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Questions and Answers
What is the term scientists use to describe the natural stabilizing effect of the ocean's pH levels?
What is the term scientists use to describe the natural stabilizing effect of the ocean's pH levels?
buffering
What is happening to the shells of some marine animals as a result of ocean acidification?
What is happening to the shells of some marine animals as a result of ocean acidification?
They are dissolving
When did scientists first begin to study the biological impacts of ocean acidification?
When did scientists first begin to study the biological impacts of ocean acidification?
2003
What is the main reason why scientists are unable to predict the exact details of ocean acidification's biological impacts?
What is the main reason why scientists are unable to predict the exact details of ocean acidification's biological impacts?
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What is the main consequence of ocean acidification on food security?
What is the main consequence of ocean acidification on food security?
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What is the role of carbonate ions in the process of ocean acidification?
What is the role of carbonate ions in the process of ocean acidification?
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What is ocean acidification, and why is it sometimes called 'climate change's equally evil twin'?
What is ocean acidification, and why is it sometimes called 'climate change's equally evil twin'?
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How does carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels end up in the ocean?
How does carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels end up in the ocean?
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Explain the impact of carbon dioxide dissolving in seawater on the ocean's chemistry.
Explain the impact of carbon dioxide dissolving in seawater on the ocean's chemistry.
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How much carbon dioxide has the ocean absorbed from the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era?
How much carbon dioxide has the ocean absorbed from the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era?
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What has been the rate of ocean water acidification in the past 200 years?
What has been the rate of ocean water acidification in the past 200 years?
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Why did scientists initially believe that the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean might be a good thing?
Why did scientists initially believe that the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean might be a good thing?
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Study Notes
Ocean Acidification
- Ocean acidification is a consequence of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which dissolves into the ocean, causing a relatively rapid drop in pH in surface waters.
- This process affects the entire ocean as surface layers mix into deep water, impacting marine life that evolved over millions of years in an ocean with a generally stable pH.
Impact on Marine Life
- The rapid change in ocean chemistry doesn't give marine life enough time to adapt, and some organisms' shells are already dissolving in the more acidic seawater.
- Ocean acidification is expected to have dramatic and mostly negative impacts on ocean ecosystems, although some species are finding ways to adapt to the changing conditions.
Research and Predictions
- Scientists have been tracking ocean pH for over 30 years, but biological studies only started in 2003, when the rapid shift caught their attention.
- The biological impacts of ocean acidification are not fully predictable, but it's known that some organisms will survive or thrive under the more acidic conditions, while others will struggle to adapt or may even go extinct.
Economic Impacts
- Ocean acidification will affect fisheries and aquaculture, threatening food security for millions of people, as well as tourism and other sea-related economies.
- It's expected to have significant economic impacts, particularly on industries that depend on the ocean's ecosystem.
Chemistry of Ocean Acidification
- When carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, the pH of the water gets lower, making it more acidic, and it binds up carbonate ions, making them less abundant.
- Corals, oysters, mussels, and many other shelled organisms need these carbonate ions to build shells and skeletons.
Carbon Dioxide and the Atmosphere
- There is currently more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than at any time in the past 15 million years, mainly due to people burning fuels.
- At least one-quarter of the released CO2 dissolves into the ocean, which has absorbed around 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era, currently around 22 million tons per day.
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Description
Learn about the significant and harmful consequences of ocean acidification, a result of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Explore how at least one-quarter of the CO2 released by burning fossil fuels dissolves into the ocean, impacting marine ecosystems worldwide.
