Written question asked by Norman Baker (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 13 July 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 July 2005. It was answered by Ben Bradshaw (Labour) on Thursday, 21 July 2005 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Marine Environment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the acidity levels of the world's oceans, with particular reference to the capacity to sustain ecosystems.

Answer: The Royal Society published last month a report on ocean acidification as a result of increased concentrations of carbon dioxide. This drew attention to the increased acidity which has already been observed, and predicted that further increases would have serious implications for marine ecosystems.The Department, jointly with DTI, has already funded some research at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) on the impact of increased levels of carbon dioxide and the consequent acidification on the oceans and marine ecosystems.Earlier this year Defra, DTI the Norwegian Institute for Water Research and English Nature agreed to oversee a further programme of research with PML to investigate the potential impact of increased seawater acidity on shallow sea ecosystems, biodiversity and the health of key organisms, including their capacity to adapt. This will enable us to better understand and predict the consequences of the Increasing acidity of seawater.The OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North East Atlantic has begun work on an assessment of the implications of increased carbon dioxide levels. The United Kingdom will be contributing to this work, drawing on the results of the Royal Society study and of the work at PML.

Secondary information