Meeting Abstract

P3-125  Saturday, Jan. 7 15:30 – 17:30  The Effects of Acidification and Hypoxia on the Estuarine Organisms Cyprinodon variegatus (Sheepshead Minnow) and Americamysis bahia (Mysid Shrimp) MOSO, E/M*; ENZOR, L/A; HANKINS, C; BARRON, M/G; U.S. Environemtnal Protection Agency; U.S. Environemtnal Protection Agency; U.S. Environemtnal Protection Agency; U.S. Environemtnal Protection Agency moso.elizabeth@epa.gov

The interactive and combined effects of coastal acidification and hypoxia on estuarine species is an increasing concern as these stressors change concomitantly. There is a need to understand how these environmental factors interact, as well as their effect on estuarine organisms. A method was developed for this research whereby four exposure treatments were created simultaneously: ambient, elevated pCO₂, (~1300µatm, IPCC RCP 8.5 scenario), hypoxic (low dissolved oxygen, ~2 mg/L), and combined elevated pCO₂ with low dissolved oxygen. An exposure with variant water quality parameters allows for the comparative study of organismal survival response to acidified and hypoxic conditions. The goal of this research is to determine acute species sensitivity, which is determined by survivability, to the combined effects of elevated pCO₂ and hypoxia over a 5 day period, as well as possible differences in sensitivity between life-stages. Preliminary research on sheepshead minnow and mysid shrimp, indicates that mysid shrimp were tolerant of both elevated pCO₂ and low DO exposure regardless of life-stage, whereas sheepshead minnows were more sensitive to the combined effects of acidification and hypoxia.