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 >
Help Save our Oceans
The oceans are being affected by climate change too. Many places in the ocean are already feeling the changes. In many places volcanic vents are releasing CO2 into the ocean. In these places many of the sea life has left, even though they had a lot of time to adapt to it. This shows scientists that only a few species are going to be able to the CO2 being released in coming years.
The fact that many species in the ocean are going to be extinct in a matter of time is sickening. This is a very serious issue that needs to be dealt with right now. There are many other habits that are going to be affected by this such as the coral reefs. The coral in the coral reefs help support 25% of the oceans species. The problem is that coral will die when the pH level in the ocean rises, and with the coral goes the 25% of the species in the oceans.
There are ways to reverse this yet many people and the government seem to not care about it. One example of reversal is putting two tons of lime into the ocean. It is possible to do it and it would reverse the effec ts, but nobody seems to take action. This is where the educated people need to come into play. People need to start taking a stand on helping the oceans. We can’t let the oceans go away and we need to find solutions for it quickly. Please help raise awareness of the help our oceans need.
Source: The Acid Sea by National Geographic
Our world is made up of 71% water. Since this is most of our world, we should take more care of the species and living things that live in that environment. Acidification is bubbles of CO2 that rise from volcanic vents that rise from the sea floor and dissolve into carbon acid. In the past 200 years, 30% has absorbed into our waters. This is damaging the coral reefs and making more animals not have home and it also killing species that will go extinct. Also, animals are being changed by the or mutated by (PH) acid levels. As an example of some of the species that are being affected are pteropoda. They are starting to grow slower due this concern.
During an in class jigsaw activity, I learned more about PETM and how it affects the ocean. The PETM is a chemical that helps reduce the acidity levels in the ocean. PETM reduces the speed from the acidification which rises from the floor and protects the animals that live in the oceans. To add on to the above post, lime is a solution to reduce the levels of acid but our government does not see this as a main concern. Th ere is a substantial amount of lime needed (two tons) that it looks so unrealistic for this to happen. Our government in the US does not seem to think this is a realistic issue since they have bigger problems on their plate.
Sources: Pearlman, Howard. (2016, December 2). How much water is there on, in, and above the Earth. Retrieved from https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html
Kolbert, Elizabeth. (2011, April). The Acid Sea. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/ … lbert-text