Ocean off N. Olympic Peninsula 10 times more acidic than expected

NEAH BAY — Measurements of ocean acidification off the North Olympic Peninsula coast at Tatoosh Island show acidity is rising more than 10 times faster than climate models have predicted. The researchers cannot say whether the trend is widespread. The eight years of research also revealed that the corrosive effect of acidic ocean waters could trigger a dramatic shift in coastal species and jeopardize some shellfish stocks. "The increase in acidity we saw during our study was about the same magnitude as we expect over the course of the next century," said study co-author Timothy Wootton, a marine biologist from the University of Chicago. While the waters off the Peninsula may be a unique environment, "this raises a warning flag that the oceans may be changing faster than people think," he said.