Under future acidification, warming, and nutrient management, substantial reductions in shell and tissue weights of Eastern oysters are projected for the Chesapeake Bay. Lower oyster growth rates will be largely driven by reduced calcium carbonate saturation states and reduced food availability. Oyster aquaculture practices in the region will likely be affected, with site selection becoming increasingly important as impacts will be highly spatially variable.

Even though bottom-dwelling animals in coastal waters are well studied, their impact on carbon cycling is unclear. We analyzed thousands of bivalves in Chesapeake Bay to understand what shapes their distribution and role in carbon movement. Bivalves were most abundant in shallow, low-salinity waters with moderate oxygen and high nitrate. They use 17–50 % of available carbon in the Upper Bay, and their carbon dioxide output exceeds what escapes into the air, highlighting their ecosystem impact.

We present a new synthesis of oceanographic observations along the US West Coast that has been optimized for multiparameter investigations of coastal warming, deoxygenation, and acidification risk. This synthesis includes both previously published and new observations, all of which have been consistently formatted and quality-controlled to facilitate high-resolution investigations of climate risks and consequences across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales.

To better understand and contextualize modern climate change, this systematic review synthesizes climate and oceanographic patterns in the Western United States and California Current System through the most recent 11.75 kyr. Through a literature review and coded analysis of past studies, we identify distinct environmental phases through time and linkages between marine and terrestrial systems. We explore climate change impacts on ecosystems and human–environment interactions.

The shell of the California mussel contains alternating dark and light calcium carbonate increments that record whether the shell was growing normally under optimal conditions (light) or slowly under sub-optimal conditions (dark). However, the timing and specific environmental controls of growth band formation have not been tested. We investigated these controls and found links between stable seawater temperatures and light bands and highly variable or extreme temperatures and dark bands.