Research Paper On Ocean Acidification

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed some 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, presently around 22 million tons per day” (Ocean Portal, n.d). This number is expected to increase forevermore as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase and the effects of Climate Change worsen. At first, the idea of our oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may sound great, however, scientists have been quick to learn otherwise. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in oceans can have detrimental effects on the ocean chemistry and marine ecosystems (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Marine ecosystems are greatly complex and depend on every marine organism to function properly, any change can put the whole ecosystem at risk. For example, the increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans is responsible for the dissolving of “brittle star” skeletal parts, which has in effect caused food scarcity for many fish, crabs, shrimp, and other starfish (Leu, 2013). Furthermore, these marine ecosystems are very important to humans- being the primary food source for millions around the world and having an economic market worth trillions of dollars (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Part of keeping these ecosystems safe is to understand how they work and how projected changes can harm marine organisms.

Not only does this increase in ocean acidity result in shell degradation, but it has also been shown to breakdown existing coral reefs, as well as limit the building of new coral reef structures all over the planet. Corals, like calcifying species, rely on a steady supply of calcium carbonate in order to build and maintain it 's strong structures. This preventable destruction would not only be breaking down some of the most ancient ecosystems, but also some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Occupying less than one percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs are home to more than twenty-five percent of marine life. Thanks to their diversity, coral reefs provide millions of people with food, medicine, protection from storms, and revenue from fishing and

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

This increase in oceanic inorganic carbon has offset the seawater carbonate chemistry by causing increasing concentrations of CO2 and bicarbonate, while causing decreasing concentrations of carbonate and pH levels (Dedmer 2013). Rost and colleagues (2008) express that emissions of fossil fuel have caused an immense increase in the levels of atmospheric CO2, which are then deposited into the surface water of oceans. This increase in carbonic acid is in turn decreasing the pH balance, which poses a threat to marine organisms.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

The potential impacts of ocean acidification pose several threats on marine organisms and ecosystem processes. Many marine species are sensitive to changes in ocean. The effects of acidification on individual species will have ripple effects throughout the ecosystem. So, species that might not be directly affected by acidification may still be influenced by ocean acidification if their predators or prey are affected by changes in water chemistry. These food web interactions are difficult to predict, and may play out in unexpected ways. Acidification’s potential effects on marine ecosystems are an economic concern as well. These issues need to be addressed because they are all issues today, not the future. Ocean acidification may also be threatening not only marine life but our own way of life as humans. Although ocean acidification may not directly impact specific organisms, it’s impact will have a ripple effect that is felt in our own ecosystem we live in today. Threatening the health of

Ocean acidification is caused by carbon dioxide emissions. It threatens the health of our oceans and living things under the water. Shell-organism like crab, just like what we had for the investigation, are formed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Calcium carbonate is formed when calcium ion binds with carbonate molecules. Most CO2 is produced when possible fuels are burned, and once it gets to the air, CO2 is absorbed into the ocean through wave action. Once it gets absorbed, CO2 combines with water to form carbonic acid. Carbonic acid breaks down easily into bicarbonate molecules and hydrogen ions. Calcium and bicarbonate cannot bind together to form shells. Carbonate that usually form shells binds more easily with the hydrogen ions,

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.

The ocean’s pH has a direct negative correlation to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As the carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere, the ocean’s pH drops. The average pH shift is 0.1 in the past 200 years (Cooley et al., 2015). That number may seem insignificant, however, on a scale of 1 to 14, it is much more influential to the environment. Predictions from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2017) show a more negative impact with an decrease of up to 30% in pH and increase in ocean’s acidity in the upcoming century. This increase in acidity has destructive impacts on the coral reefs themselves and the biological impacts on species of shellfish and pteropods. Just as humans need calcium to maintain a strong skeleton, organisms such as coral, pteropods, and various species of shellfish including mollusks, starfish and sea urchins need calcium carbonate to preserve a strong shell used for shelter and protection. The calcium carbonate deteriorates with an increase in acidity. It makes the shells and skeletons brittle and compromises fertilization and settlement of new coral and pteropods as well.