Ocean+Acidification+-+Eric+and+David

Ocean Acidification​

=Background= Ocean acidification is rapidly becoming a big problem in our environment, as it should be as it is verytoc

closely linked with global warming and climate change. Ocean acidification is very easy to explain and understand. Basically, regular water, H 2 O is an equal mix of H + ions and OH - ions. that are attracted to each other to form H 2 O. The pH (potential for hydrogen) for regular water is 7, or neutral. Anything higher than 7 on the pH scale is alkaline (also known as basic) and anything lower than 7 is acidic (see the diagram below). Well, when a substance is added to the water, pH can either increase in decrease. If the substance creates more H + ions, the solution becomes more acidic. If a substance is added that creates more OH - ions, the solution becomes more alkaline. Sea water is generally more alkaline than straight up H 2 O and has an average pH of about 8.0. When CO 2 is added to the water though, pH decreases, so when in deep waters (2.5 to 3 miles down) pH is typically about 7.5 because CO 2 is added through respiration of animals, while the shallow waters typically have a pH of about 8.5 because water is warmer and holds less CO 2 and photosynthesis of plants near the surface depletes CO 2 (Desonie). But for some reason, the pH of oceans are falling, meaning that oceans are becoming more acidic... (1 )



=Chemistry= So what could be causing the pH of oceans to fall? It all started with the industrial revolution, way back in the 18 th century. With the start of all these new factories, they had to be powered somehow, it just happened to be by burning fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, they put out CO 2 which remains in our atmosphere. Before the industrial revolution, CO 2 amounts in our atmosphere were at 280 parts per million (ppm) pre-industrial revolution but now they have risen to 361 ppm, when measured in 2006. Now, 1/3 of the total CO 2 produced by burning fossil fuels has been absorbed by the oceans from the atmosphere. That is approximately 28 Billion tons of CO 2. While the ocean absorbing CO 2 helps take the pressure off of global warming, it creates a new problem. The oceans have started turning acidic due to this phenomenon because when CO 2 is absorbed by the oceans, it creates carbonic acid (HCO 3 ) which lowers pH of oceans and leaves less carbonate (CO 3 ) that is used to make up shells and coral reefs. When carbonic acid is formed, it also erodes corral reefs that are already in place. The chemistry behind what is happening here is that CO 2, H 2 O, and CO 3 2- are being mixed together to form 2HCO 3 - (2 ) =Causes= The main cause of ocean acidification is the ocean absorbing COparticles, and dissolving them in the water.Once the particles are dissolved in the water, carbonic acid is formed, which leads to the ocean being acidic.Due to human activities (such as the burning of coal, oil, natural gas, deforestation, and making of cement), 79 million tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every day, and the ocean absorbs 1/3 of that amount of carbon dioxide.The more burning of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases being admitted into the air the more CO the ocean absorbs.As mentioned before, many other things besides the burning of fossil fuels are responsible.Deforestation and the making of cement may seem harmless, but these two activities release greenhouse gases into our atmosphere, causing carbon dioxide to be created, and later absorbed by the water.Any activity that can produce greenhouse gases, or any gas floating to our atmosphere, is a direct cause of ocean acidification.



The figure above shows the process of carbon dioxide being dissolved in the water, first caused by carbon dioxide coming from the atmosphere. This figure also shows the chemical process behind ocean acidification.

=Future= Right now, we can already see how ocean acidification is affecting the oceans. For example, the rate at which corals on reefs are building their skeletons is decreasing, the ability for algae and zooplankton to make and keep shells is being reduced and larval organisms of commercial fish and shellfish are having more difficulty surviving. All of these problems could very easily amount to bigger issues for our oceans. With corals not being able to build skeletons quickly, it is very possible that they could easily die before maturing from disease. This could cause the rates that reefs are built to decrease to levels so low that it would be impossible to naturally maintain the reefs in place. The problems with algae and zooplankton could have a big impact on the whole ocean ecosystem as well. Zooplankton are a vital food source for many marine species and, without shells, they could easily be harmed and die, leaving no food for these species. Then these species will die out, and so on up the food chain. The problems with the larva of commercial fish and shellfish could to impact the world badly, especially the US. The US is the 3rd largest seafood consumer in the world spending about $60 billion per year. Without fish, fisheries won’t be able to stay open. Fisheries in the US create about 70,000 jobs too. It’s not only the impact that the acid has on the larva though. Many of these fisheries are based off of coral reefs, which the acid also destroys. This means that if ocean acidification continues, any nation that is reliant on fish as a main product will soon face major problems due to fish not being able to survive in such harsh environments (3 ). =Importance= The importance of this topic can relate to the importance of global warming, if we continue to burn fossil fuels as much as we do, our planet will be in serious trouble.That’s a broad view of the situation, but let’s look deeper into the importance of ocean acidification.Experts say that the high levels of CO2 emissions in the water will change our planet.For one example, the coral reefs are in danger of dying off by the middle of the century if we continue to burn fuels at the rate we are currently.Think about this closely.Middle of the century is only about 50 years away, which means our next generation will grow up without coral reefs, and our final turn in life will be with the absence of coral reefs.Secondly, these levels of carbon dioxide in the water affect marine organisms to the degree where their ability to build shells and skeletal structures is decreasing.In years to come, this can lead to many organisms left defenseless, which in turn will lead to extinctions of many marine wildlife. Many experts agree that the burning of fossil fuels is increasing, which means that the acidification of the ocean water is increasing as well.This can conclude that the destructions caused by ocean acidification are approaching rapidly, and soon our oceans could be in serious trouble, trouble that may be impossible to fix.By decreasing the burning of fossil fuels, ocean acidification will slow down, preserving our oceans for longer periods of time.However, this is a problem with the public. // “People would be more upset if you told them that their favorite TV show was canceled than if you told them that entire biomes would disappear.” // – Ken Caldeira, Carnegie Institution Educating the public is very important with this matter, because some may not see how serious this can be. Ocean acidification is one of the many problems attached to the burning of fossil fuels.

The figure above shows the levels of global emissions increasing per year marked by the black line, and also the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the ocean increasing per year marked by the red line.

The video below is a great summarization of everything that is happening with Ocean Acidification and the real dangers that can come of it. It is a bit long at about 21 minutes but if you have time, we highly recommend watching it. media type="youtube" key="5cqCvcX7buo" height="385" width="640"

=Further Reading (Sources)= Desonie, Dana. // Oceans: How We Use the Seas //. New York: Chelsea House, 2008. Print. [] [] [] @http://www.ocean-acidification.net/ @http://www.epoca-project.eu/index.php/What-is-ocean-acidification.html @http://planetsave.com/blog/2009/03/29/experts-say-ocean-acidification-is-a-planet-changer/ @http://news.mongabay.com/2008/1111-oceans.html @http://oceanacidification.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/biological-effects-of-ocean-acidification/ @http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ocean-acidification @http://timeforchange.org/ocean-acidification-effect-of-global-warming @http://ioc3.unesco.org/oanet/FAQacidity.html@http://co2.cms.udel.edu/Ocean_Acidification.htm@http://oceanacidification.net/@http://www.seafriends.org.nz/issues/global/acid.htm @http://www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/ocean-acidification.html