Differing responses of the estuarine bivalve Limecola balthica to lowered water pH caused by potential CO leaks from a sub-seabed storage site in the Baltic Sea: An experimental study.

Sub-Seabed CCS is regarded as a key technology for the reduction of CO emissions, but little is known about the mechanisms through which leakages from storage sites impact benthic species. In this study, the biological responses of the infaunal bivalve Limecola balthica to CO-induced seawater acidification (pH7.7, 7.0, and 6.3) were quantified in 56-day mesocosm experiments. Increased water acidity caused changes in behavioral and physiological traits, but even the most acidic conditions did not prove to be fatal. In response to hypercapnia, the bivalves approached the sediment surface and increased respiration rates. Lower seawater pH reduced shell weight and growth, while it simultaneously increased soft tissue weight; this places L. balthica in a somewhat unique position among marine invertebrates.