Ocean Acidification On Phytoplankton And Phytoplankton

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.

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

The first major effect that Ocean Acidification has is the reduction of pH levels in the ocean. PH is very important in this case because it generally determines how acidic water is. The normal pH balance of water is 7. When Ocean Acidification occurs the pH levels in the ocean can dip below 7 therefore increasing the acidity of the water. Even though humans may be able to adapt to these kind of changes other species in the ocean cannot. Scientists estimate that by the end of this century Ocean Acidification can consequently cause the acidity of ocean water to increase by nearly 150%. That level of acidic water hasn't been seen or thrived in for almost 20 million years. Before major industries were created increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, the ocean relied on minerals carried into the ocean by rivers and lakes to balance out pH levels. Now that humans are producing too much Co2 for the atmosphere to handle the rivers and lakes can not carry enough minerals to keep pH in balance. If pH levels continue to fall major populations that call the ocean home will no longer exist. All it

Over the past couple of years, no other issue has received more attention in the marine community than ocean acidification. Marine biologists have been constantly working towards solving this issue and are hoping to see improvement’s very soon. Ocean acidification refers to the relentless growth in acidity of the Earth’s oceans. This on-going acidity has attributed to an important element; a constant rise of carbon dioxide levels in the Earth. The number one reason this issue is still happening is because of burning fossil fuels. In addition to burning fossil fuels, it has come to a point where it has enlarged a large amount of carbon dioxide by releasing it into the atmosphere. Chemists have taken this issue into attention that carbon enters the ocean and combines with seawater to fallout acid, which boosts the level of acidity. This process is known as ocean acidification.

Ocean Acidification is affecting our life more than we ever thought it would be able to. When people first think about oceans, they don’t see the diversity of life that is in there or how much we depend on those organisms and the ocean itself. We only see this ginormous body of water, where some feel like it’s not a big deal if anything happens to it. Ocean acidification (as defined by NOAA) is “ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth’s oceans, cause by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, this then creates an acid”. Each year the ocean absorbs at least 25-30% of all CO2 from human activity. This can be a huge threat to the diversity of the ocean and the benefits it provides to society. The rate continues to go up, more so than anyone would have thought it would and as these continue to raise the risks we are facing could be bigger than we thought and we could soon be facing a mass extinction.

Climate change is quickly affecting many social and economic sectors, both directly and indirectly. This is particularly true within the natural habitat sector, as varying impacts on global biodiversity threaten the existence of many species world-wide. While many problems such as warmer temperatures and rising sea levels are attributed to increasing carbon dioxide (CO2), there is one crucial problem that is often overlooked: Ocean acidification. As pH levels in the ocean fluctuate, there are devastating effects on sensitive marine ecosystems and individual species. Increased acidic conditions can pose threats to habitats, such as coral reefs and sea grasses (Guinotte and Fabry 320). These living habitats rely on calcium carbonate to form strong external structures, yet higher pH levels inhibit the organisms’ ability to successfully absorb the compounds needed for this process. Additionally, higher levels of ocean acidification can induce decreases in skeletal-forming compounds, diminishing entire populations of small ocean organisms such as crustaceans and phytoplankton (Doney). Therefore, it can be deduced that the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cripple the marine wildlife ecosystems, because the addition of greenhouse gases, caused primarily by anthropogenic conditions, are acidifying the ocean and disrupting the bio-chemical compounds that are necessary for many marine species to survive.

As earth’s carbon dioxide levels are expected to continue to grow in an exponential fashion they will, ultimately, facilitate large shifts in seawater carbonate chemistry (Doney, Fabry, Feely, & Kleypas, 2008). It has been shown that surplus amounts of atmospheric CO2 decreases the pH level in oceans- disrupting the delicate balance of the stable acidity levels that have maintained the rich and varied web of life in today’s seas (Kleypas & Yates, 2009). This phenomenon is referred to as ocean acidification and is predicted to have rapid and devastating consequences to entire marine ecosystems.

In current times, as we consider ways to inhibit CO2 emissions, we look towards the Earth’s natural carbon sinks as possible solutions. Carbon sinks an environment that can hold onto carbon chemicals for an indefinite time with the act of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere defined as carbon sequestration. The Oceans are one of them. However, when the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide elevates in a short period of time, this can lead to Ocean Acidification, the phenomena where the dissolution of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere leads to the lowering of ocean pH (Greene, et al., 2012).

This report is focused on Ocean acidification and it’s lowering of seawater PH levels that results from a continuing in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. There are potentially adverse biological and ecological consequences occurring now and in the future results of this process.

The ocean is becoming increasingly acidic and it is posing a threat to ocean life in more ways than one. Animals with shells have trouble building them due to the acidity of the ocean, and corals have trouble building their skeletons as well. However, the acidity of the ocean is also interfering with the many of the bodily functions of all underwater life, including things such as growth and reproduction. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be much higher if the oceans didn’t absorb nearly one third of the carbon dioxide. This helps to reduce global warming but is having negative effects on the ocean. Over the past 20 years the pH of the all of the ocean’s surface has decreased by .12 down to 8.1 which is still basic

Atmospheric CO2 levels are projected to reach 730 to 1090 ppm by 2100 due to rising anthropogenic CO2 inputs (IPCC 2007, Joos et al., 2001, Meehl et al., 2005, Wigley 2004, Wigley and Raper 2001). Oceanic uptake of CO2 is raising marine pCO2 and lowering pH as the dominant dissolved carbonate species in sea water shift from CO32- and HCO3- towards HCO3- and H2CO3, a process known as ocean acidification (OA) (Qu?r? et al., 2012). Declines in pH and ?aragonite associated with emerging changes in carbonate chemistry due to OA will impact diverse marine biota (Doney et al., 2009).

Due to the ocean’s continued absorption of carbon dioxide, it continues to acidify. This acidification is having a notable effect on the oceanic ecosystem, most notably in the phytoplankton. In fact, the continued acidification is a direct result of the drop in plankton population.

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.

In contrast to the paradigm of thought, Hendriks et al. (2010b) contend that, while ocean acidification is occurring at an increasing global rate, there is not enough evidence to show significance of OA to marine biodiversity. He agrees with the position of Rockström et al. (2009), Turley & Gattuso (2012), Keller et al. (2009) and Veron (2008), which is that calcification is the most sensitive process responding directly to ocean acidification. However, he asserts that the warnings in the scientific community claiming that ocean acidification is a major threat to marine biodiversity has little experimental support (Hendriks & Duarte, 2010a). To arrive to this conclusion, he applied a meta-analysis of the literature regarding the effect of OA on marine organisms. This included an analysis of 42 articles, with 372 experimentally evaluated responses of 44 species. They noted that calcification rates will decline by, on average, 25% at elevated pCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide) values of 731-759 ppmv (Hendriks & Duarte, 2010b). These pCO2 values are estimated by the IPCC to be reached within the 21st century (IPCC, 2007). Yet Hendriks and colleague (2010b) argue that these high levels of calcification rates are unlikely to occur, as this is the upper limit projection held by the IPCC and a worst-case scenario. Additionally, the time it would take to reach this greater elevation of pCO2 and consequent increased acidification will likely allow

Ocean acidification (OA) is a global threat because 25% of carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed into the ocean and it decreases its pH value. Through the process of OA, the amount of carbon molecules taken in create an unbalance in the waters’ acidity level. The oceans’ chemistry can try to find equilibrium by joining the extra carbon molecules with those of oxygen, but there will not be copious oxygen molecules to be paired up with the carbon molecules. Turning the oceans’ water solubility more acid based rather than alkaline. Amina Khan, Science Writer for the Los Angeles Times, points out, “Today’s carbon influx isn’t nearly as massive as the one possibly triggered by Siberian Trap volcanism some 252 million years ago . . . But it is being injected into the atmosphere today at a similar rate as it was back then” (par. 9-10). Just like a million years ago the intake of a great amount of CO2 had an impact on the environment, it is also affecting us in a relatively similar proportion. Now, instead of remaining only in our atmosphere where carbon emissions are depleting our ozone layer, it is also being soaked into the ocean leading to the increase of acidity. Yet, because of how quickly this change in acidity is occurring the impact will become bigger than it has been before. Cheryl A. Logan, Psychobiologist from the University of North Carolina, informs, “Many organisms use calcium and carbonate ions from seawater to produce calcium carbonate, a compound used for skeletal