Can Oysters
Survive
Ocean
Acidification?
Mrs. Lee's Third Grade
South Prairie Elementary
Tillamook, OR
Question: Can Oysters Survive
Ocean Acidification?
Whiskey Creek Oyster Hatchery
Thank you!
Alan Barton
Crissy Smith
Clair Thomas
Sue Cudd
Research and Discovery
pH?
Dissolved Oxygen?
Hypothesis: We think that the baby oyster spat
will not survive at a pH level of 6.5. We think as
the pH goes up and becomes less acidic, the
spat will respond and grow larger. The spat will
grow in ocean water of pH 7.5 and will grow
even larger in ocean water of pH 8.5.
Group Activity:
Oyster Life
Cycle Posters
C-MORE Kits—Ocean Acidification
If you
increase
CO2—What
happens
to the pH?
*LabQuests
*pH Probes
*CO2 Sensors
*BioChambers
Setting up the Experiment
*3 Tanks
*Salinity Gauge
*pH Probe
*Compound
Balance Scales
*Calipers
*CO2 Tank/Gauge
*Tubing/Airstones
*Air Compressor
*PVC pipe/screens
Spat Containers
5cm X 5cm PVC pipe
with plastic screen
Algae provided by
Whiskey Creek Oyster Hatchery
Procedure (Abbreviated):
*2 spat containers per tank
*10 spat per container
*Feed spat 1 cup of algae daily
*Measure size and mass of spat
weekly.
*Run the experiment for 2
months.
Tank 1:
Tank 2:
Tank 3:
8.5 Raise pH by adding Aragonite--soluble
form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
7.5 Lower pH by bubbling small amounts
of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into the tank.
6.5 Lower pH by bubbling large amounts
of Carbon Dioxide (CO2)into the tank.
Findings
Effect of pH on shell growth:
Over a two month period the oyster spat in the
7.5 and 8.5 tanks grew or increased in mm and
the spat in the 6.5 tank went down or decreased
in mm.
Effect of pH on mass:
Over a two month period the oyster spat in the
7.5 and 8.5 tanks increased in mass and the spat
in the 6.5 tank decreased in mass.
Summary:
The pH of Netarts Bay varies between 7.4 and
8.3. Our experiment shows that oysters die and
their shells begin to dissolve when carbon
dioxide lowers pH between 6.5 and 7.5.