Turns out, they are largely farmed, and said farms are tripping. But not on LSD. Dear Reader may recall the big to-do with acid rain decades ago. Don't hear too much about it these days. Turns out, acidification happens everywhere, including the oceans. And, it turns out, much of the critter population in the oceans prefers certain levels of acid in their habitat.
Oysters aren't happy with how things are going.
"We are seeing a very significant change in the rate of acidification," said Dr. Richard Feely, a chemical oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Seattle who has been studying the problem since it first surfaced, and an author on the recent paper. "The rate of change has shown much faster change over the last 50 years than it did over the previous 200 years. The expectation is, as we continue to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, that rate will continue to increase."Mother Nature hates straight lines.
And, naturally, there are externalities in the mix. The oceans are an enormous food chain. Not an ocean biologist, but since Mother Earth is about 70% oceans, I'll guess that it's the largest on Mother Earth. So, acidification, or any environmental disruption, is likely to disrupt the food chain. Yup.
Treating water in the oyster hatcheries is merely a stopgap measure. Aside from shellfish, acidification is taking its toll on other sea life, including tiny pteropods (sea slugs and snails) and krill. That is causing a decline in food sources and critical nutrients for salmon and other fish.Not with a bang but a whimper - T.S. Eliot
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