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Study Finds Threat to Texas Bays

A new study has found that increasing acidification in Texas coastal bays may threaten shellfish and the shellfish industry.

by Carol Flake

Dike, TX
Credit: Michael Stravato

A new study has found that increasing acidification in Texas coastal bays may threaten shellfish and the shellfish industry. The study, led by Xinping Hu, a chemical oceanographer at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, found the reduced alkalinity in the water poses a problem for the wide variety of shellfish that rely on alkalinity to make their shells. The researchers suggest that the likely cause may be a combination of drought and the diverting of freshwater from rivers that flow into the bays. (Environmental Science and Technology)

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