Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification

BIOACID project takes an integrated approach combining the expertise of molecular and cell biologists, biochemists, plant and animal physiologists, marine ecologists, ocean biogeochemists and ecosystem modellers to close the many gaps in our understanding and to allow a systems-based assessment of the risks and uncertainties associated with ocean acidification. The overarching questions of BIOACID are: (1) what are the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms and their habitat, (2) what are the underlying mechanisms of responses and possible adaptations on the level of populations and communities, (3) how are they modulated by other environmental stressors, and (4) what are the consequences for marine ecosystems, ocean biogeochemical cycles, and possible feedbacks to the climate system?

To address these questions for a wide range of potentially sensitive biological processes, research activities will be structured according to key ecosystem components and functional groups. Information gained in a variety of experimental approaches and field assays will be synthesized to obtain an integrated assessment of sensitivities and uncertainties and to identify the potential thresholds associated with ocean acidification.