How Ocean Acidification Affects The Environment

Currently there is no saturation level above four in the world. If current trends continue, by 2060, there will be no location above 3.5 and by 2100, no place above 3. The negative trends are extremely concerning as the changing water levels are making the reefs’ survival more unlikely. The energy required for calcification increase, and thus calcification rates decrease. Because of the lack of growth, coral diversity plunges. Over half a million species have spent their life on coral reefs. Coral reefs are intricate exchange bazaars that pass nutrients to various animals. Without the reefs, this exchange would not be possible and the abating of the reefs contributes to the disappearance of the ecosystem as a whole. While ocean acidification is not the only reason for the withering reefs, it is the most detrimental. The effect of ocean acidification extends beyond just the coral reefs. This process affects marine animals’ tightly regulated internal chemistry such as metabolism, enzyme activity, and protein function. Ocean acidification alters the presence of key nutrients such as iron and nitrogen essential to animals. It will also make the ocean noisier (Kolbert 136-141). The implications of ocean acidification are interminable. Human realization is imperative to slow the rate at which ocean saturation is declining. The less carbon emissions released in the air, the less carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean which will inadvertently prove beneficial to the coral reefs, but also many other species dependent on the

What is your PH level? You don’t know? Well it should be around 7.35 to 7.45 according to AlteredStates.net. PH stands for power of hydrogen. PH level is a measurement of the hydrogen ion concentration in the body. Now imagine you’re peeling an orange with a cut on your finger. When the juice from the orange comes into contact with your cut, it sends a burning feeling to your brain. This occurs because an orange has a PH level of around 2-3 which is acidic burning unprotected cells around the cut. Now imagine you’re stepping into the ocean which has been made acidic causing your cells to burn. This is called Ocean Acidification. Ocean Acidification is the change of our beautiful ocean water into acid. The Oceans acidity is rapidly increasing in certain areas in the pacific due to our actions on this planet, namely Carbon Dioxide Pollution. It is not only endangering ocean life but also Human life on Earth. It is linked to Global Warming but Ocean Acidification is a problem that stands on its own. Therefore, it is evident that we must take action about Ocean Acidification.

This is the biggest cause of climate change, and therefore ocean acidification” (para. 6). Less energy is being used if you eat lower on the food chain. When fertilizer is applied to to soil, it generates nitrous oxide, which contains 250 times of warming effect of carbon dioxide. Animal waste gets concentrated and releases nitrogen and methane causing it to pollute into our water and air. According to Revolution (n.d) in the article “Ocean Acidification Solutions,” “Finding healthy, protein-packed veggie sources of nutrition – like beans and lentils – saves water, land, energy, and reduces greenhouse gases” (para. 6). This is usually healthier, reduces our environmental footprint and can also limit animal suffering. Another way we can stop ocean acidification is to use less energy at home. People need to make sure their roof and around their windows are insulated. We can unplug power sources and turn off lights when they are not in use and we can also use shorter cycles on our dishwasher and washing machine. Instead of buying food from the grocery store, people should grow their own food and recycle. The last thing we can do to reduce acidification in oceans is to reduce plastic addiction. When we go out to eat, do not use straws or bottled water. Use water canteens to drink, filter and reuse it.

The ocean is a very delicate ecosystem in which the slightest change of pH or chemical composition will result in devastating results. Between 25 and 40% of anthropogenic carbon emissions have entered the marine area since the industrial age (Sabine et

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, mankind has slowly increased the total greenhouse gas emissions that enter the atmosphere. Over time, this pollution began to add up. Now planet Earth is struggling to maintain its health with the combined forces of global warming and ocean acidification looking to bring demise. From all portions of the world, troubling changes are emerging in the chemistry of our oceans’ waters. The oceans takes in around a quarter of the Carbon Dioxide that mankind releases into the atmosphere every year, so as atmospheric Carbon Dioxide levels rise, so do the

There was a topic in Environmental Science that I would never forget, which is the acidification of coral reefs. I started to worry more about the ocean, since the factors outside the ocean affected it such as changing the pH or temperature. The coral reefs provides a home for some fishes, but if it were to start disappearing, many marine organisms would die at higher rate since they are exposed to sharks often. Not only that, but the food supplements around the world would decrease, since many humans and other animals rely on marine organisms, such as Polar Bears and seals. I wanted to take action and study more about the ocean and spread awareness of acidification in the

The first organisms that ocean acidification affects are calcifying creatures. These include creatures like oysters, calcareous plankton, clams, sea urchins, and coral. The ocean normally has enough carbonate ions dissolved for calcifying creatures to use to create their shells. Ocean acidification negatively affects the ability for these organisms to build their shells. As carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean it reacts with the water to form carbonic acid (What is Ocean, 2015). Also, as more carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean, it reacts with seawater to make H+ ions. These H+ ions compete with calcifying creatures for the carbonate ions. The H+ ions often win making it much more difficult for these shelled creatures to make their shells (Cripps et al., 2014). Creatures like conch shells, oysters, and clams are the most negatively affected. But not all creatures are immediately affected. Some organisms such as crabs and lobsters and crabs actually grow heavier shells to combat the effects of changing pH. This adaptation

Sometimes called “climate change’s equivalently destructive twin”, ocean acidification is becoming more and more noticeable as the seawater’s changing chemistry begins to cause environmental and economical problems. When the Industrial Revolution began around 1760, fossil fuel–powered machines gained an immense amount of accessibility and popularity. Since then, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere have risen enough to change the pH of the world’s oceans. Given that the ocean absorbs almost half of the CO2 that is released into our atmosphere, ocean acidification is inclining into an even greater problem as fossil fuels become a more common energy source in our society. Higher acid levels can harm wildlife, disrupt the food chain, and negatively impact industries that rely on the ocean for business. Ocean acidification is causing growing dilemmas for both marine ecosystems and ocean-based economies. Although many companies and organizations are attempting to fix this problem, acidification is still threatening to cause increasingly harmful issues for the future.

Ocean acidification is the process in which the ocean soaks up carbon dioxide and its pH lowers. At the current point in time, the pH in the ocean has dropped 0.1 pH. ALthough this doesn’t seem like much, since pH is logarithmic, this means that the ocean is 30% more acidic than before. This jump in acidity will literally melt the shells of oysters, and sometimes even fish. What causes ocean acidification is carbon dioxide. Normally, carbon dioxide wouldn’t be that much of a problem as the ocean has a natural buffering system. The carbon dioxide would combine with the water molecules and create a bicarbonate ion then it would gain another H+ molecule and would create a carbonic acid. This acid replaces the much needed carbonate molecules which

Ocean acidification is the decrease in the acidity levels of the Earth 's oceans, caused by the intake of carbon dioxide emitted in to the environment and atmosphere. Since the industrial revolution, fossil fuel-powered machines have increased human technology and advancement. However, this has caused the emissions, large amounts of carbon dioxide, deforestation, and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Ocean acidification, in turn, has created a benefit to us by slowing down climate change by absorbing the emissions in the water that have remained in the air. However, studies are now starting to show that the massive amounts of carbon dioxide in the water bodies are altering the water chemistry and affecting the biodiversity and life cycles of many marine organisms, especially those at the lower end of the food chain. Other organisms living off the food chain would be part of a symbiotic relationship involving nutrient cycling: where all other organisms are feeding off of the larger one, yet are providing some benefit to the overall host.

Ocean acidification has numerous causes, but there are even more effects than there are causes. The many effects have an impact on not only marine animals but humans too. Some of these effects include issues associated with coral reefs, organisms under the sea, and human businesses. This problem that seems to be a simple issue is an important source of loss of sea creatures and income. This is the main reason that we need to control ocean acidification.The effects of ocean acidification both above and below the ocean’s surface are detrimental to the environment.

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.

ocean’s eco-system that we wouldn’t be forced to adjust to prosper in a safe and effective way of survival. An organization once stated that, “the air that you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the products that keep you warm, safe, informed, and entertained — all can come from or be transported by the ocean, you hurt it is, its just going to hurt you back,” (Protect Plant Ocean). That quote relates back to this, ocean acidification is a socio- ecological system that will have to carry out the repercussions of being universal, evidently supported and complex. It is a wicked problem that will be hard to turn around and what our society is doing is we are learning how to deal with the effects by having the ability to survive without

Ocean acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere (What Is Ocean Acidification?). It has caused bleaching to the reef, due to the rise of ocean temperatures. If the corals are bleached, there will be less shelter for the marine life living in them and some species of aquatic creatures will go extinct because of it. The biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystem in the coral reef will lessen. To reduce this effect, people need to pay attention to their carbon footprint and try to reduce it, keep the greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere and in turn, it will make the ocean cooler for the marine

The world we live in is so vast and exciting. Seventy percent of our world is liquid water we call the ocean. In the ocean there are many creatures that each are unique in their own way. However, it is possible that in our lifetime, many marine organisms will become endangered or possibly extinct. The loss of these mejestic marine creatures will be caused mainly because of human advancements in which fossil fuels are used to produce energy. Biodiversity is greatly affected by this increase in acidity. As the ocean acidifies, multiple social and economic issues arise. As humans, we rely on the ocean for almost everything. Much of our food, clothing, cleaning products and cosmetics come from the ocean. With the loss of