The Effect Of Ocean Acidification On The Rates Of Calcium Produced By Marine Organisms

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

“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.

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

Phytoplankton play a key role in maintaining the stability of the marine environment by performing biochemical reactions, such as photosynthesis, which provide nutrients and oxygen to other marine organisms. They are also important for the success of coral reefs and calcite deposits throughout the water column. Increasing levels of inorganic CO2 will reduce calcification of ecologically important calcifying organisms such as corals and coccolithophores (Dedmer et al. 2013). Kim and colleagues (2013) advocate that changes in carbon chemistry will continue to cause levels of CO2 and HCO3- to rise, affecting photosynthesis and respiration.

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.

The Earth is a very miniscule piece in a much grander puzzle called the universe. Within that tiny rock in space are complicated systems that help to sustain life. The atmosphere surrounding us is a mixture of many different components. It is composed of roughly 78% nitrogen, about 21% oxygen, and about 1% other, which includes carbon, the most fundamental element on Earth (Hopkins 2010). Carbon is present in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (Hopkins 2010). Carbon dioxide may have a small presence in the earth 's atmosphere but it plays an important role in the processes within the ocean, having a huge influence over the chemistry of seawater carbonate and its equilibrium process (Hopkins 2010). One way it impacts the ocean is via a process called ocean acidification. Carbon dioxide is a compound that can be found in nature, but the elevated carbon dioxide levels caused by humans can have a lot of unintended consequences, particularly to the seawater carbonate chemistry (Hopkins 2010).

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.

Coral bleaching has increased dramatically over the past 50 years, as the oceans temperature and acidification has risen, all a result of the increasing amounts of CO2. “Rising Carbon Dioxide levels in the world’s oceans due to climate change combined with rising sea temperatures, could accelerate coral bleaching, destroying some reefs before 2050” (Sayer, 2008). Susannah Sayler (Australian scientist) tested this theory on 30 large aquarias in the waters off Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef. Using CO2 and temperatures predicted for the middle and end of the century, the scientists found ocean acidification from CO2, which reduces coral calcification, had the potential to increase bleaching and the death of reef-building organisms (Perry,

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To begin, Our Oceans absorb tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide. According to Castro of Marine Biology (2013), “About half the CO2 we pump into the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean” (p.236). With these statistics in mind it is important to notice that everyday large amounts of Carbon dioxide head into our oceans. As the carbon dioxide is consumed by ocean water, “CO2 dissolves in seawater and it forms carbonic acid” (Marine Biology pg.236). As carbonic acid is added into the

This is because the increased acidity of ocean waters leads to the corrosion of sea shells that are already present. Since there are less carbonate ions present in the water, a calcium ion is less likely to react with carbonate to form calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is responsible for constructing shells for calcifying organisms such as sea urchins, mollusks, coral, and plankton. These living creatures are crucial towards the maintenance of biodiversity in the oceans since they are major components in the food web. Plankton are primary producers that photosynthesize, backbone to the dispersion of energy since they serve as a food source for primary producers. Without their presence, the food web will falter. Coral reefs are also vital structures of marine ecosystems because they provide shelter and a habitat for fish spawning. However, they are eroding quicker than they are able to grow

The Earth has experienced 5 notable mass extinction events to date; these extinctions have impacted coral reef systems significantly. Every occurrence of mass extinction has left the Earth without living reefs for millions of years. These intervals of absence are often termed ‘reef gaps’ (geological intervals where there are no traces of what might have been existing reefs). The sources of these ‘events’ will be discussed further. The primary causes of mass extinctions are linked to the carbon cycle and make-up of the oceans. The acidification of our oceans is argued to be the most serious of all the predicted consequences of C02 increase, due to anthropogenic behaviors. This article will be inferring that acidification has the potential

Ocean acidification has recently become a big problem. Coral reefs and fish are dying, causing local economies to lose up to $375 billion every year from lack of tourism and fishing profits (Worland). Ocean acidification is caused mainly by carbon dioxide being pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. The carbon dioxide “reacts with water molecules to form carbonic acid,” thus increasing the acidity (Stone). “The ocean currently absorbs about a third of human-created CO2 emissions, roughly 22 million tons a day,” according to National Geographic. We’ve already “disposed” of 530 tons billion tons of carbon dioxide into the ocean. Because of this scientists are now studying the ocean and have thought of two possible ways to reduce acidity - geoengineering and cutting carbon emissions.

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.

Many studies in the last decade have focused on calcification in both corals and calcifying algae due to their ability to produce structures made of calcium carbonate. These calcium carbonate structures are regarded as one of the most vulnerable marine ecosystems to ocean acidification, due to the large scale declines in coral communities over the last several decades. In fact, these acidification-based calcification reductions are predicated to shift coral reefs from a state of net accretion to a state of net-dissolution within this century (Silverman et al. 2014).