1. Introduction
Anthropogenic CO2 production and the direct and
indirect effects of accumulating CO2 on marine ecosystems
have come increasingly into focus in recent years.
The current trend of accumulating CO2 goes hand in hand
with regional trends in other climate factors, especially
increasing temperatures and increasing temperature variability (IPCC 2001). Global warming in itself threatens
to change the geographical distribution of marine and terrestrial
animals with the potential consequence of local
extinction of previously common species (Parmesan and
Yohe, 2003; Thomas et al., 2004). The CO2 emitted by
human activities may also play a role in this context as it
already permeates into ocean surface layers, where it may
impact on marine organisms combined with effects exerted
by current trends of warming and eutrophication.
Whereas the rise in atmospheric CO2 and its equilibration
with the surface waters of the world’s oceans is expected
to fertilize marine phytoplankton depending on the