Ocean acidification and warming may be an unhealthy combination for lobsters, say University of Maine scientists. The heart rates of lobsters (Homarus americanus) who lived 60 days in water with predicted end-century ocean pH levels became erratic significantly sooner during an abrupt warming event than those of lobsters in ocean water with current pH levels. read more During abrupt warming, lobsters in acidic water have reduced heart function, fewer infection-fighting cells