Mollusk Mayhem: Which Shell Erodes Faster in Acidic Water?

Overview

Global warming is a current, growing problem affecting all our lives. My science fair project discovers what happens to mollusk shells when oceans become more acidic due to global warming, and what we might expect to happen in the future for seashells. It compares mussels and clams and their erosion process in different types of acidified water; water, seawater, water with vinegar, and seawater with vinegar (pH 6.73-7.75). My hypothesis was that the clams would erode faster than the mussels because warm water species are less adapted to more acidic waters. After weighing the shells before and after they spent 30 days in solutions and calculating the change in weight, my hypothesis was proven wrong. Mussel shells lost more weight than clam shells, though clam shells also eroded significantly. I think that this happened because mussels have higher surface area exposures and generally thinner shells than clams do. The mussel that lost the most weight lost 0.21 grams, while the clam that lost the most weight lost 0.17 grams. If the ocean becomes more acidic, mussel shells will break down and wear away faster than clam shells. Future research might include testing more cold- and warm-water species shells.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Earth & Environmental Sciences (Track 2) (Junior Division) · Entry J-09-17

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