Increasing Levels Of Carbon Dioxide

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

G., Cong-Qiang, L., WeiDong, Z., Minella, M., Vione, D., Kunshan, G., & ... Hiroshi, S. (2016). Reviews and Syntheses: Ocean acidification and its potential impacts on marine ecosystems. Biogeosciences, 13(6), 1767. doi:10.5194/bg-13-1767-2016

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

With emissions from cars and deforestation at an all time high, so is the amount of carbon dioxide being dissolved into the world’s oceans. There are seemingly endless things people could be doing to help stop this, but don’t. This is because ocean acidification is one of the least advocated problems. Ocean acidification is one of the largest factors affecting today’s oceans and affects every ocean organism.

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

In the modern industrial era, the levels of Carbon Dioxide produced are much more significant than in years before. Due to Carbon Dioxides involvement in ocean acidification, this is a major issue. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the pH of the ocean surface has fallen by 0.1 units. Although this may not seem significant, due to the logarithmic properties of the pH scale, this change signifies about a 30% increase in ocean acidity. If this issue isn’t addressed, there will be dire consequences for both marine organisms, as well as humans. To understand ocean acidification, some chemistry needs to be defined and understood.

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

Our Oceans are a vital bloodline carrying humans, water, and different types of animals and plants. Now more than ever our oceans are in peril due to the disastrous effects of Ocean Acidification. According to, NOAA Director Dr. Jane Lubchenco (2016), “Ocean Acidification is often referred to as global warming’s equally evil twin” (The Osprey pg.1). Ocean Acidification is an issue that the general public knows very little about yet is just as dangerous. Our Oceans are like a gigantic beaker with a mix of different solutions but because of ocean acidification this might disturb the balance for the planet. According to, Ludwig of The Science Teacher (2015), “OA is a harmful consequence of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and poses a threat to marine life” (p.42). The high amount of carbon dioxide creates a toxic environment for sea life. As a society, it is our duty to help restore our oceans and prevent the dangerous possibility of massive sea loss, economic downfall, and coral bleaching.

Ocean acidification has recently become a big problem. Coral reefs and fish are dying, causing local economies to lose up to $375 billion every year from lack of tourism and fishing profits (Worland). Ocean acidification is caused mainly by carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. The carbon dioxide “reacts with water molecules to form carbonic acid,” thus increasing the acidity (Stone). “The ocean currently absorbs about a third of human-created CO2 emissions, roughly 22 million tons a day,” according to National Geographic. We’ve already “disposed” of 530 tons billion tons of carbon dioxide into the ocean. Because of this scientists are now studying the ocean and have thought of two possible ways to reduce acidity - geoengineering and cutting carbon emissions.

Weather has often changed through of planet history due to changes associated to the solar activity, but since the Industrial Revolution, human action plays an indisputable role in this process. From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, oceans have absorbed around 30% of the CO2 emissions, resulting in too big consequences to chemical composition of sea water, ecosystems, and biodiversity. Acidification is one of the different CO2 emissions consequences that, at the same time, has accelerated weather changes. Recently, scientists have shown that burning oil, coal or gas, change quickly ocean basic chemistry, which makes the water to become more acid. Every day there is more evidence that acidification affects marine life around the

CO2 ocean acidification has become a big problem. This problem started increasing around the industrial revolution. Since the industrial revolution the ocean has become more acidic by 30%. Industrial and agricultural activities have released more and more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Studies show that a quarter of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean. As the CO2 levels rise in the atmosphere, the CO2 levels also rise in the ocean. The CO2 that is absorbed into the ocean changes the chemistry of the ocean making the water more acidic. This process is called ocean acidification. [1]

Anthropogenic activity has affected a large number of ecosystems in the world including the earth’s oceans. Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been escalating since the rise of the industrial revolution and are now at a far more prominent rate than previously experienced in the Earth's history primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (Wood et al., 2008). The concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere now surpasses 380 parts per million (ppm), which is more than 80 ppm over the highest values of the past 740,000 years (Hoegh-Guldberg et al., 2007). As a result, the oceans have absorbed approximately 25% to 30% of the CO2 in the atmosphere acting as carbon sinks and decreasing the rate of CO2 rise in the atmosphere, which has had a direct effect on the ocean’s chemistry (Logan, 2010). This results in the most prominent phenomena known as ocean acidification, which worsens day-to-day as CO2 enters the oceans at a more noteworthy rate than ever before, diminishing the ocean's natural buffering capacity and lowering the pH (Wood et al., 2008). This is documented to have a significant threat to marine species. As CO2 enters the ocean and comes in contact with the water, it reacts and changes the chemical properties of the ocean itself (Wood et al., 2008). This process produces carbonic acid that breaks down into bicarbonate, carbonate, and hydrogen ions that increase the acidity. The ocean’s pH commonly ranges between 7.8 and 8.2, yet, recent studies show that

Ocean acidification is one of the most serious environmental problem all over the world. In 1985, average pH of oceans was 8.2, and it dropped to 8.1 for 10 years (Environmental Visualization Laboratory). This small decrease may not seem significant, but pH scale is logarithmic, so 0.1 change means about 30% increase in acidity (Hardit, 2010). It could affect on many marine species. Ocean acidification is caused by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and hydrogen ions produced by greenhouse gases’ reaction with water (Logan, 2010). CO2 is absorbed by the surface of ocean from atmosphere, and it generates carbonic acid (H2CO3) by reacting with water molecules. Carbonic acid break down into bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonate (CO32-), and hydrogen ions (H+). The more hydrogen ions, the lower pH and more acidic solution. This acidification impact marine organisms, especially organisms consisted by calcium

“Balance” is a word which define nature in its standard form therefore, if any factor plays a different role, an issue will arise and human are always responsible for it. Oceans is a place where many organism lives. As they considered a main source of food, and any defect to the ocean will be a danger for these marine animals and so will affect our life. Human’s activities such as burning fossil fuels threaten water quality. Since CO2 is the main product of such an activity. CO2 dissolving in sea water forms carbonic acid; this process is called ocean acidification. About 25% of human-generated CO2 is absorbed by the oceans (1). If these trends continue, many marine organisms—such as corals and some plankton—will have difficulty maintaining their external calcium carbonate skeletons. Many of us know the activities we do that increase CO2 concentration in the air, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, cement production, cars, and many other activities. Some of these activities generate energy and make our life easier, but at the same time they have a dangerous long term consequences on us. Still we do it in a very high rate.

The world’s oceans are currently under threat from several human impacts. On local scales, overfishing, deforestation and pollution from land can negatively affect marine ecosystems. On larger scales, global change and associated alterations in ocean circulation, increases in temperature and increases in storm intensity and frequency are all known to impact ocean life. One of the newest and perhaps most significant threats to marine ecosystems is Ocean Acidification (OA). OA refers to the continual rise in acidic