The Pacific Ocean is now so acidic that it’s dissolving the shells of crabs, according to a new study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
The study, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), found for the first time that ocean acidification along the northwest coast of the U.S. is impacting the shells and sensory organs of some young Dungeness crabs.
While analyzing samples collected during a 2016 NOAA research cruise, researchers say they identified examples of damage to the upper shell of numerous larval Dungeness crabs, as well as the loss of hair-like sensory structures that crabs use to orient themselves to their surroundings.
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