The Earth's oceans are becoming more acidic (lower pH) because they are absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The world's oceans have historically absorbed about a third of the atmospheric CO2, but with the worldwide increase in burning of fossil fuels, the amount of CO2 being emitted has increased, increasing the amount of CO2 present in the ocean. Since the industrial revolution, the oceans have become 30 percent more acidic (from 8.2 pH to 8.1 pH).
This is a concern to scientists who believe that the increased CO2 may be negatively impacting calcifying organisms such as corals, mussels, algae and plankton, causing their shells and skeletons to thin. So far, few economic impact assessments of ocean acidification have been performed, but with the fragile marine ecosystems under threat it can be assumed that fisheries and many coastal economies will be severely affected. Many of these societies depend on the sea as their main source of food and the loss of species is highly detrimental to them; coral reefs serve as highly valuable tourist destinations and as natural protections against natural hazards such as tsunamis. Together with climate change, ocean acidification poses a major challenge to the oceans as a human habitat.
How we can green our Summer
Add a comment