Biological production reduces the net impacts of coastal acidification in the northwestern Pacific Ocean

Abstract

The seasonal and interannual dynamics of primary production and carbonate chemistry were investigated in coastal waters of Korea (the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and East Sea (Sea of Japan) using time series data collected from 2015 to 2018 (April, August and October). Analysis of carbonate data revealed that organic carbon production (photosynthesis) dominates over inorganic carbon production (calcification) in the study area. The changes in surface pH and pCO2 (calculated at a constant temperature from TA and DIC) via photosynthesis of phytoplankton were comparable to a magnitude of the alterations due to temperature variation, indicating that net impacts of ocean acidification and global warming can be mitigated by biological activity in the coastal marine ecosystem.