Ocean Acidification
Acidification in our Oceans
Oceanography
April 2, 2013
What is Ocean Acidification? “Ocean Acidification, is the worldwide reduction in the pH of seawater as a consequence of the absorption of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the oceans.” (Britannica). Ocean acidification is largely the result of loading Earth’s atmosphere with large quantities of CO2, produced by vehicles and industrial and agricultural processes. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution about 1750, roughly one-third to one-half of the CO2 released into Earth’s atmosphere by human activities has been absorbed by the oceans. During that time period, scientists have estimated, the average pH of seawater declined from 8.19 to 8.05, which corresponds to a 30 percent increase in acidity. (Britannica). Henry’s Law states “the weight of a gas dissolved by a liquid is proportional to the pressure of the gas upon the liquid” (Brittanica). In the preindustrial age the ocean released excess Carbon Dioxide to orchestrate the balance of the CO2 in the atmosphere with the CO2 in the ocean. Though we have dramatically increased our CO2 emissions, Henry’s Law still holds true. The difference is that now instead of the ocean releasing excess CO2, the ocean is absorbing CO2. At one point in time we thought this was great news. It worked wonderfully to soak up a lot of the greenhouse gases we were spewing out from our plants and automobiles and keep them from eating away at the atmosphere that protects us. We thought it was so great, in fact, that along with Germany and Japan we even considered capturing CO2, liquefying it, and pumping it into the ocean to make it disappear forever. It only took a couple experiments to realize that was not a good idea. As infinite as our deep blues seem, they can only absorb so much CO2 before it becomes a problem. “We found that mere absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere into the ocean was enough to harm marine creatures,” says Ken
Oceanography
April 2, 2013
What is Ocean Acidification? “Ocean Acidification, is the worldwide reduction in the pH of seawater as a consequence of the absorption of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the oceans.” (Britannica). Ocean acidification is largely the result of loading Earth’s atmosphere with large quantities of CO2, produced by vehicles and industrial and agricultural processes. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution about 1750, roughly one-third to one-half of the CO2 released into Earth’s atmosphere by human activities has been absorbed by the oceans. During that time period, scientists have estimated, the average pH of seawater declined from 8.19 to 8.05, which corresponds to a 30 percent increase in acidity. (Britannica). Henry’s Law states “the weight of a gas dissolved by a liquid is proportional to the pressure of the gas upon the liquid” (Brittanica). In the preindustrial age the ocean released excess Carbon Dioxide to orchestrate the balance of the CO2 in the atmosphere with the CO2 in the ocean. Though we have dramatically increased our CO2 emissions, Henry’s Law still holds true. The difference is that now instead of the ocean releasing excess CO2, the ocean is absorbing CO2. At one point in time we thought this was great news. It worked wonderfully to soak up a lot of the greenhouse gases we were spewing out from our plants and automobiles and keep them from eating away at the atmosphere that protects us. We thought it was so great, in fact, that along with Germany and Japan we even considered capturing CO2, liquefying it, and pumping it into the ocean to make it disappear forever. It only took a couple experiments to realize that was not a good idea. As infinite as our deep blues seem, they can only absorb so much CO2 before it becomes a problem. “We found that mere absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere into the ocean was enough to harm marine creatures,” says Ken