe OA throughout the water column in coastal waters of proposed and existing MPAs. Consequently, end-of-century aragonite undersaturation is ubiquitous under the three highest emission scenarios. Given the cumulative threat to marine ecosystems by environmental change and activities such as fishing, our findings call for strong emission-mitigation efforts and further management strategies to reduce pressures on ecosystems, such as the continuation and expansion of Antarctic MPAs.

Suggested Citation

  • Cara Nissen & Nicole S. Lovenduski & Cassandra M. Brooks & Mario Hoppema & Ralph Timmermann & Judith Hauck, 2024. "Severe 21st-century ocean acidification in Antarctic Marine Protected Areas," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-44438-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44438-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44438-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-44438-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-44438-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.