ANCHORAGE, Ak. — November 24, 2014 — The world’s most acidic ocean waters are found during the cold winter months in the Bering Sea, according to a new study.
Researchers at Columbia University released a series of maps tracking changes in global marine activity, The Alaska Dispatch News reported.
The new maps, based on 40 years’ worth of measurements, show how acidity in marine waters around the globe changes with the seasons.
The Bering Sea has shallow waters, a broad continental shelf and ocean currents that deposit nutrients from around the world. Those conditions make for wonderful fisheries, geochemist Taro Takahashi said.
But the sea also receives large amounts of runoff from rivers, which dump carbon-rich sediments and fresh water. And it’s partially enclosed by land, so acidic waters are more likely to become trapped. Together, the conditions make the Bering Sea ideal for acidity, especially in the winter months when low temperatures allow water to hold maximum carbon dioxide, Takahashi said.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at Juneau Empire