The site of the experiment in Loch Sween with Dr Heidi Burdett in the water.
Photograph: Heidi Burdett.
SCOTLAND’S marine ecosystems may be more sensitive to carbon dioxide ‘flash floods’ from man-made and natural causes than previously thought.
The discovery came after scientists from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow conducted a four-day experiment at Loch Sween to measure the response to short-term carbon dioxide (CO2) exposure. Until now, scientists had only tested the effect of high CO2 on individual plants and animals, meaning very little was known about how whole marine ecosystems respond to sudden influxes of CO2.