Effects of raised CO2 concentration on the egg production rate and early development of two marine copepods (Acartia steueri and Acartia erythraea)

Direct injection of CO2 into the deep ocean is receiving increasing attention as a way to mitigate increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration. To assess the potential impact of the environmental change associated with CO2 sequestration in the ocean, we studied the lethal and sub-lethal effects of raised CO2 concentration in seawater on adult and early stage embryos of marine planktonic copepods. We found that the reproduction rate and larval development of copepods are very sensitive to increased CO2 concentration. The hatching rate tended to decrease, and nauplius mortality rate to increase, with increased CO2 concentration. These results suggest that the marine copepod community will be negatively affected by the disposal of CO2. This could decrease on the carbon export flux to the deep ocean and change the biological pump. Clearly, further studies are needed to determine whether ocean CO2 injection is an acceptable strategy to reduce anthropogenic CO2.