Ecology 6th Edition by Charles Krebs

Exercise 5

Rising CO₂ levels cause the surface waters of the ocean to become slightly more acidic because CO₂ dissolves in seawater as carbonic acid. The entire phytoplankton biomass of the oceans turns over every 2-6 days, taking up carbon dioxide and releasing it to decomposers and grazers. Carbonate skeletons protect many species of marine phytoplankton. What impact might increasing acidity have on ocean ecosystems? Ruttimann (2006) and Dybas (2006) explore this question.