Location: Bowdoin / Coastal Studies Center / Student Research / Summer 2011 / Anna Chase, ‘13

Coastal Studies Center

Anna Chase, ‘13

Advisor: Amy Johnson, Award: Doherty Fellowship2011-annachase
Project: Effects of Temperature on Growth Rate of the Green Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis


Increased atmospheric concentrations CO2 result in decreased ocean pH as dissolved CO2 reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid. This process of ocean acidification has the potential to dramatically impact the ecology of marine calcified such as echinoderms. Accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere is also associated with increasing ocean temperatures. The interacting effects of increased temperature and decreased pH will result in species, size, and temperature specific alterations in calcification rates in response to climate change. The green sea urchin is also an ecologically and economically important species in the Gulf of Maine. Studying sea urchin growth rates in conditions of differing temperatures will increase our ability to understand how future climate changes may impact this species of urchin. More accurate models of green sea urchin growth could potentially allow for the implementation of more successful management programs in the Gulf of Maine. Chase’s aim was to identify the optimal temperatures for growth of urchins differing in size which would enable her to interpret data from experiments that expose urchins to conditions they are likely to experience due to climate change, involving the perturbation of both pH and temperature. From this the hope was to interpret data from past and future experiments studying the potential effects of climate change on the green sea urchin to increase understanding of the complex and varied responses of sea urchins to climate change.


Pecha Kucha

Click the image to watch...