The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Warming, Acidification, and the Resilience of Gulf of Maine Bivalves: A Paleo and Experimental Perspective
ID:653 Invited Oral Presentation

2027-01-12 13:30 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 63 - Blue Foods: Navigating the Nexus of Human Well-being and Ocean Health

Abstract
Marine fisheries, aquaculture, and the seafood economy are important economic and cultural pillars in the coastal northeast USA region, generating over a billion dollars in annual sales and supporting communities across the region. Within this region, the Gulf of Maine is warming twice as fast as the global ocean and faces a dual acidification threat: a gradual pH decline from global ocean acidification combined with episodic low-pH events in coastal waters. These changes threaten the local marine calcifying organisms, including the bivalves that anchor its blue food economy. Our research examines both environmental history and organismal response to (1) place recent oceanographic trends in a longer-term context using boron isotopic records from the skeletons of crustose coralline algae, and (2) evaluate future impacts of warming and acidification on four economically important bivalves (Mercenaria mercenaria, hard clam; Mya arenaria, soft-shell clam; Arctica islandica, ocean quahog; and Placopecten magellanicus, Atlantic sea scallop) through controlled laboratory experiments. We found that recent changes in North Atlantic circulation increased the input of high-alkalinity waters in the Gulf of Maine, temporarily buffering seawater chemistry and delaying the local onset of ocean acidification. In a 20.5-week experiment, neither low pH nor elevated temperature increased mortality; instead, warming accelerated growth while low pH caused loss of the shell's protective outer periostracum in some species. Together, these results show how basin-scale ocean change shapes local ecosystems and underscore the value of species-specific research for understanding resilience in the Gulf of Maine’s blue food economy.
 
Speaker
Branwen Williams Claremont McKenna College

Author
Branwen Williams Claremont McKenna College

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027