01-05 December 2025
INCOIS, Hyderabad, India.
| Abstract Submission No. | ABS-01-0090 |
| Title of Abstract | Impact of Ocean Acidification on Coastal Copepods. Implications for Futuristic Coastal Dynamics. |
| Authors | Durgesh Bhati*, Manguesh U Gauns, Sakshi Kanotra |
| Organisation | CSIR- National Institute of Oceanography, Goa |
| Address | SAS 9, NIO Residential Colony, Dona Paula Panaji, Goa, India Pincode: 403004 E-mail: durgeshchaudhary41@gmail.com |
| Country | India |
| Presentation | Poster |
| Abstract | Anthropogenic ocean acidification, resulting from increased atmospheric CO2 absorption by seawater, poses significant threats to marine ecosystems, particularly in coastal environments where pH reductions are expected to be more severe than in open oceans. Copepods represent a critical link between primary producers and higher trophic levels, yet their responses to the rapid decline in seawater pH expected by the century's end remain poorly constrained⿿especially in dynamic coastal regions. The current study quantifies how near-future pH scenarios affect the survival and population dynamics of the Pseudodiaptomus serricaudatus, a perennial coastal and estuarine copepod of the West Coast of India. Adult copepods were incubated at four target pH levels (8.10, 7.81, 7.51, 7.04), maintained by an automated CO⿿-bubbling system to study the mortality and population dynamics. Mortality was assessed every three days up to day 10; population stage composition was recorded on day 15. Mortality remained 23% at pH 8.10 (representing open-ocean conditions) but rose to 30% at pH 7.81 (present-day coastal average), 47% at pH 7.51 (projected late-21st-century coastal value), and 77% at pH 7.04 (extreme 23rd-century scenario). Population data revealed a decline in different life stages and a copepodites-to-nauplius (Co/N) ratio at lower pH values, indicating impaired development. The critical pH threshold for P. serricaudatus appeared to lie between 7.5-7.8, corresponding closely to current coastal conditions and near-future projections. These findings indicate that coastal copepod populations may already be experiencing sublethal stress, with potential demographic collapse occurring within decades rather than by century's end. |
| Are you part of IIOE-2 endorsed project | no |
| Keywords | Ocean Acidification, Copepods, Life-stages, Mortality, Coastal Dynamics. |
| For Awards | yes |
| Date Of Birth | 10-05-1995 |
| ECSN Registration Number | IIOE2-ECSN-0195 |