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
The ocean's acidity is rapidly rising with the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in our atmosphere. What exactly does this mean you may ask? This means that the pH level or acidity is rising, therefore creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for marine life; this causes an imbalance in our ecosystem. The pH level has gone down from 8.2 to 8.1. This may not seem like a huge difference right now, but it has already had big impacts and is estimated to increase at a much faster pace. The ocean is like a big pot of water, it is constantly absorbing excess CO₂ from the atmosphere. When it absorbs this, due to water having a high heat retention and the fact that CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, the water acidity and heat level rise. A quote from the website I researched on states: "Ocean acidity has increased about 25% from preindustrial times to the early 21st century, a pace faster than any known in Earth's geologic past". Due to human industries, oceans have absorbed more than 150 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide over the past 200 years. Some ways we can work together to keep our oceans healthy are to reduce our carbon footprints, re-use items, and buy less plastic.
Sources:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/insight/ … %20concern.