About the project
We aim to perform experiments that can provide vital new knowledge about the combined effects of OA and global warming/oil industry discharges on fitness and physiological parameters in relevant cold water species. The existing literature on effects of OA on different marine organisms clearly shows that the responses are stage and species specific. To improve the predictions about the fate of marine ecosystems in a high CO2 world, more information about how different species in the ecosystem respond to OA and other anthropogenic and natural stresses is needed. The proposed project will provide important data on the effects of OA alone and combined with other relevant anthropogenic stressors in adults and early life stages of key species. The experiments will include single stress and combined stress treatments. The test conditions in our experiments will be based on the emission scenarios for this century presented by IPC. The project will be divided in four work packages (WP). In WP1 we will study the combined effects of OA and increased ocean temperature (global warming) on krill and shrimps. The experiments will start with gravid krill and female shrimps carrying their embryos and continue with studying the effects on the early life stages. In WP2 the combined effects of OA and oil will be investigated on adults and early life stages of starfish, sea urchins and brittlestars. The aim is to find out if there are synergistic effects of combined exposure to OA and oil in echinoderms. The combined effects of OA and drilling mud on cold water coral will be studied in WP3. The aim is to study possible synergisitc effects of combined exposure to OA and drilling mud discharges. In WP4, data from WP1 and WP2 will be used to model the consequences of multiple stressors at the population level.
Financing
Funded by International Research Institute of Stavanger AS
Period
Start: 1.4.2010. End: 31.08.2013.