Acidification in the Southern Ocean – current state and future challenges

Abstract

The Southern Ocean is especially sensitive to ocean acidification, a process where carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean, thereby changing its acidity levels. Observations show that open ocean waters across the Southern Ocean experienced faster rates of acidification over the past four decades than non-polar waters. Model simulations project more severe ocean acidification in Antarctic coastal waters than in the open ocean. Ocean acidification negatively impacts many Southern Ocean species, but our understanding of whole-ecosystem impacts is incomplete. Furthermore, it is important that we both maintain and expand observational capabilities and mechanistic experiments in this rapidly changing and vulnerable region of the ocean to understand the impacts of ocean acidification on Southern Ocean ecosystems.