This beautiful pteropod, or sea butterfly, was spotted during a dive in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary! Pteropods are tiny creatures, only about an inch in size, but their utility as an indicator species for ocean acidification is huge.
When we burn fossil fuels like oil and gas, we release carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Some of that rampant carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean, where it changes the ocean’s chemistry and makes the water more acidic.
These changes in ocean chemistry are making it harder for pteropods to build their shells. By tracking pteropod populations and keeping an eye on the health of their shells, we can gain information about the rate of ocean acidification and better analyze how chemical changes in the ocean will impact other shelled organisms and whole ecosystems over time.
(Photo: Evan Barba)