SPACER

Parts of the ocean is naturally acidic- our ocean has been absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere (carbon dioxide), and using it to feed algae and cyanobacteria which are responsible for providing oxygen. This is a common, natural process that has existed for years, and is Earth’s way of regulating it’s atmosphere.

This would be a nonissue, if not for the fact that there is too much carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere now, and while the ocean is still absorbing the CO2, there’s too much for it to handle. What’s supposed to be used to feed algae is now killing them faster than they’re able to produce oxygen.

SPACER

Climate change is responsible for the mass amounts of CO2 we have now. Burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas releases large amounts of CO2, and deforestation results in less trees that are able to absorb these gasses and convert them into something more beneficial (like the ocean algae converting CO2 into oxygen). Additionally, carbon dioxide is released when plants are cut down and start to rot- so rather than having something that can absorb the CO2, it just adds more of it.

Acid naturally wears away at calcium. The increasing acidity in the oceans slows down how much calcium carbonate coral reefs are able to produce. In the Coral Reefs section, we discussed how they’re incredibly diverse and are a requirement for healthy, thriving marine life. Without coral reefs, we would lose access to possible medicines and bone replacements, and many marine species will be placed at risk without food and shelter.

SPACER

References

Columbia Climate School: The Earth Institute. (2014, November 10). New global maps detail human-caused ocean acidification. Earth Institute. https://www.earth.columbia.edu/articles/view/3211. Accessed 1 May, 2024.

Natural History Museum. (2017, October 24). What is ocean acidification?. Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-is-ocean-acidification.html. Accessed 28 April, 2024.