Aug. 24, 2023 is Shell Day in Connecticut. Scientists and resource managers will join forces with community-based water quality monitoring organizations to help maintain a #healthyLISound. They will be sampling for coastal acidification in 10 of the Sound’s bays and harbors.

Acidic or near acidic coastal waters can weaken oyster and clam shells, harming the marine life and the economy.

The carbon dioxide that humans release to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels is changing the chemistry of the ocean by increasing its acidity. Nutrient pollution can also increase the acidity of coastal waters by stimulating algal blooms.

Read the fact sheet, prepared by Lauren Barrett, a Ph.D. candidate in marine sciences at the University of Connecticut, for more information.