ipl-logo

Negative Effects Of Ocean Acidification

1023 Words5 Pages

People are burning more and more fossil fuels everyday. Fossil fuels are natural fuels, like coal and oil. They are used to run a car, when burning wood, and using electricity. This is causing more carbon dioxide to be released into the air. Carbon dioxide is being absorbed into the ocean and when it is mixed with water it makes the acidity level higher. Human created carbon that is absorbed into the ocean has made a 30% increase in ocean acidity. (1)
Organisms like oysters, clams, scallops, etc. are being negatively affected by the acidity. Animals like salmon and crabs are also thought to be affected negatively by the carbon Dioxide in the ocean. Plants as well as animals are being affected by the acidity in the ocean. They are affected …show more content…

In 2015 the use of coal decreased by about 1%. Carbon dioxide levels increased in 2015 by 36 million metric tons from 2014. 2015 also was the sixth straight year that a record for carbon dioxide released was set. Overall, in 2015 a lot of carbon dioxide was released and it is now being absorbed into the oceans. (2)
Ocean acidification is caused by carbon dioxide that did not stay in the air. Around 22 million tons of carbon dioxide is absorbed into the ocean everyday. This was thought as a good thing at first because there is less carbon dioxide in the air to warm the planet, but when more research was done it was found that carbon dioxide is changing the ocean's makeup. Some animals are already being affected by the acidity in the ocean. The shells on animals are dissolving due to the changing pH level in the ocean. (3)
Carbonic acid is made when carbon dioxide and water are mixed. While carbonic acid is not as strong as some acids that can break down solids, it is still harming life in the ocean. Some animals may be able to adapt to the acidity in the ocean changing, but a lot will not survive. Plants are being affected by the acidity and if they can not adapt then they will die. Coral reefs, fish, and oysters are negatively affected by the changing chemistry of the …show more content…

Sea snail shells are beginning to dissolve due to the acid in the ocean. It is thought that by the end of the century sea snails will not be able to survive. The acidity in the ocean prevents squids from getting the oxygen they need and there acidity in there blood. Squids are the fastest invertebrates in the ocean and a big part of the food chain, so if they start dying because of the acidity of the ocean then the whole food chain will be greatly affected. Carbon dioxide is thought to affect the eggs of fish because they are not developing like they should. It is also thought to make fish more active and they are swimming out into dangerous areas. This is causing more fish to die.

Show More
Related
530 Words | 3 Pages

Understanding the problem is the first step. When the ocean takes in CO2, it dissolves into the ocean reacting with water. This process forms a weak acid called carbonic acid. This then breaks apart releasing hydrogen ions, increasing the acidity of the water. This

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

This becomes a much larger problem when Kolbert talks about the reefs on our world. She states: "This is because out in the real world, reefs are constantly being eaten away at by fish and sea urchins and burrowing worms" (Kolbert). What Kolbert means by this is as the PH levels in our oceans drop, the rate at which reefs grow will decrease. With the decrease in production rates, the reefs will not be able to keep up with the fish and other organisms that break them. World wonders will slowly begin to erode away to extinction and

Read More
1772 Words | 8 Pages

Ocean Acidification (How is today’s technology negatively affecting the ocean and marine life?) An Annotated Bibliography EPA. “Carbon Dioxide Capture and Sequestration: Overview.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 6 Jan. 2017. Accessed 30 Mar. 2018.

Read More
350 Words | 2 Pages

1.) Why are oceans becoming more acidic? When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it is either absorbed by marine life through photosynthesis or joins with water molecules to become carbonic acid.   This acid then dissolves into H+ and HCO3.

Read More
1030 Words | 5 Pages

B. Another effect is that the rising temperature of the ocean is leading to the rising acidity of the ocean. Per edf.org the acidity of the ocean has risen forty percent leading to the death of sea life. Perhaps the most prominent example of this is the Great Barrier Reef. It is estimated that nearly 67% of the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef is either dead or dying.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

Ocean Acidification is a pressing issue that will have a major effect on the ocean in the near future. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ocean acidification is when the pH drops due to an uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This is a controversial issue because many people do not believe the ocean is becoming acidic. They believe ocean acidification is a hoax brought on by global warming to try and convince people on the dangers of climate change. This issue is important because ocean acidification posses a threat on the coral reef ecosystems, which house 25% of marine, fish species.

Read More
428 Words | 2 Pages

Immobile creatures, like sponges, sea cucumbers, and giant clams will be in danger of surviving. Climate change will affect ocean circulation patterns which will affect the supply and distribution of nutrients to food-webs and the distribution of eggs and larvae in coral reefs. When the surface of the water heats up, it becomes more dense and doesn’t mix with the cooler water below, making it hard for nutrients from the bottom of the ocean to travel up towards the phytoplankton on the

Read More
882 Words | 4 Pages

The ocean holds large amounts of carbon, 50 times more than the amount found in the atmosphere. The ocean is sometimes called a carbon sink, meaning that it absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. It takes up carbon through physical and biological processes. At the ocean’s surface, carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves into the water. Tiny marine plants called phytoplankton use this carbon dioxide for photosynthesis (Sea Basin, 2015).

Read More
227 Words | 1 Pages

To prove that ocean acidification really was negatively impacting coral reefs, researchers “turned back the clock.” In a study published today in Nature, researchers led by Rebecca

Read More
391 Words | 2 Pages

Ocean acidification has become a problem more and more over the years. This problem is something that needs to be taken seriously. With the amount we burn of CO2 is increasing everyday and is something that is not just going to stop. With our population growing and growing so does our manufacturing plants. These are the most pollution making places that create the CO2.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

The corals demise is because of water saturation levels, and most of the marine life around the coral is totally dependent on them. In return, this will have a catastrophic effect on marine ecosystems. The planet cannot possibly recover from all the CO2 emissions. In this chapter, ocean acidification comes to light.

Read More
452 Words | 2 Pages

Not only carbon dioxide, but also nitrogen and methane have significantly increased more than 100% from pre-industrial levels, according to The Guardian's article on carbon dioxide emission and greenhouse gases. After the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide has gradually increased due to the burning of fossil fuels. This led to infrared radiation to be absorbed into the atmosphere and ocean that would eventually cast warmer temperatures than usual and a more acidic ocean. Unfortunately, these changes are detrimental to many habitats and can cause both oceanic wildlife and animals in

Read More
861 Words | 4 Pages

Ever since the industrial revolution commenced, around one third of the carbon dioxide released by human interference has been absorbed by the ocean, which is one of the reasons of the drastic change in climate as well. Without the ocean absorbing carbon dioxide, the carbon dioxide n the atmosphere would be drastically higher, with possibly increasing the levels of climate change. The point of the research is to see how will the pH affect the organisms in the marine ecosystem and does carbonation affect an organism’s mass and form. Many organisms that are part of the marine food chain are going to be affected by ocean acidification due the levels of acidity deteriorating the calcium carbonate within the animal. It turns out

Read More
1141 Words | 5 Pages

In the worst case scenario these animals will become extinct in the future. Carbon dioxide is well known as CO2. The level of carbon dioxide in the ocean has increased over the past years. The ocean dissolves the emissions of humans and the combustion of fossil fuel. Once being dissolved, the carbon dioxide creates

Read More
1464 Words | 6 Pages

There is no death possible in the oceans — there will always be life — but they're getting sicker every year. " - Jacques Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer EXTENT OF COASTAL MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE {10 mrks} IMPACTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF COASTAL MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE {10 mrks} - (4 mins) The oceans are changing, and have been naturally throughout time. However, new evidence suggests that impacts from human activities in the last 5 decades have been greater than anything seen during the history of marine life billions of years before.

Read More

More about Negative Effects Of Ocean Acidification

Related Topics

Open Document