Climate Change And Ocean Acidification In The Ocean

The rising carbon dioxide (CO2) from the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities continues to affect our atmosphere, resulting in global warming and climate change. This carbon dioxide is also altering the chemistry of the oceans, causing them to become more acidic. From scientists and marine resource managers, to policy and decision-makers, there is growing concern that the process called ocean acidification could have drastic consequences on marine ecosystems. Such as altering species composition, disrupting marine food webs and ecosystems and harming fishing, tourism and other human activities connected to the sea.

Humans are changing the climate right now through deforestation and burning fossil fuels which is also creating ocean acidification. Kolbert writes in The Sixth Extinction that, humans are burning an excessive amount of fossil fuels through coal and natural gas into the air which added tons of carbon into the atmosphere. “SINCE the start of the industrial revolution, humans have burned through enough fossil fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—to add some 365 billion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere” (Kolbert, p. 113). It is possible to say that through these burning fossil fuels, ocean acidification are occurring, too, because too much carbon dioxide is being released into the atmosphere and the ocean is absorbing the air into the ocean. Kolbert writes, “Thanks to all this extra CO2, the pH of the ocean’s surface waters has already dropped. Assuming that humans continue to burn fossil fuels, the oceans will continue to absorb carbon dioxide and will become increasingly acidified” (Kolbert, p. 113-114). In addition, our emissions of CO2 modify our atmosphere. Whereas, the gases from the atmosphere get absorbed by the ocean and gases dissolved in the ocean are released into the atmosphere killing most of our species. For example, many mollusks, corals, and single-celled creatures called foraminifera use ingredients in seawater to build their shells and other hard parts and these

If certain precautions are taken to allow the ocean to recuperate and slowly heal, it can also help with problems caused by climate like severe storms, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, rising-sea levels and more. But in order to obtain this highly achievable solution, the first logical step is to educate those who know nothing about climate change, let alone ocean acidification. If more people were properly educated on this topic, knew about the simple steps and even smaller yet super effective ways to change the world, they would be motivated or inspired to help no matter how big or small their impact may be. This may seem a bit far-fetched and naive, but those who really do care, will take

This threatens coral ecosystems, mussels, clams, and dozens of other species just on the ocean acidification side by weakening their protective barriers and altering the pH of the water. Polar bears, sea turtles, right whales, African elephants, and frogs are just some of the few animals being driven to extinction right now because of climate change. Obviously, these species are not dying off for no reason: the big bad guy is the results of rising levels of c02 due to human’s mass consumption of it for transportation, electricity, and industry. And scientists agree – “99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities,” says the Center for Biological Diversity, adding that global warming is one of the three main abusers. Ocean acidification is global warming’s “equally evil twin”, as Elizabeth Kolbert writes in her novel The Sixth Extinction. Clearly, human’s c02 waste is causing environmental issues that threaten and eventually extinguish plant and animal

Ocean acidification describes how the chemistry of the ocean is changing as a result of the increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. The relationship between climate change and ocean acidification is as CO2 emissions end up dissolving into the ocean it makes the ocean more acidic. In addition to making the ocean more acidic it also reduces the availability of certain ions in the sea water. One of those being the carbonate ion and that’s what corals and other organisms need to build their shells are being impacted. Climate change is affecting the growth rates of a lot of organisms for example coral, microalgae, and plankton. Corals, microalgae, and plankton grow more slowly as the oceans become more acidic that there could be important

Ocean acidification is becoming on of the most concerning subjects compared to global climate change. pH is the level of acidity, seven being neutral fourteen being most basic and zero being most acidic. The pH levels in the ocean are dropping and becoming more acidic. This is happening because of increasing carbon dioxide emissions. The ocean is taking in the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Ocean acidification is a bad consequence. Which is excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Which we don't see or feel because its effects are happening underwater. Ocean acidification is known for being the “climate change’s equally evil twin.” At least one quarter of the carbon dioxide released by burning coal also by oil and gas. They don’t go into the air instead it dissolves into the ocean. Ocean warming is how the atmosphere affects oceans, and oceans influence the atmosphere. It might be a great thing scientists thought. Less carbon dioxide in the air to warm up the planet, scientists said. This has slowed warming. Many changes came at the ocean’s chemistry. As the air temperature rises up, oceans absorb some of this heat and become warmer also. The water becomes more acidic when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater. It drops the ocean’s pH. Scientists didn’t worry about this process. Reason being, they always assumed that rivers carried enough dissolved chemicals. Which come from rocks to the ocean to keep the ocean’s pH stable. Carbon dioxide has been quickly dissolving. Natural buffering hasn’t even been able to keep up. Resulting in dropping pH in surface waters. The surface layers mix into deep water. The entire ocean is affected. The future is unpredictable

Ocean acidification means an ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth’s oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Around 30-40% of the CO2 released by humans into the atmosphere dissolves into oceans, rivers and lakes.

A burden which lays on the shoulders of today’s man is that of climate change, namely, global warming. However, this evil has many ignored byproducts, some which are equally detrimental. In this thesis, we will write about the effects of one of the greatest of this, ocean acidification, known as “global warming’s equally evil twin”.

Ocean Acidification is the process of Carbon Dioxide entering the Ocean causing it to change its chemical structure. This leads to it become more acidic, affecting Marine and other living organisms negatively. The cause of this Global phenomenon are Power Plants who are producing 10 billion tons of CO2 every year, according to Science Daily. However, the impact of acidification does not stop there, organisms with Calcium Carbonate shells including crabs and mollusks have the potential to go extinct due to their shells being dissolved. But, the reality is that this does not just affect animals, humans can also be in great danger as well because of the Food Chain. These small organisms provide for fish which is a stable protein in many third

Our oceans absorb almost twenty-five percent, each year, of all the carbon dioxide that human activity emits into the air. Scientists originally believed that the idea of our oceans absorbing extra carbon dioxide that is in the air was a positive idea, because it would deter global warming. But, they soon came to the realization that this absorption process was having similarly disastrous effects, as global warming does, and it what happening to our oceans. This phenomenon, of our oceans taking in the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, leads to ocean acidification; a term used to describe how our oceans are becoming increasingly more acidic over time. However, just in the past 200 years, ocean acidification has increased by thirty percent, and this number will only continue to increase due to our current rate of industrialization.

Ocean Acidification is the ongoing decrease pH of the Earth's ocean, caused by the uptake of Carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

Since the beginning of industrial revolution, the pH of ocean has decreased by 0.1 unit, and this change represents approximately 30% increase in hydrogen ions. Half of this occurred in the last 30 years. Ocean acidification is expected to impact ocean species to varying degrees. High CO2 concentrations could be beneficial for photosynthetic algae and sea grasses (PMEL 2015).

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that we exhale in our daily lives. Plants use carbon dioxide to create oxygen that all mammals use. However, carbon dioxide can also change the chemistry of the ocean, this is often referred to as ocean acidification. The excess carbon dissolves into oxygen in the water, producing a chemical called carbonic acid. This acid causes the ocean to become more acidic. In the eighteenth century, the pH was 8.07 which was slightly basic. Currently, the pH is around 8.01 this is about a twenty-five percent increase in acidity. (National geographic) While this slight change may not seem outrageous, it is causing multiple marine life struggles. The acid melts the shells of pteropods causing a low supply of food that would support larger fish.

Ocean acidification is the process of the ocean becoming more acidic, or dropping on the pH scale. Another name for this process is ocean de-basification because seawater is actually a basic substance, so the “acidification” is seawater dropping to a more neutral pH. Despite what you call it, it is agreed that this activity results in negative consequences for both our environment as well as the creatures in it. This paper will be looking at the causes of ocean acidification, the effects of it, and what society can do in an attempt to stop it.