Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
The continental shelf waters off the west coast of North America are exposed to water with increasing concentrations of anthropogenic CO2 (Canthro) from exchanges with the atmosphere and the shoreward transport and mixing of upwelled water from the south and west. Hydrographic measurements were made offshore of the west coast of the United States and Canada on the RV Ronald H. Brown on the West Coast Ocean Acidification cruise in June and July of 2021 (WCOA2021). The primary goal of this WCOA2021 cruise was to measure the physics, chemistry, and biology of this region from Queen Charlotte Sound in British Columbia to southern California in order to develop a clearer understanding of the intersection of natural and anthropogenic ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and biogeochemical cycling processes in these waters. This region is a natural laboratory for studying the chemical and ecological impacts of ocean acidification and deoxygenation due to spring and summertime wind-driven upwelling of cold waters that are rich in re-mineralized carbon and nutrients and poor in oxygen. The upwelled nutrients drive intense cycling of organic matter that is created through photosynthesis in the surface ocean and degraded through biological respiration in subsurface habitats. We observed reductions in pH and decreases in aragonite saturation state of up to 0.1 and 0.2, respectively, relative to a linear mixing model for surface and subsurface waters due to the enhanced respiration processes in the subsurface waters off the coasts of Washington and Oregon where hypoxic conditions prevailed over much of the region. These conditions for dissolved oxygen, pH and aragonite saturation state in the subsurface waters were below critical thresholds for several marine species of importance to the California Current Ecosystem.
Session Title
Poster Session 1: Applied Research & Climate Change
Conference Track
SSE14: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-posters-217
Start Date
26-4-2022 4:00 PM
End Date
26-4-2022 4:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Ocean acidification--Pacific Coast (North America); Upwelling (Oceanography)--Pacific Coast (North America); Seawater--Pacific Coast (North America)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Pacific Coast (North America)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Coastal Ocean Acidification Along the Washington Coast Adjacent to the Salish Sea
The continental shelf waters off the west coast of North America are exposed to water with increasing concentrations of anthropogenic CO2 (Canthro) from exchanges with the atmosphere and the shoreward transport and mixing of upwelled water from the south and west. Hydrographic measurements were made offshore of the west coast of the United States and Canada on the RV Ronald H. Brown on the West Coast Ocean Acidification cruise in June and July of 2021 (WCOA2021). The primary goal of this WCOA2021 cruise was to measure the physics, chemistry, and biology of this region from Queen Charlotte Sound in British Columbia to southern California in order to develop a clearer understanding of the intersection of natural and anthropogenic ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and biogeochemical cycling processes in these waters. This region is a natural laboratory for studying the chemical and ecological impacts of ocean acidification and deoxygenation due to spring and summertime wind-driven upwelling of cold waters that are rich in re-mineralized carbon and nutrients and poor in oxygen. The upwelled nutrients drive intense cycling of organic matter that is created through photosynthesis in the surface ocean and degraded through biological respiration in subsurface habitats. We observed reductions in pH and decreases in aragonite saturation state of up to 0.1 and 0.2, respectively, relative to a linear mixing model for surface and subsurface waters due to the enhanced respiration processes in the subsurface waters off the coasts of Washington and Oregon where hypoxic conditions prevailed over much of the region. These conditions for dissolved oxygen, pH and aragonite saturation state in the subsurface waters were below critical thresholds for several marine species of importance to the California Current Ecosystem.
