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 >
Super Corals
I recently read this article about a marine biologist named Ruth Gates. She is the leader of a project to create a new and improved coral to Hawaii and Australia. According to this article, "I'm creating supercharged corals to beat climate change," stress on corals is what causes them to expend their microalgae or food. This causes coral to bleach and not survive, causing animals in the environment to die out. This stress is caused by warming waters and ocean acidification. I think people should be concerned about ocean acidification because of paling coral. Coral is necessary for the communities around reefs to survive. When corals die, they are unable to defend the coast from strong storm waves, so eventually the land loses mass. Locals should especially be worried because they will "lose their main food source - 70 per cent of the protein eaten in the Pacific coming from the reef" (Schiffman). As recently stated, OA and warm waters is the cause of all of this. This is why we need to be aware of climate change and be worried about ocean acidification.
Great post! It is very interesting to me how little the acidification of the ocean is known by most people when I talk about it with some most times people do not know what I am talking about. It is also interesting how the CO2 emissions from other parts of the world such as the car industry or the livestock industry are affecting the reefs and the oceans. The article I read (linked down below) talks about adding sensors to detect pH and oxygen levels which could help them understand what is really going on under the sea.
Resource: https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Ocean+Acidification
Hello, Fernanda. I have also read Richard Schiffman's article, "I'm creating supercharged corals to beat climate change," and I agree with your points. Corals are a necessity for coastal environments because they support numerous aquatic species. According to the NOAA National Ocean Service Education website, "This biodiversity is considered key to finding new medicines for the 21st century. Many drugs are now being developed from coral reef animals and plants as possible cures for cancer, arthritis, human bacterial infections, viruses, and other diseases." I found this information to be very interesting and applicable to our present situation. Thus, I agree with your position on the need to be aware of the harmful effects of climate change and ocean acidification on coral reefs.
Link to NOAA National Ocean Service Education website: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education … tance.html