December 4th - Ocean Acidification

The Geological Record of Ocean Acidification
Professor Andy Ridgwell, Earth System Modelling, University of Bristol
Thursday December 4th, BRLSI, Bath, 7.30 p.m.
The future consequences of 'ocean acidification' (the chemical and pH changes induced by adding CO2 to seawater) for marine ecosystems are difficult to assess, in part because laboratory experiments are limited by their necessary short time-scales and reduced ecologic complexity. In contrast, the geological record is replete not only with a variety of global environmental perturbations that may include ocean acidification, but also associated biotic responses including adaptation and evolution. However, for the geological record to provide future-relevant information about potential species and ecosystem responses, qualitatively (and ideally quantitatively) similar changes in carbonate chemistry to those projected for the future, must have occurred.
In this talk Prof Ridgwell will address the questions: at what rate of atmospheric CO2 change does ocean acidification become qualitatively similar to current and future changes, and have any events in the geological past exhibited the characteristics of anthropogenic ocean acidification?
Everyone welcome - visitors £4 - free refreshments
Next year's lecture and field trip programmes can be seen on our website.