In addition to the famous impacts of atmospheric carbon on global warming, there is an equally worrisome effect of carbon dioxide on the oceans: ocean acidification (or OA for short). Here at I2SEA we have a series of resources about OA, including Our Acidifying Ocean, which is an introductory activity and virtual lab (note: now mobile compatible!).
A student suggested that we start a conversation topic about OA, and here it is! Have you heard about Ocean Acidification? If so, are you worried about it? How do you think we can best raise awareness about it among your fellow students and the general public? Have you seen particularly good links or films about OA that you would like to share? What are you doing to address the problem?
Ocean Acidification >
Ocean Acidification
Ocean acidification is rising, and it already has an impact on some species, and is known that it will have a negative impact on others. One of those species would be the pteropod, which had been proven that in 2100, their shells will melt from the amount of CO2 in the ocean. The reason why this specie is so important is that it's a keystone species in many food webs, meaning this guarantees many species to die off. CO2 causes ocean acidification, so how could we decrease the amount of CO2 emitted? First, we need to look at the causes of this increase in CO2. CO2 has always naturally increased, but it had never crossed the concentration of 300 until recently. CO2 is a greenhouse gas, meaning it had been caused by human activities like burning fossil fuels. Little ways that one can help with limiting fossil fuel usage is by turning off lights when they’re not needed, especially during the daytime and the room has a window. Another way is limiting the usage of electronic devices. Doing these little actions will help slightly with delaying the rise of ocean acidification.