The Pacific Ocean is so acidic that it is dissolving the shells of these crabs

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(CNN) - The Pacific Ocean is becoming more acidic and the crabs that live in its coastal waters are some of its first inhabitants to feel its effects.

Dungeness crab is vital for commercial fishing in the Pacific Northwest, but lower pH levels in its habitat are dissolving parts of its shell and damaging its sensory organs, according to a new study.

Your injuries could affect coastal economies and anticipate obstacles in a changing sea. And although the results are not unexpected, the study authors said the damage to crabs is premature: acidity was not predicted to harm crabs so quickly.

"If crabs are already affected, we really need to make sure we pay much more attention to the various components of the food chain before it's too late," said lead study author Nina Bednarsek, lead scientist for the Coastal Water Research Project of Southern California.

The findings were published this month in the journal Science of the Total Environmen t and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency studies ocean acidification and how changes in pH levels are affecting the coasts.

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How the ocean is acidified

The ocean is acidifying because it absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which reduces the pH levels in the water.

Ocean acidification changes the coasts, releasing the excess nutrients that algal blooms can create and increasing the temperature and salinity of the sea, according to NOAA.

But for crustaceans and corals that depend on carbonate ions, which are less abundant in more acidic waters, to build their shells and coral skeletons, it becomes more difficult to build strong shells.

Nor are they just crabs: oysters, clams and plankton depend on the same carbonate ions to strengthen themselves. And humans and sea creatures depend on them, some for food, others for their economic security.

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How it hurts crabs

Acidification corrodes the young shells of Dungeness crab larvae, which could affect their ability to deter predators and regulate their buoyancy in water, the researchers said.

The crab larvae that showed signs that their shells were dissolving were also smaller than the other larvae. This could cause developmental delays that could affect your maturation rate.

The small hair-like structures that crabs use to navigate their environments were also damaged by low pH levels, something scientists had never seen before. Crabs without these mechanoreceptors may move more slowly and have difficulty swimming and looking for food.

"We found dissolution impacts on crab larvae that were not expected to occur until much later in this century," said Richard Feely, co-author of the NOAA study and lead scientist.

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Whats Next?

It is not clear if the same forces could adversely affect adult Dungeness crabs, a question that requires further investigation. But with the obstacles that a crab larva faces in its early development, it is less likely to survive until adulthood.

Regarding the ocean acidifying, NOAA proposes two methods of attack: reduce our overall carbon footprint to reduce carbon dioxide absorbed by the sea, or teach wildlife and people who depend on it to adapt to how the sea will change .

NOAA works with local fisheries managers and policy makers in conservation efforts, and researchers hope their findings will be enough to convince them to take immediate action.