Ocean Acidification — The Problem Nobody is Talking About
By: Charles Hart
Tags: Climate Change, Ocean Acidification, Global Warming, Carbon Emissions, Ocean Conservation

What is Ocean Acidification?

When climate change is brought up to many, people think of how climate on land will change, bringing warmer climates to places with millions of people, slowly warming up the planet.

However, the climate change on Earth has a much more profound impact than just a raising temperature. The increased usage of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) can ruin entire ocean ecosystems in a process known as acidification, potentially damaging millions of species of marine life.

Ocean Acidification Diagram, Source: NOAA

Ocean Acidification is a process in which the excess CO2 in the atmosphere gets trapped in the ocean, decreasing the pH of the oceanwater to become more acidic. The CO2 dissolves into the water, and with more CO2 in our atmosphere than ever before, it’s hitting the oceans at record levels.

22 million tons of CO2 are released into the atmosphere daily, which is a major step up from even 10 years ago. This increase in CO2 is causing the fastest ocean chemical change in over 50 million years!

So, how does CO2 make the ocean more acidic?

When CO2 gets into the water, it combines with H2O (water) to create Carbonic Acid, H2CO3. Carbonic Acid tends to emit the Hydrogen ion H+, which is the indicator that a certain chemical is acidic.

On the pH scale, the more concentrated the H+ ion is, the higher acidity it has. The scale is logarithmic, meaning even a small movement in the pH scale can be detrimental to the ocean life surrounding it.

In the figure below, the level of CO2 is illustrated as a consistent increase. The seawater CO2 levels are also increasing at the same rate, and with this, the ocean’s overall pH is decreasing. Since the scale is logarithmic, it is decreasing at the same level as the CO2 is increasing.

Source: Smithsonian Education

How is Ocean Acidification affecting marine life?

Ocean Acidification’s main problem is setting the marine ecosystems off of equilibrium. A change in pH level could potentially cause lifelong damages to many organisms in the ocean, harming the once balanced pH scale to vary even more.

In certain animals like the Mollusks and Coral, a calcium carbonate shell is how they survive. It provides a strong exoskeleton for these animals. Ocean Acidification provides less Carbonate ions to bond with the Calcium, making it harder to build these shells. Coral reefs have seen a decrease in production because of the calcium carbonate shell that is the building block of a coral reef, and exposes each individual polyp each time there is an increase in CO2. In addition to the coral, the algae has a symbiotic relationship with said coral reefs. Both organisms benefit off of the others’ existence, making it mutually beneficial through certain dynamics. However, in warmer water, a side effect of the increase of CO2 in the water, the coral expels the algae from the water, negatively impacting an entire reef ecosystem from the base reef itself. This negative relationship caused by Ocean Acidification jeopardizes thousands of reefs around the world, and could damage reefs that were present before for millions of years.

Coral with a Calcium Carbonate Shell, Source: UCAN

As far as more distinguishable animals go, a lot of animals will be negatively impacted. Many fish like clownfish use pH levels to detect predators nearby, which threatens their species with a no longer useful adaptation. With Ocean Acidification, these clownfish are now mostly deaf to predators, leaving their species and an entire food web in danger. Many other fish use pH levels to detect predators, such as the leopard coral grouper, the humphead wrasse, the damselfish, the toadfish, and many more.

Is there a solution in sight?

As of right now, no. The use of CO2 in our atmosphere is only increasing at a higher and higher rate each day. The world is becoming more dependent on oil and other fossil fuels that require CO2 emission. Sadly, while the fossil fuels on earth are limited, it does not show signs of stopping just yet.

While Ocean Acidification could be detrimental toward marine life, it also effects millions of people, if not more. The jobs created by coral reefs and the food eaten from the ocean would be severely impacted if the ocean kept getting warmer and more acidic. This would put millions of people out of jobs, leave the world with less food to eat, and put the global economy in jeopardy.

Source: China Knowledge

But, there is no reason it should end that way.

With billions of people on Earth, each have an individual voice, and with that voice comes power. Obviously we cannot immediately stop using fossil fuels, but there are steps an everyday citizen can take to be a part of something bigger than themselves: an ocean ecosystem that has been ongoing since way before the dinosaurs.

So, how can we decide to help the cause and prohibit Ocean Acidification?

There are many ways to make a difference in certain communities, with politicians and lawmakers living near everyone to reach out to. A simple email goes a long way in seeing that it’s what the people in communities care about.

Protests and rallies are very prominent in certain areas about climate change. Climate change and Ocean Acidification go hand in hand to reduce the levels of CO2. Joining local groups on social media platforms like Facebook have many different events that you can go to, and show your support for climate change.

On a deeper level, the Paris Climate Agreement is a legally binding international treaty to reduce the level of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. As of November, over 190 countries have agreed to the treaty and it will likely result in a decrease in CO2 emissions. Even though this will start soon in the United States and other countries, there is more work to be done. Many powerful European countries have switched to becoming over 50% renewable energy powered, which is a major step forward in the longevity of our energy.

Even on a small level, just spreading the word about Ocean Acidification is helpful. Being an informed citizen about the world’s problems is something very impactful you can do that might help people become informed and tell the right people certain things. I think that knowing about Ocean Acidification is half the problem, just because many people don’t realize it’s even happening or how major of a problem it can become without help.

Source: The Guardian

In addition to protesting and reaching out to local politicians, it is important to also sign petitions. Petitions with a lot of support catch the eye of policymakers across the globe, and can help raise awareness towards a goal of stopping Ocean Acidification before it comes too late.

Petition Links:

Environmental Action

Change.org

NRDC

Conclusion

Ocean Acidification is definitely a major problem, and what makes it so threatening is the fact that it gets no media attention. When thinking about climate change and global warming, the ocean and reef ecosystems are not the first thoughts of anyone. It needs to be apparent to the people deciding the future of fossil fuel emissions that Ocean Acidification is a big enough problem for us to solve through a call to action. I truly believe that this planet is dying, and we may have gone past the point of no return. But, there is no point in giving up, and it’s especially important to realize how wonderous our planet is with the amazing marine life and terrestrial life as well. Ocean Acidification is concerning, but the mass media not knowing about it (or pretending it isn’t a problem) is even more concerning. Together, we can attempt to end the fight against climate change once and for all.