The Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Marine Ecosystems

The Affects of Ocean Acidification on Marine Ecosystems
Ocean acidification is the ongoing warming and decreasing of pH in the earths water supply (Gray et al. 2016; PMEL 2017). The acidification is caused from the increase in carbon dioxide concentration within the earths atmosphere. The carbon dioxide then reacts with the water to produce carbonic acid and carbonate ions thus, decreasing the pH. Ocean acidification affects the ecology of everything on this planet. Mainly, the marine ecosystems and small organisms take a large hit from the increases in temperature and carbonic acid concentration. The acidification causes reductions in ecological niches and brings about evolutionary processes with harmful outcomes.
Shells in the ocean have calcification impeded by the increasing carbonic acid and carbonate ion concentration. The added carbon dioxide and the water from the ocean reacts with the calcium carbonate of the shells and turns the shell into bicarbonate which is not a part of the shell, thus breaking the shell down (PMEL 2017). Some shellfish are experiencing reproductive failure from the increase in acid and the breaking down of
For example, pteropods are eaten by a wide range of species, almost anything ranging in size from a krill to whales (PMEL 2017). These pteropods live in small shells and as stated above the carbonate ions are reacting and impeding the calcification of the pteropod shells (PMEL 2017). Since the pteropods live inside of the shells the organisms begin to die off from the lack of shelter (Jager et al. 2016; PMEL 2017). With the increasing rates of death from the pteropods the whole marine ecosystem faces a serious threat from lack of food. Thus, the acidification causes reductions in the niches of the ecosystem because the organisms living there can’t survive in the harsh acidified environment and are forced to more to less harsh