Scientific Explanation Of Ocean Acidification

Scientific explanation of ocean chemistry:

By now, most people have some idea of the issue and effects of climate change. However, most haven’t heard about climate change's ‘evil twin’, Ocean Acidification (OA). The earth’s oceans cover around 96.5% of its surface and are home to at least a million different species of animals and plants that feed us, provide us with jobs and income and are a source of wonder and beauty. But in return for what they give us, we are killing them. In 2014, the global carbon emissions were 9.795 GtC. One gigatonne of carbon (GtC) equals one billion tonnes. These emissions come from fossil fuel burning, land use, electricity generating, transportation and industrial practice by humans as well as natural sources

When the levels of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions are equal, the water will have a pH of 7 which is neutral. If there are more hydroxide ions, the water will be basic and have a pH greater than 7. If there are more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions, the water will be acidic and have a pH less than 7. The increase of CO2 being absorbed by the oceans results in an increase of hydrogen ions which will subsequently cause the oceans pH to decrease and become less basic. Currently, the oceans are still basic but there is the possibility that if CO2 levels in the oceans continue to rise, the oceans will become acidic. This process may be reversible but scientists are worried that the increase will be too fast and the reverse too slow for any marine life to adapt to the changes. The royal society of Britain estimates that it could take “tens of thousands of years” for oceans to be the same as the were in the pre-industrial

In particular, it will affect organisms that use calcium carbonate to form exoskeletons and shells. These organisms use calcium carbonate (CaCO3) to form their shells and exoskeletons. They use a process called calcification to form solid structures from the dissolved calcium carbonate ions. These structures are vulnerable to dissolution unless there are sufficient amounts of calcium carbonate ions in the water. Organism such as crabs, lobsters, oysters, sea urchins, corals and pteropods use this process to form their outside shells and exoskeletons. These exoskeletons are important for protecting organisms from attacks, sharp objects, desiccation and more. Many species could be at risk of endangerment or extinction if co2 levels in the ocean continues to rise. Some species such as pteropods are much more sensitive to changes in the ocean's chemistry and in experiments show signs of their shells beginning to dissolve under current CO2 levels. Other species such as crabs and lobster are less sensitive and only showed negative responses at much higher levels of CO2 in experiments. Ries, a postdoctoral scholar at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and two scientists Anne Cohen and Dan McCorkle did a set of experiments where they raised 18 species of marine organisms which use the