Ocean acidification in the Bay of Bengal

Published 28 November 2013 Science 1 Comment
Tags: biological response, chemistry, field, Indian ocean, mollusks, morphology

The present study dealt with acidification of the Bay of Bengal and its impact on marine environment. It revealed that the average pH value of water in the Bay of Bengal on an average was around 7.75. The study showed strong positive correlation between pH and bicarbonate (R2 is 0.930), between electric conductivity and salinity (R2 is 0.999) and between electric conductivity and dissolved oxygen (R2 is 0.999). The pH in the Bay of Bengal has fallen by 0.2 units between 2012 and 1994 (pH 7.95). The study infers an impact of reduction of pH on calcifying organisms such as sea shells, oyster and coral reefs that are playing essential roles in their respective ecosystems. Average calcium carbonate composition of the calcifying organisms was found to be 80% which was 17% lower than the standard composition. The lower pH (7.75) might have made the Mollusks vulnerable and fragile which was evidenced by the presence of lesser number of Mollusks compared to that of 5 to 6 years back.

Rashid T., Hoque S. & Akter F., in press. Ocean acidification in the Bay of Bengal. Open Access Scientific Reports. Article.