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Published Online May 22, 2008
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1155676

Reports

Submitted on January 25, 2008
Accepted on May 13, 2008

Evidence for Upwelling of Corrosive "Acidified" Water onto the Continental Shelf

Richard A. Feely 1*, Christopher L. Sabine 1, J. Martin Hernandez-Ayon 2, Debby Ianson 3, Burke Hales 4

1 Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115–6349, USA.
2 Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanologicas. Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. Km. 103 Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada. Ensenada. Baja California. Mexico.
3 Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Science, P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada.
4 College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 Ocean Admin. Bldg., Corvallis, OR 97331–5503, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Richard A. Feely , E-mail: richard.a.feely{at}noaa.gov

The absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide into the ocean lowers the pH of the waters. This so-called ocean acidification could have important consequences for marine ecosystems. In order to better understand the extent of this ocean acidification in coastal waters, we conducted hydrographic surveys from central Canada to northern Mexico. We observed seawater that is undersaturated with respect to aragonite upwelling onto large portions of the continental shelf, reaching depths of approximately 40 to 120 m along most transect lines and all the way to the surface on one transect off northern California. While seasonal upwelling of the undersaturated waters onto the shelf is a natural phenomenon in this region, the ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2 has increased the areal extent of the affected area.


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)