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4h ago

Lab Study Finds Ocean Acidification Corrodes Shark Teeth

The experiment used discarded teeth under a far-future pH scenario, prompting calls for tests on living sharks.

Image
A blacktip reef shark at Sea Life Oberhausen, a German aquarium.
Blacktip reef sharks in the ocean (L); and a comparison of shark teeth after exposure to water with different pH levels (R).
The study's lead author Maximilian Baum holds the jaw of a shark.

Overview

  • Researchers incubated naturally shed blacktip reef shark teeth for eight weeks at pH levels near today’s average (~8.1) and a projected 2300 scenario (7.3), observing markedly greater corrosion in the lower-pH tanks.
  • Microscopy documented cracks, holes, increased root erosion and structural degradation, indicating weaker teeth even though sharks continually replace them.
  • The peer-reviewed study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, used teeth collected at Sea Life Oberhausen and establishes a chemical baseline for tooth vulnerability.
  • Authors and external experts note limits because samples were non-living and the pH scenario was extreme, urging follow-up research on live animals and feeding performance across species.
  • Scientists highlight that ocean acidification is driven by ocean uptake of human-generated CO2, with NOAA reporting about a 30% increase in surface-ocean acidity since preindustrial times.