Frances Hopkins, a scientist from Plymouth Marine Lab in the UK, works inside the Vaskerilab at Ny-Ålesund, testing water samples collected from the mesocosms (experiment water enclosures). Greenpeace is working with scientists to investigate ocean acidification, by deploying nine large 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.