Acidity itself is a multifaceted threat. When the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, a chain of chemical reactions occurs. These reactions have two important consequences: increasing acid levels and converting the complex carbonate into bicarbonate. Each of these findings has wide-ranging effects on the organisms that live in our oceans.

Increased acidity has a particularly harmful effect on early life organisms, such as fish larvae. This means, among other things, the depletion of fish stocks - a cornerstone of the economy as well as the food system in many human societies. The researchers found that both [acidification and warming] work synergistically, particularly in the most sensitive early stages of life [to fish] as well as embryo and larval survival.