Ocean Acidification : The Secretive Wrecking Crew Of Our Planet

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

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.

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.

About half of that man-made CO2 has been absorbed by the oceans, increasing the concentration of carbonic acid, which has caused the oceans to become more acidic. Over the past 300 million years, ocean pH has averaged about 8.2. Today, it is around 8.1, a 25% increase in acidity over the past two centuries. That increase is projected to reach 150% by the end of this century, a rate of change not seen in 65 million years. A more acidic ocean inhibits shell growth in marine animals such as corals, crustaceans and mollusks, and disrupts entire food chains all the

Ocean acidification is where the ocean water becomes more acidic due to the amount of carbon dioxide in the water. Humans use fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas that release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Oceans absorb about one quarter of the carbon dioxide released each year, and since the amount of carbon dioxide in the water increases, it becomes more acidic (Ocean Acidification, NOAA). More acid in the water means that it will be lower on the pH scale and will release more hydrogen ions. This is in comparison to having more base in the water, where it will be higher on the pH scale and will release more hydroxyl ions. The pH scale rates the concentration of hydrogen in water, and acidic water releases more hydrogen ions than basic water. The scale goes from zero to fourteen, where a pH of seven is neutral, a pH less than seven is acidic, and a pH greater than seven is basic. Oceans have an average pH of 8.16, but that number is predicted to decrease

Ocean acidification can be defined as the continuous decrease of the pH of Earth’s oceans. This process occurs as a result of the rise in carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Due to the rapid industrialization of various countries on Earth, humans have become more accessible to energy by utilizing non-renewable resources that are derived from carbon in the ground.

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

Ocean Acidification is the process of Carbon Dioxide entering the Ocean causing it to change its chemical structure. This leads to it become more acidic, affecting Marine and other living organisms negatively. The cause of this Global phenomenon are Power Plants who are producing 10 billion tons of CO2 every year, according to Science Daily. However, the impact of acidification does not stop there, organisms with Calcium Carbonate shells including crabs and mollusks have the potential to go extinct due to their shells being dissolved. But, the reality is that this does not just affect animals, humans can also be in great danger as well because of the Food Chain. These small organisms provide for fish which is a stable protein in many third

Ocean Acidification (OA) is a term used to describe significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean.It occurs when carbon dioxide gas (or CO2) is absorbed by the ocean and reacts with seawater to produce acid. Although CO2 gas naturally moves between the atmosphere and the oceans, the increased amounts of CO2 gas emitted into the atmosphere, mainly as a result of human activities (e.g. burning fossil fuels), has been increasing the amount of CO2 absorbed by the ocean, which results in seawater that is more acidic.This is a major problem to humans and marine life, this is a problem because when the carbon dioxide levels rise the wildlife in the ocean

The oceans of the earth are a massive part of the natural cycles that make this planet habitable. They regulate global temperatures, absorb carbon dioxide, provide a home for millions of plants and animals that make up various levels of the food chain, and so much more. They are a resource given for us to use and benefit from, however, it is also a resource that needs to be protected. It is the fountain of life for the planet and drastic changes to the makeup of the oceans could be detrimental to life as we know it. Ocean acidification is a problem which has come to light in the last decade, but is becoming increasingly concerning to many scientists (1). In this essay I will attempt to direct your attention to some of the

Both climate change and ocean acidification, consequences of changes in water lifer cycle due to the absorption of anthropogenic CO2 in our atmosphere. The carbonic acid that gets formed decreases the PH and concentration of carbonate ion, building blocks of the shells and skeletons for many marine organisms. This is tipping the balance of biodiversity and ecosystems. Time-series records of ocean carbon chemistry over the past 25 years show clear trends of increasing ocean carbon and decreasing pH in lockstep with

Even though ocean acidification doesn’t get quite as much attention as some things like rising sea levels, or global warming, ocean acidification is still 1 of the most serious effects of greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly a third of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, or about 22 million tons of CO2, is absorbed by the ocean every day. Scientists say this pollution has fundamentally changed ocean chemistry. Ocean acidification, a consequence of rising anthropogenic CO2 emissions, is poised to change marine ecosystems profoundly by increasing dissolved CO2 and decreasing ocean pH, carbonate ion concentration, and calcium carbonate mineral saturation state worldwide. These conditions hinder growth of calcium carbonate shells and skeletons by

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).

The article of “ocean acidification” has been written by Elizabeth Kolbert for the magazine of National Geographic. In this magazine article, the author has expressed grave concerns regarding the increasing problem of acidification of oceans. The author is of the view that the issue of ocean acidification should be taken very seriously as this problem is irreversible and, if it occurs, it cannot be controlled.

Global warming is a serious worldwide issue. Its effects are devastating; the increased heat waves that it causes will negatively affect wildfires, insect infestations, sea level rise, agriculture and human health. Moreover, the current issue is the elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. This involves a process called ocean acidification, in which it is catastrophic for the life of the oceans. To better understand the concept behind ocean acidification, you must understand that pH represents the concentration of hydrogen ions. In addition, chemicals known as buffering agents are able to resist changes in pH. Now you may be wondering what buffer has to do with this article; well, little did you know the seawater acts as a buffer. The dissolved