Activity: Nature is the best sustainability model

CO2 capture in shells and corals

Miranda Huerta A01709531

Paola Hernández A01737238

Carlos Latabán A00572581

Carla Carbonell A00573951

Jimena Arroyo A00572955

Biomimetics and Sustainability

IB1006.601 (Grupo 601)

ITESM Campus León

September 1st, 2022

 CO2 capture in shells and corals

Seashells are crucial components in coastal and marine ecosystems, as they have
multiple functions. Perhaps the most obvious, natural uses for shell are the homes they make
for hermit crabs. (Reynolds, B. 2018)

On the other hand, we have corals reefs, which protect coastlines from storms and
erosion, provide jobs for local communities, and offer opportunities for recreation. They also
are a source of food and new medicines. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food,
income, and protection. Fishing, diving, and snorkeling on and near reefs add hundreds of
millions of dollars to local businesses. The net economic value of the world’s coral reefs is
estimated to be nearly tens of billions of U.S. dollars per year. These ecosystems are
culturally important to indigenous people around the world. (National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration. n.d.)

Reefs cover an area of 284,300 km2, less than 0.1% of the ocean’s surface area. Yet,
they are among the most diverse ecosystems, hosting thousands of species of organisms.
(Spalding et al., 2001)

Seashells and coral reefs are essential for climate change, since 48% of fossil fuel
emissions are absorbed by the ocean. As oceans absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), they become
more acidic. This affects the ability of reef-building corals to grow their skeletons and form
the foundation for coral reefs. Weaker skeletons also make corals more vulnerable to disease
and destruction by storms. In fact, research shows that when exposed to high levels of CO2,
corals stop being productive and their risk of bleaching increases by up to 50%. (Coral Reef
Alliance, 2021)

Shells are made of calcium carbonate, in the mineral form of calcite or aragonite. It's
essential to repeat that not only shells are composed of calcium carbonate, there are a lot
more structures too. One of them are corals, which form the skeleton of large underwater
structures commonly known as “Coral Reefs”. There can be two different types of corals in
the sea and water environment, there is first the “Hard” or “Hermatypic” type because it
creates the exoskeleton of their bodies. And the second different type is known as “soft”
corals, that mainly are their “sac-like bodies”, and they are not involved in reef building.
(Ross, 2018)
 The building of skeletons in marine creatures is particularly sensitive to acidity. One
of the molecules that hydrogen ions bond with is carbonate (CO3-2), a key component of

calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shells. To make calcium carbonate, shell-building marine animals

such as corals and oysters combine a calcium ion (Ca+2) with carbonate (CO3-2) from
surrounding seawater, releasing carbon dioxide and water in the process. Like calcium ions,
hydrogen ions tend to bond with carbonate—but they have a greater attraction to carbonate
than calcium. When a hydrogen bonds with carbonate, a bicarbonate ion (HCO3-) is formed.
Shell-building organisms can't extract the carbonate ion they need from bicarbonate,
preventing them from using that carbonate to grow new shells. (Smithsonian, 2018)

CO2 + H2O — H+ + HCO3-

HCO3- — H+ + CO3-2

Seawater is a soup of dissolved chemicals, substances and ions. To build shells and
skeletons, marine organisms, such as this hypothetical clam, extract calcium ions and
carbonate ions from seawater, combining them into crystals of calcium carbonate that lay
down to make shells. Carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean and reacts with water to form
with carbonic acid, which in turn generates bicarbonate, carbonate and hydrogen ions. All
these ions in seawater surrounding shell building marine life. (Smithsonian, 2018)

In this way, the hydrogen essentially binds up the carbonate ions, making it harder for
shelled animals to build their homes. Even if animals are able to build skeletons in more
acidic water, they may have to spend more energy to do so, taking away resources from other
activities like reproduction. If there are too many hydrogen ions around and not enough
molecules for them to bond with, they can even begin breaking existing calcium carbonate
molecules apart—dissolving shells that already exist. (Smithsonian, 2018)

When carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that
reduce seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically
important calcium carbonate minerals. These chemical reactions are termed "ocean
acidification" or "OA" for short. (PMEL, n.d.)
 Ocean acidification is expected to impact ocean species to varying degrees.
Photosynthetic algae and seagrasses may benefit from higher CO2 conditions in the ocean, as
they require CO2 to live just like plants on land. On the other hand, studies have shown that
lower environmental calcium carbonate saturation states can have a dramatic effect on some
calcifying species, including oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea
corals, and calcareous plankton. Today, more than a billion people worldwide rely on food
from the ocean as their primary source of protein. Thus, both jobs and food security in the
U.S. and around the world depend on the fish and shellfish in our oceans. (PMEL, n.d.)

However, continued ocean acidification is causing many parts of the ocean to become
under-saturated with these minerals, which is likely to affect the ability of some organisms to
produce and maintain their shells. Future predictions indicate that the ocean will continue to
absorb carbon dioxide, further increasing ocean acidity. Estimates of future carbon dioxide
levels, based on business as usual emission scenarios, indicate that by the end of this century
the surface waters of the ocean could have acidity levels nearly 150 percent higher, resulting
in a pH that the oceans haven’t experienced for more than 20 million years. (Woods Hole
Oceangraphic Institution, 2022)

In a recent paper, coral biologists reported that ocean acidification could compromise
the successful fertilization, larval settlement and survivorship of Elkhorn coral, an
endangered species. These research results suggest that ocean acidification could severely
impact the ability of coral reefs to recover from disturbance. Other research indicates that, by
the end of this century, coral reefs may erode faster than they can be rebuilt. This could
compromise the long-term viability of these ecosystems and perhaps impact the estimated
one million species that depend on coral reef habitats. (Center for Environmental
Visualization, n.d.)

Since sustained efforts to monitor ocean acidification worldwide are only beginning,
it is currently impossible to predict exactly how ocean acidification impacts will cascade
throughout the marine food chain and affect the overall structure of marine ecosystems. With
the pace of ocean acidification accelerating, scientists, resource managers, and policymakers
recognize the urgent need to strengthen science as a basis for sound decision-making and
action. (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, n.d.)
 The most effective way to limit ocean acidification is to act on climate change,
implementing solutions to dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels. If we dramatically cut
our global warming emissions, and we limit future warming, we can significantly reduce the
harm to marine ecosystems. (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2019)

In conclusion, all marine ecosystems are under tremendous stress from climate
change. Ocean acidification, paired up with other climate impacts like warming waters,
deoxygenation, melting ice, and coastal erosion, pose real threats to the survival of many
marine species. We have to start acting to help prevent this from getting worse. We can all do
our parts to help reduce carbon dioxide emission, starting from only using the car when
needed or trying to walk to nearby places. We have reached an unimaginable limit where we
have to start acting now, before the earth can't hold us any longer.
 References

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Concerned Scientists. Retrieved September 1, 2022, from

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