Ocean Acidification

and
Marine Biogenic Trace Gas Production

Frances Hopkins,
Sue Turner, Phil Nightingale, Michael Steinke,
Dorothee Bakker, Peter Liss

SOLAS Open Science Conference

16 – 19 November 2009
Barcelona, Spain
Outline

– Ocean acidification (OA)

– Biogenic trace gases
• Halocarbons Photo courtesy of J. Gilbert

• DMS
– Mesocosm CO2 Perturbation
Experiment, Bergen
– Findings and Implications

– EU-EPOCA Programme:
• Svalbard 2010

Photo courtesy of H. Findlay

 Ocean Acidification (OA)
CO2 and pH North Pacific Ocean Atmospheric CO2

Dissolved CO2

CO2 + H2O H2CO3

HCO3- + H+
Adapted from Feely 2008

CO32- + H+

Net effect:
CO2 + H20 + CO32- 2HCO3-

[H+] increases, [CO32-] decreases, pH decreases

 Ocean Acidification (OA)

Occurring at rate 100 times faster than has ever happened in past
~25 million years of Earth’s history

Turley et al 2006

Observable and predictable changes to oceanic carbonate chemistry

Impacts on marine biological and biogeochemical processes?

 Marine biogenic trace gases and OA

How will future OA impact on

the production and cycling of
climatically- and atmospherically-important
marine biogenic trace gases?
 Halocarbons
Iodocarbons, Bromocarbons
Cloud
formation
New particle/
albedo CCN formation Atmosphere

O2 Transfer of I to
terrestrial ecosystems
Ozone I-, IO-, in rain and aerosols
destruction Br-, BrO-

O3

Land
CH3I,CHBr3 Seaweeds
DOM/POM

Ocean
Bacteria
Phytoplankton

Adapted from a schematic by Alex Baker, UEA

Dimethyl sulphide (DMS)

Cloud
formation
albedo
New particle/
CCN formation
Radiation budget

SO2/ SO42-
Atmospheric Climate feedbacks
acidity + or -?
Atmosphere
DMS

DMS Marine Sea

ecology

DMSP
(CH3)2S+CH2CH2COO- → (CH3)2S + CH2CHCOOH

DMSP-lyase
Phytoplankton DMSP → DMS + acrylate
communities

Adapted from Watson & Liss,

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London, 353, 41-51 (1998)
 Mesocosm CO2 Experiment
Norway May 2006 pH manipulated by
Two treatments: aerating water column
High-CO2 (~750 ppmv, pH 7.8) M1,2,3 with CO2/air mixtures
Ambient control (~300 ppmv, pH 8.1) M4,5,6

6 x mesocosms
11 m3

23-day CO2-perturbation experiment – investigating impacts of high-CO2 on

development and decline of phytoplankton bloom.

Impacts on marine biogenic trace gas production?

 Svalbard Pelagic Mesocosm Experiment, Summer 2010

EU-EPOCA Project, Kongsfjord, Spitzbergen

6, possibly 9, floating pelagic mesocosms, 50m3, 20m deep

8 pCO2 treatments (380, 450, 650, 750, 850, 1050, 1250, 2500 µatm)
4-week nutrient-induced bloom experiment
Dr Steve Archer and Dr Susan Kimmance
 Svalbard Pelagic Mesocosm Experiment, Summer 2010

EU-EPOCA Project, Kongsfjord, Spitzbergen

High latitude waters:

Conditions detrimental to ecosystems
within decades.

Assessment of response of Arctic

plankton communities to OA.

To gain greater understanding of the

impacts of OA on production/cycling
of trace gases in Arctic waters

Cao and Caldeira 2008

Thank you for listening