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...what is it?
When we burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is emitted into the air. About 30% of this carbon dioxide is absorbed by our oceans and this can cause a lot of harm to organisms living in our blue waters. So what exactly is this carbon dioxide doing to the ocean? This carbon dioxide causes a change in the ocean's acidity levels, it makes the ocean more acidic. This change can lead to difficulty for animals like clams and mussels to build themselves strong shells. It can also make it more difficult for some animals to detect predators and find suitable habitats for themselves. It sounds terrible, but why should we care? Ocean acidification actually affects the entire world's oceans and costal waters, this means that animals all over the globe are being affected, so the next time you go scuba diving you should think about your carbon footprint and how it's affecting the very animals you are observing. We should start caring more about this topic because it isn't talked about very much, what are some things that we could do to help this important cause?
(More on Ocean Acidification) Many people think that the acidity increase is not much of a problem because it only affects animals with shells, but they fail to realize that one change in an ecosystem affects everything. In the case of Ocean Acidification, the decline of coral and shelled animals are devastating ecosystems so the focous on our Carbon Footprint is crucial!