Al Jazeera English interviews DMC student about lobster research
Jesica D. Waller, a graduate student at the University of Maine Darling Marine Center, was interviewed for an Al Jazeera English television piece about ocean acidification and lobsters. “The cause for worry is really we don’t know enough to worry,” says Waller, whose research focuses on how American lobster larvae develop in acidic ocean conditions. While the lobster catch is currently booming in Maine, the water temperature in the Gulf of Maine is rising and the pH is lowering. Waller says the pH, which is 8.1, is predicted to be 7.9 by the year 2100. State Sen. Chris Johnson is requesting state funds be dedicated for research. The UMaine graduate said the acidity in some Casco Bay flats is sufficient to dissolve clamshells.