The following exerpt is the first in a 4 part series that I’ve written for the David Suzuki Foundation about cutting edge research on ocean acidification. The researchers presented their latest findings at the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAs) in Vancouver, BC.
What exactly is ocean acidification?
It’s no secret that mean levels of atmospheric CO2 are significantly higher than they have been on our planet for the past 600,000 years. Burning fossil fuels is the largest contributor to the rise, and all of this “extra” carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is having many effects all over the planet. Approximately 25 per cent of atmospheric CO2 is absorbed by the surfaces of the world’s oceans, and the resulting change in pH is what scientists have termed ocean acidification. To be clear: the term acidification is not meant to describe a future ocean that is composed of acid as opposed to water. The shift in pH from historic levels of 8.25 to predicted levels of 8.14 and lower is movement toward the acidic end of the pH spectrum; however, it is far from the level of something like lemon juice (with a pH of 2.4). Despite the fact that sea life will not be subjected to living in actual acid, the change (which is measured on a logarithmic scale and therefore represents a 100 to 150 per cent decrease in ocean pH) will have massive implications.
Winners and losers
According to Christopher Harley of the University of British Columbia, some organisms will fare better than others in an acidified ocean: some will be clear winners, others losers. Researchers are racing to identify which organisms will be hit hardest by these environmental changes. Animals that have calcareous shells are in big trouble. For example, molluscs like mussels, clams and snails secrete their own shells by drawing on calcium carbonate in the sea water. Hard corals and sea urchins do the same thing to construct their skeletons. Due to a sequence of fairly simple chemical reactions, calcium carbonate is not as bioavailable in an acidified ocean. Quite simply, organisms that require it for skeletal or shell formation during development are going to suffer drastic consequences.
Why does this matter?
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