What's Ocean Acidification?

To begin, Ocean Acidification is a complex issue that revolves around the pH level of the water in the oceans. According to Ocean Acidification by Gattuso and Lina “Ocean Acidification is a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period, typically decades or longer, caused primarily by the uptake of CO 2 from the atmosphere” Scientists use the pH scale to describe the strength of acids and bases. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic and 14 the most basic. Gattuso and Lina address that, “Once dissolved in seawater, CO 2 is a weak acid which generates a number of changes in seawater chemistry.” Furthermore they state,“The ocean pH levels has decreased from approximately 8.2 to 8.1 between pre-industrial time and the 1990s, and may reach 7.8 in 2100.” The issue of Ocean Acidification is dependent on the pH levels of the oceans. The belief is lowered pH levels could cause disastrous effects to the millions of different types of sea life in the oceans. Scientists believe that a difference in pH levels could devastate the ecology of the oceans. For example, it is stated by Gattuso & Lina that, “Changes in the carbonate chemistry of seawater can have a wide range of effects, some of which may be mediated through disturbances in the acid–base status of affected organisms.” As a result, “The extracellular pH of body fluids in animals and the intracellular pH of various organisms are usually tightly regulated, but the capacity of regulatory

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.

How much does the ocean absorb over the past 250 years of carbon dioxide. Twenty five percent of carbon dioxide that humans have put into the air by burning fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide lowers the pH of oceans, turning water more acidic. How is the oyster farms dying in the Northwest. The carbon dioxide is lowering and its turning the water more acidic. By having the the water

This fluctuation occurs due to an uptake of Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere. When this Carbon Dioxide is absorbed by the ocean it changes the chemical composition of the water. When Carbon Dioxide dissolves in the ocean, Carbonic Acid is created. This acid begins to raise the acidity of the water, primarily close the surface, which has been proven to impede the growth of the shells of certain marine species such as corals, oysters, and lobsters. Carbonic Acid has also been proven to be a leading cause of reproductive disorders in some fish species. On the pH scale, substances are rated from 0 to 14. The lower numbers of the scale, such as those with pH levels of five or under, are considered to be more acidic. Conversely, the higher numbers on the scale such as numbers nine or higher, are considered to be more basic. A pH level of seven is perceived as neutral. Examples of substances believed to be more acidic include: (in order from most acidic to least) battery acid, sulfuric acid, vinegar, et cetera. Some of the substances perceived to be more basic include: drain cleaner, bleach, and Ammonia. As far back as records have been made, the ocean’s pH has been a tad basic, averaging about 8.2. Today, the pH is approximately 8.1, a descent of 0.1 pH units. This drop in pH represents a 25-percent

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.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s, humans have been releasing ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. About half of that man-made CO2 has been absorbed by the oceans, increasing the concentration of carbonic acid, which has caused the

INTRODUCTION 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

Why is the Ocean Acidifying? Carbon dioxide is absorbed by the oceans when the atmospheric carbon dioxide level increases. When carbon dioxide dissolves at the ocean’s surface it reacts with the water and then

This tragedy is called ocean acidification. Ocean Acidification is the rapid decrease in the pH, (pH is the measure of ocean acidity,) of the Earth's ocean, caused by its intake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This rapid increase of carbon dioxide is directly coming from the large consumption of fossil fuel that humans constantly release into the air for our own selfish reasons. As we increase the level of carbon dioxide that is being released in a short amount of time, we are letting small amounts seeps into the earth's oceans through the continual water cycle. When the carbon dioxide seeps into the oceans, it begins to turn into carbonic acid. In small amounts, carbonic acid is not seriously harmful and is usually part of the ocean

Ocean acidification is known as a significant and destructive issue of a substantial amount of carbon dioxide that enters the atmosphere and settles in the ocean. Humans are not able to see or feel this happening based on the fact its process only occurs underwater. Each day the ocean consumes twenty two million tons of carbon dioxide, which originates from burning fossil fuels and destruction of park trees. Carbon dioxide fuses with water, which then generates it to become

Ocean Acidification began over 200 years ago when the industrial revolution came along. This caused carbon dioxide levels to rise.

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.

The debate of whether humans as a species are destroying their planet and violently pushing life to extinction has only intensified in recent years. But evidence has proved what we don’t want to hear time and time again – humans, and our actions (direct and indirect) are heavily involved in the extinction of flora and fauna species across the globe. We carelessly dump enormous amounts of c02 into our atmosphere, leading to ocean acidification and global warming that kill millions of animals and plants, and continue desecrating fragile ecosystems and habitats, resulting in the slaughter of now-rare life forms. We tamper with our climate as if it is a rather interesting puzzle piece, not the planet that supports our own existence.

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

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.