Vulnerability of West Coast Zooplankton to Ocean Acidification

The vulnerability of West Coast zooplankton to ocean acidification was evaluated by combining information on modeled carbonate chemistry exposure with data from laboratory species response experiments. Carbonate chemistry exposure was modeled using an individually-based approach to track the movement of simulated zooplankton through a dynamic circulation and water quality model of the Salish Sea. Species response experiments in the analysis included targeted studies on key species conducted at the NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center and a meta-analysis of published studies relevant to California Current zooplankton species that are summarized in a custom database.  The individually-based modeling shows the importance of species-specific behavior in driving the carbonate chemistry exposure while the species response experiments show variability in sensitivity by species and life-stage. The result is a complex picture of vulnerability with some species (e.g. pteropods) showing exposure and sensitivity patterns of high vulnerability and some species (e.g. Dungeness crab larvae) showing more moderate (but not trivial) vulnerability.