To discover the future consequences of carbon dioxide dissolving in our oceans, scientists at the Utah State University studied copepods — tiny crustaceans that sustain large and important food webs.
Samples of these organisms were captured and half were placed in ambient seawater, while the other half were placed in water that had been acidified to levels predicted for 2100. When a natural predator, the box jellyfish, was added, they were observed to be particularly ravenous in the acidified water, where the copepods were feasted upon significantly more.
