Fish are losing their sense of smell as rising carbon emissions turn the water they live in, to acid.
A study in 2018 July has revealed that as levels of carbonic acid in seawater rise, sea bass lose up to half their smelling capacity. Surges in atmospheric carbon dioxide increase ocean acidity as the gas dissolves in water.
The findings are significant as these fish rely on smell to do everything from finding food and potential mates to detecting predators in their vicinity.
The scientists compared the behaviour of young sea bass at current carbon dioxide levels to the levels expected at the end of the century, when oceans are predicted to contain up to two and a half times the levels of the gas seen today.They noticed big changes in the behaviour of the fish inhabiting the most acidic water. Not only did the bass swim less, they appeared not to notice the presence of predators.
Previous research has indicated that besides directly affecting fish noses, carbon dioxide harms fish nervous systems and disrupts the processing of information in their brains.
Having to cope with two different problems caused by carbon dioxide, rather than just one, may reduce the ability of fish to adapt.
Other studies have suggested that as seawater becomes more acidic, it will erode the hearing ability of fish and make them unable to hear approaching predators.
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