Risks grow for Antarctic life

Andrew Darby

In trouble: Antarctic krill are increasingly at danger as the effects of climate change alter their ecosystem. Photo: Australian Antarctic Division

Turns out it's the little things we need to worry about in climate change. When they are in trouble a great polar ecosystem might also be having problems.

The oceans are absorbing so much carbon dioxide that they are acidifying at an unprecedented rate, the International Program on the State of the Oceans said.

Foraminifera: Single-celled marine protozoa threatened by the acidification of the oceans waters. Photo: Getty Images

Geological records show the current acidification is unparalleled in at least the last 300 million years, IPSO's latest report said. ''We are entering an unknown territory of marine ecosystem change, and exposing organisms to intolerable evolutionary pressure.''
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The smallest of these creatures in the Antarctic marine ecosystem are said to be showing some of the early signs of acidification damage. And work by Australian scientists shows even greater problems lie in store for the creature at the centre of the Antarctic food web - krill.

Coalition Environment Minister Greg Hunt said warnings of increasing ocean acidification were the most important new advice from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report.

''In the debate around climate change, research on acidification of the oceans is a particular personal concern,'' Mr Hunt said. ''This has been reinforced by the work of Australian scientists, particularly in the Antarctic.

''The Southern Ocean is specially vulnerable to increased acidity because of the cold water and the type of marine life. If there are changes in these environments, then there is a flow-on impact across the entire marine system.''

The Oxford-based IPSO scientists reported widespread global biological impacts, including the erosion of coral reefs, tipping past their building rates as soon as 2030-2050.

But the rate of acidification is 50 per cent faster in the higher polar latitudes than in sub-tropical waters, due to the effects of temperature on ocean chemistry, it said.

''Think of it like a cold beer at a barbecue," Donna Roberts of the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC at the University of Tasmania said. ''It holds onto its carbon dioxide bubbles longer.

''Remember that 40 per cent of all the carbon dioxide going into the oceans goes into the Southern Ocean. It's going to hit high, and hit hard,'' she said.

Dr Roberts said work on tetrapod snails showed distinct acidification effects. ''We're finding evidence that shell structure has been getting softer since 1997.''

Similar problems face foraminifera, countless micro-organisms which also rely on calcium carbonate for their structure.

But it is the keystone Antarctic species, the shrimp-like krill, that is a focus of concern about future acidification.

Biologist So Kawaguchi said Antarctic krill were already experiencing changing climate stressors such as rising temperatures and changes in their planktonic food production.

In an aquarium world with carbon dioxide elevated at predicted rates, krill eggs failed to develop properly, Dr Kawaguchi said.

If emissions were to continue to rise, harm would increase during coming decades to the point where by 2300, krill would be unable to hatch in vast areas of the Southern Ocean.

Chief scientist at the Antarctic Division, Nick Gales, said work was beginning on the flow-on effects of the loss of krill.

''Animals that don't have the flexibility to prey switch are likely to be more in trouble,'' Dr Gales said.

''Among the whales, it would be the blue whale and the Antarctic minke which are reliant on krill. And there is a whole range of seabirds.''

Innocent bystander wrote on Oct 7^th, 2013 at 11:42am:


I thought that you said the Climate Changed naturally??

Are you advocating a STATIC climate model now?

Ocean acidification due to increased CO2 absorption has been studied for many decades.

Your illness is worsening I see. Your religious temples of fossil fuel worship and paranoia and hatred for CLEAN things seem to be withering away like the residual IQ that clearly informs you neurotic self delusional existence

Ajax wrote on Oct 7^th, 2013 at 12:24pm:


Acidification of the earths oceans and fresh water ways caused by increased CO2 absorption from the atmosphere is a fact

By the way, reference to Acidification problems has been included in ALL of the IPCC report released thus far.

Not that I would expect you denialist fossil priests to have read any peer reviewed literature on the subject let alone the executive summary of the IPCC reports.

See what happens when you post spin and deceit?

Always ends up the same way hey darkened Batman and his newly found side kick innocent bystander

Ajax wrote on Oct 7^th, 2013 at 1:25pm:


You seem to be confusing SCEPTICISM with DENIALISM

Only one of these is a crack pot baseless fundamentalist religion

Do you know which one it is?

Chimp_Logic wrote on Oct 7^th, 2013 at 1:39pm:


I do but I have my doubts about you.........!!!

Ajax wrote on Oct 7^th, 2013 at 2:58pm:


I hope so..... its very much a compliment

On the other hand I don't have any doubts about where you are coming from (that's assuming that you even know where you are)

[are you sure you wish to continue with this line of combat? It is looking a little embarrassing for you at the moment Mr Batman]

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 7^th, 2013 at 9:51pm:


Hey Greg

Its really amusing how they can't bare their science being scrutinised and yet that is what science is all about.

HHMMMNnnnn...........undeniable fact.....hey chimp

Like the hot spot in the tropopause that only exists in the computer circulation models of the alarmists....????

Like the missing heat of the last 15 years being sucked into the bottom layers of the ocean.......???????

OR was that the top layers of the ocean.....?????

Like no more glaciers by 2035.........??????

Like no more ice in the arctic by 2013......?????

Like ocean acidity of 0.3 pH units over the next 90 years will be catastrophic when ocean acidity changes much more than this on a daily bases.

Like the shonkey hockey stick which no one is allowed to analyse and climate gate......????

Like the correlation of temperature and CO2...???

Like rising sea levels which are not out of the norm...???

Like all natural disasters are due to AGW....???

Like they haven't tried this before in the 1940's and 1970's..??

Like the IPCC's 1990 prediction of unequivocal warming of 0.2 degrees celcius per decade when for the last 15 years we have only had 0.05 degrees celcius per decade.

And many more of your undeniable facts that have been nailed down once and for all as pseudo science.

Lucky for you chimp the sceptics can recognise snake oil when they see it.

Otherwise all these undeniable facts would have been gospel to you and your stupid AGW religion, and you guys would have defended this pseudo science to your graves.

The undeniable fact is sceptics are keeping these twits on the AGW gravy train honest.......!!!!!!

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 8^th, 2013 at 8:22am:


So its a theory that CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased due to human activities?

Its a theory that CO2 is a greenhouse gas?

Its a theory that the earth has been warming?

Do you understand what the words in AGW even mean?

Anthropogenic Global Warming is an UNDENIABLE, OBSERVABLE FACT.

To deny it in public says a lot about how much you understand - and that's very little

Humans will be dealing with the AGW FACT even if you don't come along Greggy boy.

Its not about you Greggy - this is about responsible adults who care about their future and what sort of world their children will live in.

What you should do is publish your THEORY in peer reviewed theoretical journals. Good luck with the FACTS Greegy Boy