Acid Test for the Great Shellfish Bay?

What would happen to oysters in an acidifying Chesapeake? What would happen to seagrasses in an estuary with higher carbon dioxide levels? Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Editors, Michael W. Fincham and Jeffrey Brainard; Production Editor and Art Director, Sandy Rodgers. more . . . about Chemistry 101 - How Rising Carbon Dioxide Threatens Shell-Builders

The pH scale - that staple of introductory chemistry courses - is the measuring stick that scientists use to gauge acidity in the Chesapeake Bay. The scale normally runs from 0 to 14; the lower the number, the greater the acidity. A pH of 7, the middle point, is regarded as neutral pH. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Editors, Michael W. Fincham and Jeffrey Brainard; Production Editor and Art Director, Sandy Rodgers. more . . . about Yardstick for Acidity

Is rising acidity also a risk for oyster hatcheries and farms here in the Chesapeake? It's a question with no easy answer. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Editors, Michael W. Fincham and Jeffrey Brainard; Production Editor and Art Director, Sandy Rodgers. more . . . about Shell Game - Finding Answers for Acid Waters

In the Chesapeake Bay and the open ocean, waters with rising acidity are poison for some species and tonic for others. Those discoveries came from recent laboratory studies about how Bay species are affected by water with different levels of pH, the laboratory scale that describes acidity. (Lower pH readings correspond to higher acidity.) That's important because of predictions that the Bay and the open ocean will slowly become more acidic in coming decades. Water in parts of the Bay is already naturally more acidic than in the open ocean. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Editors, Michael W. Fincham and Jeffrey Brainard; Production Editor and Art Director, Sandy Rodgers. more . . . about Crab vs. Oyster - As Acidity Increases, Some Species May Win and Others Lose

Levels of acidity may be rising in parts of the Chesapeake Bay, and as a result, oyster larvae may be dying and oyster shells may be thinning. According to state and federal regulators, there isn't yet enough proof to say the Bay is suffering from acid indigestion or to prescribe an antacid. One environmental advocacy group, however, has been working the regulatory umpires to persuade them otherwise. Chesapeake Quarterly, Maryland Sea Grant's quarterly magazine, reports on research, extension, education and other Chesapeake Bay issues and activities of interest to the marine community. It is produced and funded by this program, which receives support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Editors, Michael W. Fincham and Jeffrey Brainard; Production Editor and Art Director, Sandy Rodgers. more . . . about Should We Regulate Acidity in the Bay? If So, How?