This article provides an overview of how rivers, which tend to be acidic compared to the ocean, affect shellfish, with a focus on the Gulf of Maine.

For juvenile hard-shell clams, ocean acidification alone or in combination with low salinity reduced the hardness and fracture toughness of their shells. This may reduce protection against predators. Salinity should be taken into account when predicting the effects of ocean acidification on estuarine bivalves. (Laboratory study)

When juvenile oysters were exposed to ocean acidification and/or low salinity, they had greater mortality, less energy stored in their tissues, and loss of soft tissue indicating energy deficiency. Ocean acidification and low salinity also reduced the hardness and fracture resistance of their shells. (Laboratory study)

While ocean acidification may have some negative effects on the eggs of amphipods, exposure to low-salinity water is likely to affect the eggs more, based on ocean acidification trends projected for the next 300 years. (Laboratory study)

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) is being absorbed into the ocean, altering seawater chemistry, with potentially negative impacts on a wide range of marine organisms. The early life stages of invertebrates with internal and external aragonite structures may be particularly vulnerable to this ocean acidification. Impacts to cephalopods, which form aragonite ...

This Oceanography paper discusses ocean and coastal acidification processes specific to New England coastal and Nova Scotia shelf waters and reviews current understanding of the biological consequences most relevant to the region. It also identifies key research and monitoring needs to be addressed and highlight existing capacities that should be ...