Ωarag describes the saturation state of the aragonite form of calcium carbonate in sea water. It reflects the suitability conditions needed for organisms to incorporate aragonite in their shells, such as oysters and other shellfish. The following animations are developed from regional outputs of the CanESM2, MPI and HadGEM2 biogeochemical ocean models, under the RCP 8.5 emissions scenario. Animations show monthly differences in aragonite saturation state (Ωarag) between two reference periods: 2030-2035 and 2050-2054 averages. Each frame represents a single month of the year. Negative values indicate declining saturation states (compared to reference periods), which can increase physiological stress and reduce shell formation.
