Ocean Acidification Research Seminar Tuesday June 28th from 12:00 to 1:30

MIT Sea Grant invites you to our next seminar about ocean acidification. Tuesday, June 28thE38-3rd Floor Conference Room12:00 – 1:30pmThree MIT Sea Grant funded researchers will present updates on their latest work. Please find details about each talk below.Molluscan vulnerability to ocean acidification across life stagesJustine ReisDepartment of Marine and Environmental SciencesNortheastern UniversityThis project aims to investigate the vulnerability of commercially important calcifying marine mollusks to ocean acidification at various stages of their life history. Recently completed and planned future experiments will investigate the impact of ocean acidification on a range of calcifying marine mollusks at various stages of development. Specific projects include investigating: (1) the impact of ocean acidification on calcification rate, shell properties, and epigenetics of juvenile- and larval-stage Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica); (2) the impact of ocean acidification and warming on calcification rate and shell properties of larval-stage Slipper Limpets (Crepidula fornicata); and (3) the impact of ocean acidification and warming on calcification rate, shell properties, pallial fluid pH, and proteomics of adult Atlantic Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus). Although experimental studies are ongoing, initial results suggest that early-life-stage mollusks exhibit a surprising degree of resilience to moderate levels of CO2-induced ocean acidification (700 ¤ 1000 ppm), but exhibit a nonlinear (exponential) increase in vulnerability to more extreme acidification (2000 ¤ 3000 ppm). Microelectrode studies of pallial fluid pH, coupled with targeted epigenetic and proteomic studies, will aim to identify the mechanism(s) behind this non-linearity in mollusks¡ response to ocean acidification at various stages of development.Multiple stressors on American Lobster, Homarus americanus: synergistic effects of ocean acidification, temperature increase, and epizootic shell diseaseRobyn HanniganSchool for the EnvironmentUniversity of Massachusetts at BostonWe are studying the interactive effects of temperature increase and ocean acidification on larval and juvenile American lobster (Homarus americanus). Specifically we are exploring the impact of these environmental stressors on the development and structure of the shell and the consequent relation to the development of epizootic shell disease (ESD). ESD is a bacterial infection of the shell caused by invasion of bacterial into weak areas in the shell. These weakened areas can be caused by external forces (scratches etc.) as well as by deformation of the shell structure during growth. In addition to exploring the relation of shell structure and ESD incidence, we will explore the transcriptomic responses of the lobster to these stressors with particular focus on genes associated with shell development. The data from this study will clarify the genetic response to climate change-induced stress and the resultant morphological expression of these stresses and the impact of such changes in shell structure on animal health.Quantification of the contribution of wastewater effluent to coastal ocean acidificationScott DoneyMarine Chemistry & GeochemistryWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionOur project aims to determine the influence of wastewater treatment facility effluent on coastal acidification in Buzzards Bay. Over the past few decades, estuaries around Buzzards Bay have experienced degrading water quality due to coastal nutrient eutrophication that can also lead to acidification. Our study combines hydrodynamic/plume modeling with a field sampling campaign to characterize the dispersion and biogeochemical impact of wastewater discharge. The talk will present a regional analysis of water quality trends, results from a model of anthropogenic nitrogen sources, and preliminary results from numerical plume modeling and sensor field testing.We encourage attendees to bring their lunch to the seminar. The seminar is open to the public. Please pass this announcement along to interested parties. Questions can be sent to KBaltes@mit.edu.