Ocean Acidification Essay

Ocean acidification is a term that describes significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean. It happens when carbon dioxide gas is absorbed by the ocean and reacts with seawater to produce acid. This mechanism is happening in the ocean that over time will affect the coral species.

Ocean Acidification is a process that occurs everyday and majorly affects our planet, but most people don’t even realize it exists. Though it can technically be argued that Ocean Acidification has some benefits for the planet, most of the time the effects of this process are very poor and negatively affect the entire world around us. Human evolution has played a major role in contributing to Ocean Acidification. Whenever humans use energy we release Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere or also known as CO2. This can be in the form of burning fossil fuels from the ground or the removal of national forest by burning. CO2 is a greenhouse gas, which means whenever we can emit it in large quantities or unnatural amounts it can have negative effects on the atmosphere. These high levels of CO2 in the atmosphere result in climate change and more specifically Ocean Acidification. Ocean Acidification occurs when excess Carbon Dioxide is absorbed into the ocean. When this process takes place it can completely disturb the chemical balances of the water. For example, it can reduce pH levels, Biodiversity, and the abundance of calcifying species.

Hi Professor Searcy below is the link to the new paper that we briefly talked about in class. I haven't gotten a chance to look over it any further since we talked but maybe if you have some free time and have a strong desire to learn more about the effects that ocean acidification has on yellow tuna fish larvae you could glance it over just to see if there was any significance to them conducting two trials other than just for additional accuracy.

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

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 the constant increase of acidity in the Earth’s oceans, caused by the unceasingly rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Anthropogenic CO2 is mainly emitted by the burning of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas. Since the

As Dr. Stamper discussed, ocean acidification is a major factor that affects the environment. Both of these have had huge effects on the health and vitality of coral reefs. Since the Industrial Revolution, the pH of the ocean has decreased by 30% and this will have ramifications on the health of humans, food supplies and others. Dr. Stamper mentions himself that we are only focusing on calcium molecules in the acidification reactions instead of all the molecules and how they affect the organisms around them. He said changes in the normal calcification can lead to decrease muscle mass and decreased feeding which can harm the vitality of species in the ocean. He suggests gaining more control of our water usage since it generates 3% of our energy produced. In conjunction, he recommends people take personal steps in water conservation and energy conservation by buying energy efficient lights, low-flow toilets or dual-flush toilets, and gaining control of your heating costs by installing a low-energy system.

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

The effects of climate change on land are easily visible, with events like droughts and melting polar ice, for example, drawing considerable public attention. But out in the oceans, which cover over 70% of the globe, it seems that climate change effects are, for the most part, out of sight and out of mind. Our oceans contain between 50% and 80% of all the life forms on earth, and losing them would completely change the face of our planet, even if it wasn’t easily visible, at first.

Given the serious nature of oceanic acidification, I think most people would agree that it is a problem that we need to fix. The main issue we face in maintaining healthy oceans is emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). This is the product of mass industrialization and the energy required to make it all possible. So where do all these carbon emissions come from? Fossil fuels, like oil, coal, and natural gasses, are combusted to release energy in the form of heat. That heat is used to create steam which power turbine generators. Those generators transform that energy into the form that we know and use. However, in that first critical phase of combustion, the natural byproduct of all combustion reactions is carbon dioxide (CO2). (BBC 2014) So, the next question would be, where

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 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 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 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