During the 2010 and 2011 Catlin Arctic Surveys, it was found that tiny sea creatures called copepods which live under the arctic ice will struggle to survive if ocean acidity continues to rise. This would be disastrous because these small creatures are essential to the arctic food web, meaning other creatures rely on feeding on them in order to survive. These copepods are also bio indicators, meaning they act as an early warning system for the health of an environment. The studies concluded that the copepods which remain close to the surface are more likely to be negatively affected by rising ocean acidity, as their limited habitat range means they are unlikely to be able to cope with changing conditions.
These findings were made by scientists on the Catlin Arctic Survey, and have proved very useful in understanding what increasing ocean acidification can do to such a fragile ecosystem. These important discoveries were only possible with the use of the Catlin Ice Base which was located on an area of floating sea ice. This allowed for discoveries to be made in areas scientists would have been unable to reach do to the harsh conditions of the area.
The main cause of increasing ocean acidity is the increased presence of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, which is changing the oceans chemistry. An estimated thirty percent of the carbon dioxide produce by humans falls into oceans and as emission rates rise the impact on oceans is also expected to rise. The arctic ocean is currently facing some of the highest acidification rates on the planet. This, along with the sea ice loss and rising temperatures, is expected to have a very strong impact on the ecosystem there.
