The Washington Ocean Acidification Center (WOAC) is excited to share recently published open-access research in Nature Communications, “A century of change in the California Current: upwelling system amplifies acidification.” This paper was led by Mary Margaret Stoll, who recently earned a PhD in chemical oceanography at the UW, with Alex Gagnon, associate professor in chemical oceanography at the UW.

In this article, Dr. Stoll and her colleagues describe the pace of acidification in the Salish Sea and adjacent California Current System over the last century as revealed by analysis of the the orange cup coral (Balanophyllia elegans) Using isotopes preserved in the corals’ skeletons combined with modeling approaches, the authors found that the pace of acidification in the Salish Sea was faster than would be expected based on increases in atmospheric CO2 alone. Importantly, this finding suggests that acidification in the California Current System—a major driver of marine biodiversity, commercial fisheries, and human well-being along the west coast—was similarly amplified over this period. 

“Corals are like little time capsules,” Dr. Stoll said recently to the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies. “They build skeletons that record the chemistry of the seawater they live in.” 

The Washington Ocean Acidification Center helped support this research by providing funding for graduate student support, sample collection by SCUBA and dredge, and isotope analysis of historical and current specimens.

“Since 2013, the Center has been tasked by the state to lead priority areas of ocean acidification research, which has many biological, economic, and cultural implications for our communities,” said Jan Newton, co-director of the WOAC. “By investing in projects like this, we are not only providing sound information for decision-makers, but also opportunities for students like Mary Margaret to perform innovative and important research.”

Several stories about this research were published, view them below.

• Tiny cup corals show accelerating ocean acidification in the Salish Sea – KNKX Public radio
• 19th century corals unlock a new understanding of ocean acidification in the California Current and Salish Sea – UW CICOES
• Ocean acidification to hit Puget Sound harder, study says – The Seattle Times (paywall)
• Corals reveal alarming changes unfolding along the Pacific coast – Earth.com
• Cold water corals in Salish Sea unlock new insights into ocean health – Cascadia Daily News
• Carbon-rich waters are becoming even more acidic as atmospheric CO2 levels rise – UW News
• ​Coral report – Pique News

The study “A century of change in the California Current: upwelling system amplifies acidification” in Nature Communications was authored by Mary Margaret Stoll (UW School of Oceanography), Curtis A. Deutsch (Princeton), Hana Jurikova (University of Saint Andrews), James W.B. Rae (University of St. Andrews), Hartmut Frenzel (UW CICOES), Anne Gothmann (St. Olaf College), Simone R. Alin (NOAA PMEL), and Alex Gagnon (UW School of Oceanography).