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1h ago

Acidifying Seas Corrode Shark Teeth, Peer-Reviewed Study Finds

Experiments on discarded blacktip reef shark teeth showed corrosion at pH 7.3, a level projected for 2300, highlighting the need for tests on living sharks.

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A blacktip reef shark. Image by Charles J. Sharp via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Overview

  • Researchers incubated intact shark teeth for eight weeks in seawater set to today’s average pH (~8.1) or a projected future level (~7.3) to assess damage.
  • Teeth exposed to the more acidic water developed visible cracks, holes, increased root corrosion and structural weakening, with surface irregularity appearing as greater circumference in images.
  • The study originated at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf using naturally shed teeth collected from a German aquarium and is published in Frontiers in Marine Science.
  • Authors emphasize that only non-living tissue was tested, so biological repair, remineralization and rapid tooth replacement in living sharks were not measured.
  • Researchers warn that any reduction in bite effectiveness or increased energy demands for tooth replacement could affect hunting and food-web dynamics as oceans absorb more CO2.