A neighbor paused at the “Plankton Post” on the path by my art studio and asked about the alder log I was shaping into vaguely planktonic forms.

I’ve been chipping away at a single idea lately and carving helps me get a better grasp of it.

Ocean acidification is a serious but invisible threat affecting Salish Sea marine life. It’s a global issue, but the waters here in the Pacific Northwest are especially vulnerable.

With increasing amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and absorbed by the ocean, seawater chemistry is changing and becoming more acidic. This is creating an inhospitable habitat for many marine species including crabs, oysters, clams, and mussels. More acidic conditions make it hard for these shell-builders to utilize calcium carbonate and create their necessary armor.

When we collect plankton in a net from the dock at Pope Park and take a look under the microscope, we see some plankton showing signs of frail shells.

This evidence, though small in scale also indicates a greater problem for the shellfish industry in the Salish Sea. Tiny oyster larvae from the Jamestown S’Kallam tribe are now being grown in their hatchery in Hawaii where they can be raised in less acidic waters.

Public art can help make issues like ocean acidification accessible, tangible, and engaging.  By scaling way up, we hope to show the magnitude and importance of these unseen heroes and bring attention to their plight.

We invite you to visit planktonproject.org and rebeccawelti.com to learn more about our work.

Rebecca Welti
Anna Young
PORT TOWNSEND