The mesocosms (experiment water enclosures) which will be used in the ocean acidification experiment, stand temporarily on the quayside at Ny-Alesund, before being put back on the ship to be deployed in the fjord. Greenpeace is working with scientists from the German marine research institute IFM-GEOMAR to investigate ocean acidification, by deploying the mesocosms in Kongsfjord. The mesocosms are being used to investigate future implications of ocean acidification, a phenomenon caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that has just as much potential to damage marine ecosystems as climate change. Absorption of excess CO2 pollution by seawater causes its PH level to drop, making it more difficult for creatures integral to the food web to form shells and skeletons.