CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW ACIDIFIED REGION TO STUDY OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IN SUBTROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS
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1
Department of Animal Biology, Edaphology and Geology, Section Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of La Laguna, Spain
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2
Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Spain
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3
Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, Spain
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4
Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, Section Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of La Laguna, Spain
Human activity is generating an excess of atmospheric CO2, creating what we know as ocean acidification, which it is predicted to causes important changes in marine ecosystems. Until recently, most of the research on this phenomenon has been carried out under laboratory conditions, with small-scales, using few representative species and live cycle stages. These limitations raise the questions about reproducibility of the environment, including indirect effects and synergies. One way to solve these problems, inherent to laboratory experimental procedures, is by conducting studies in natural areas where expected future pH conditions already occur, as is the case of CO2 vent systems. Here, we present a new natural CO2 system located off the southern tip of La Palma Island, in an area call Fuencaliente (Canary Islands, Spain), that can be used as an analogue to study the effects of ocean acidification on the marine biodiversity. However, several factors need to be considered a priori, such as the characteristics of CO2 emissions, pH gradients, alkalinity, the replications of seeps and the influence of other gases or natural substances. We show the chemical characterization of the carbon system off the coast of Fuencaliente using a VINDTA system, as well as the concentrations of metals and macroconstituents (K, Na and Ca) analyzed using an optical atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES), and nitrate, phosphate and silicate measured using a Technicon AutoAnalyzer II. After the exploration of the area, several emissions points have been found with similar chemical features and without harmful elements for life. Although this kind of acidified systems may be rather dissimilar from future oceans’ conditions, this area of La Palma island is an exceptional spot to study the effect of natural acidification on marine biodiversity. These studies can then be used to understand how life have persisted through pass Eras, with higher atmospheric CO2, or to predict the marine ecosystem consequences of the tomorrow oceans.
Keywords:
CO2 vent,
Atlantic Ocean,
volcanic activity,
Shallow rocky habitat,
Natural laboratory
Conference:
XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation
Topic:
Oceanography, Modelling and Dynamics of Ecosystems
Citation:
González-Delgado
S,
Casiano
JS,
GONZALEZ-DAVILA
M,
González-Santana
D,
Hernández
CA,
Lozano-Bilbao
E,
Castro
A,
Sangil
C and
Hernández
J
(2019). CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW ACIDIFIED REGION TO STUDY OCEAN ACIDIFICATION IN SUBTROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS.
Front. Mar. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) .
doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2019.08.00027
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Received:
26 Apr 2019;
Published Online:
27 Sep 2019.
*
Correspondence:
PhD. Sara González-Delgado, Department of Animal Biology, Edaphology and Geology, Section Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of La Laguna, San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain, saglezdel@gmail.com
Dr. MELCHOR GONZALEZ-DAVILA, Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35214, Spain, melchor.gonzalez@ulpgc.es