Modern Mussel Shells Are Thinner Than 50 Years Ago Due To Ocean Acidification

The researchers discovered that the California mussel shells gathered from the Pacific Ocean in the 1970s are on average 32 percent thicker than the modern mussels. This means that the modern mussels are thinner overall, thinner per age category and thinner per unit length.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on June 15, 2016. It was led by the biologists from the University of Chicago.

The researchers also found that the mussels collected by Native Americans 1,000 to 1,300 years ago were 27 percent thicker than the modern shell on the average. The decreasing thickness of the mussels is likely due to ocean acidification, which is a result of increased carbon in the atmosphere.

The oceans absorb a large portion of carbon released into the atmosphere. This is caused by human burning fossil fuels. With this the pH levels decrease, making the ocean acidic. The oysters, mussels and other species of algae have intricacy producing their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons in such an environment. This suggests how ocean acidification affects marine life.

#California mussels need abundant food to fight #acidification: https://t.co/qukEtueBLT #WestCoast #oceans pic.twitter.com/vE5TxRjWi8

— FondriestEnv (@FondriestEnv) June 10, 2016

 Cathy Pfister, Ph.D., the lead author of the study and professor of ecology and evolution at the University of Chicago stated that the California mussel is a common species along the entire west coast of the United States. She further said that their fate will be linked to that of a rich diversity of predators. These include the sea otters and sea stars as well as myriad species that are part of the mussel bed habitat. She concluded that it is essential that we understand more about how these species will change as ocean conditions change.