Ocean Acidification And Climate Change

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.

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.

Climate change is affecting oceans tremendously. Threats faced by the ocean planet seem uncontrollable. In the face of overfishing, pollution, and climate change it may seem like a drop in the bucket. With the amount of light reaching onto the shore, plants should be reduced in order for the rising sea levels to fall. Oceans have also absorbed tons of carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere causing ocean acidification. Coral bleaching is caused by high water temperatures leading to coral death, and can turn into a negative impact on the entire coral ecosystem. We intend to provide options a single person can take in order to help the cause and make a difference. Our mission is to conserve the Earth’s living heritage, our global

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

While the importance of this information may be readily evident to the scientific community, it becomes much more challenging to communicate to governments and policy makers the relevance of ocean acidity, and why it poses economic risk. This is because the “economic value” of the oceans is not fully understood, and very few studies have

An economic shortage would also occur because both the fishing industry and the shellfish industry will simply have less products to sell. The consequences of ocean acidification don’t just affect the ocean, it directly affects humans too.

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

“How acidification threatens ocean from the inside out: Carbon dioxide emissions are making the oceans more acidic, imperiling the growth and reproduction of species from plankton to squid”, by Marah J. Hardt and Carl Safina addresses the dangers of increasing acidity in the ocean caused by carbon dioxide. Hardt, a research scientist and writer, is the founder of Ocean Ink. Safina, an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University, is the founding president of the Blue Ocean Institute.

Ocean Acidification began over 200 years ago when the industrial revolution came along. This caused carbon dioxide levels to rise.

The oceans is an essential component to surviving, but it’s also one of the most affected by the climate change. According to the EPA website, the greenhouse gases emitted trap heat and this heat is increasing the temperature of the oceans around the world. Over the past three decades, the surfaces temperature of oceans has been increase higher than any other time period. The oceans are a vital part of surviving; it provides 50 percent of all the oxygen in the world. However, with surface temperature increasing, at a rate of 0.3 Celsius per decade, this will result higher sea levels and higher ocean currents. The ocean is an important part to humanity, it provides millions of people with a source of food, and the change in temperature will cause many ocean species to immigrate to a more suitable habitat.

Ocean acidification is a big problem in society but hasn’t been given the recognition needed. Before the industrial era began, the average pH at the ocean surface was estimated at 8.2 (slightly basic; 7.0 is neutral). In 2013 the average pH level was 8.1. Although the change may seem insignificant, similar natural shifts have taken 5,000 to 10,000 years but because of societal development this change occurred between 50 to 80 years. It was hypothesised that by the lowering the PH level of the experiment water it will have a decomposing effect on the organisms (shells).Three shells were placed in separate beakers with different levels of pH and were tested for the changes of mass (intervals of 2 to 3 days). Sample 2 of the experiment showed

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

Ocean acidification will not only have a negative effect on the environment, but also the global economy. The issues found with ocean acidification in the previous section of the paper correlate with the effects of ocean acidification on the economy. Marine life forms, most of which will suffer from lower pH levels, are a large part of temperate and tropical costal regions’ economies. If ocean acidification is left as is, the world will start to see declines in various marine life’s population. This would spell disaster for costal economies that largely depend on fishing as a reliable commodity. Inland economies are also at risk since most likely import seafood to their local restaurants. Another aspect of the economy to factor into the equation is tourism. With potential decline in marine life populations, including coral reefs, the tourism sector would likely see a decline in tourist with the continual increase in ocean acidification. Dying reefs and less marine life would deteriorate from what makes visiting costal areas worth the trip. In addition, if no action is taken to combat ocean acidification, costal areas could potentially become political hotspots for environmental protestors, therefor making the area less desirable for a vacation spot.