This work directly measures the mechanical properties of pteropod shells collected from the Southern Ocean on the 2007 midsummer Subantarctic Zone Sensitivity to Environmental Change (SAZ-Sense) voyage. Shells from the common Southern Ocean pteropod Limacina helicina antarctica were subjected to mechanical analyses in combination with detailed morphological studies. Average hardness and modulus of 2.30 ± 0.07 GPa and 45.27 ± 0.91 GPa, respectively were calculated from several hundred nanoindentation measurements taken from multiple positions across twelve shells of the same species collected under identical conditions. Quantitative data such as these are critical to establish a reference point for future comparative studies and to both understand and evaluate the implications of further ocean acidification on the structural integrity of these common polar calcifiers, particularly in light of their role in the Southern Ocean carbon cycle and food web.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	calcifying, mechanical properties, nanoindentation, ocean acidification, pteropods, Southern Ocean.
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Climate change impacts and adaptation
Research Field:	Ecological impacts of climate change and ecological adaptation
Objective Division:	Environmental Policy, Climate Change and Natural Hazards
Objective Group:	Understanding climate change
Objective Field:	Effects of climate change on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments (excl. social impacts)
UTAS Author:	Roberts, D (Dr Donna Roberts)
ID Code:	86105
Year Published:	2013
Web of Science® Times Cited:	8
Deposited By:	CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems
Deposited On:	2013-08-23
Last Modified:	2014-06-17
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