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
Through a process called the Ocean Atmosphere exchange Carbon is dissolved into the ocean bringing the acidity upby around 30%, where it can make our fish toxic, and devastate the oceanic life because it calcifies the organisms at the bottom of the food chain in the ocean, like the pteropod, whose shell if calcified so intensely its shell dissolves after 45 days.
1[Pteropod Shell Acidification]
1(pteropodshellacidification.png)
1[Pteropod-limacina-helicina_bigger ]
1(pteropodlimacinahelicina_bigger.jpg)
Image Found at National Geographic on Ocean Acidification http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/ … hreat-text
Info for Percentages and for fully dissolved pteropod image and pteropod data at
PML NOAA https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Wha … ication%3F
I agree with what you said about the shells dissolving in calcified water, and due to the calcification of the water many organisms can't even reproduce shells after others have dissolved. It's not okay what the ocean's acidification is doing to all of these sea creatures and their underwater habitats.
Coral reefs are another greatly affected part of ocean acidification. The coral is getting bleached from all the carbon dioxide in the ocean. That causes many ocean organisms to be out of habitat until they can find somewhere else to live, but often there isn't any other similar habitat that hasn't been affected. Our modern society needs to emit less carbon into our atmosphere because it can easily destroy many other things such as the ocean
sources
-https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Wha … ication%3F