{"id":22870,"date":"2017-07-06T10:50:08","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T10:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dolphinaris.com.mx.mx\/?p=22870\/?p=22870"},"modified":"2024-05-28T13:43:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T13:43:04","slug":"learn-about-5-scary-consequences-to-ocean-acidification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webdev.dolphinaris.com.mx\/es\/learn-about-5-scary-consequences-to-ocean-acidification\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn About 5 Scary Consequences to Ocean Acidification"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn About 5 Scary Consequences to Ocean Acidification<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard it before: climate change is affecting our planet. And not in a good way.<\/p>\n

But most of what we\u00a0hear,\u00a0is about how climate change will affect our atmosphere.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll cover a less-discussed, but just-as-important climate change issue: ocean acidification.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read this article to learn\u2026<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. How ocean acidification happens<\/li>\n
  2. And 5 scary consequences to ocean acidification<\/li>\n
  3. What will happen if we don\u2019t slow down ocean acidification<\/li>\n
  4. How to slow down ocean acidification<\/li>\n
  5. A summary of the above points<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ready?
    \nLet\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

    A. \u00a0 \u00a0How ocean acidification happens<\/h3>\n

    Since the industrial revolution, we have begun to burn a lot of fossil fuels. In doing so, we have released a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2<\/sub>) into the air.<\/p>\n

    As we mentioned earlier, we know that CO2<\/sub>\u00a0affects the atmosphere. But what most people don\u2019t know, is that CO2<\/sub>\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup>affects our oceans.<\/p>\n

    How?
    \n\"ocean<\/p>\n

    Eventually\u2026some of that CO2<\/sub>\u00a0falls back down into our oceans. How much?<\/p>\n

    Our oceans have absorbed about HALF of all human-produced CO2\u00a0<\/sup>emissions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When CO2<\/sub>\u00a0dissolves in our oceans, it increases hydrogen ions. Those hydrogen ions, then bond with carbonate ions to form carbonic acid. This leads to a lower ocean pH level.<\/p>\n

    In other words\u2026<\/p>\n

    When we pollute\u00a0into\u00a0the air, the ocean gets more acidic.<\/p>\n

    Take a look at the diagram below to see an illustration.<\/p>\n

    \"future<\/p>\n

    You see? The higher the CO2,\u00a0<\/sub>the lower the ocean pH levels (lower pH, means more acidic).<\/p>\n

    Now let\u2019s examine\u2026<\/p>\n

    5 scary consequences to ocean acidification.<\/h3>\n

    1. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0PTEROPODS<\/h4>\n

    Sometimes called a \u201csea butterfly\u201d, pteropods are tiny marine creatures. They\u2019re actually about the size of a small pea.<\/p>\n

    While they may be small in stature, they are largely connected to the food web of the ocean.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Many fish, and even\u00a0krill,\u00a0have pteropods as part of their\u00a0diet,\u00a0or eat animals that eat pteropods.<\/p>\n

    Watch what happens to a pteropod\u2019s shell after spending 45 days in sea water with a pH level of 7.8 (more on this later).<\/p>\n

    \"pteropods<\/p>\n

    As you can see\u2014almost overnight\u2014the pteropod\u2019s shell rapidly dissolved<\/p>\n

    2. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0SHELLFISH<\/h4>\n

    As we mentioned earlier, due to CO2\u00a0<\/sub>pollution, carbonate ions are bonding with hydrogen ions.<\/p>\n

    Why is this important?<\/p>\n

    Because shellfish need carbonate ions<\/strong>\u00a0to help form their protective shells made of calcium carbonate (CaCo3).<\/p>\n

    Shellfish include mollusks, crustaceans, sea-urchins, crabs, planktons and other marine species.<\/p>\n

    These species are being robbed of a fundamental building block necessary to their survival.<\/p>\n

    3. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0FISH<\/h4>\n

    While fish aren\u2019t don\u2019t suffer the same dire consequences, they are still affected nonetheless.<\/p>\n

    They need to expel any excess acid. How? Through their gills, kidneys, and intestines. This process takes precious energy.\u00a0Energy\u00a0that could have been used to digest food or escape predators.<\/p>\n

    It also means fish sizes will get smaller.<\/p>\n

    \"fish<\/p>\n

    4. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0CORAL REEFS<\/h4>\n

    Coral reefs<\/a> are also composed of calcium carbonate. They use it to build their \u201chard skeleton\u201d. This is especially true in the early stages of development.<\/p>\n

    With more carbonate ions bonding with hydrogen ions, that means\u00a0less\u00a0carbonate ions available for coral reefs.<\/p>\n

    The result?<\/p>\n

    A more brittle coral reef that has trouble reproducing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"coral<\/p>\n

    Not only can entire coral reefs die, but the organisms that depend on it as well.<\/p>\n

    These species include red snapper and grouper.<\/p>\n

    5. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0FUTURE OCEAN PH LEVELS<\/h4>\n

    We know CO2\u00a0<\/sub>pollution is getting worse. This also means, our ocean\u2019s pH level will also continue to decrease (meaning more acidic).<\/p>\n

    Remember that pteropod shell we showed you dissolving?<\/p>\n

    That was in seawater with a pH level of 7.8.<\/p>\n

    As you can see above, scientists predict our ocean will reach a pH level of 7.8 in less than a century.<\/p>\n

    \"co2<\/p>\n

    WHAT CAN YOU DO TO STOP OCEAN ACIDIFICATION?<\/h4>\n

    It would be nearly impossible to stop ocean acidification.<\/p>\n

    But what we can do is, slow it down. This will give our ocean a chance to acclimate to the new pH level.<\/p>\n

    So how we slow down ocean acidification?<\/p>\n

    By\u00a0weening\u00a0ourselves off fossil fuels.<\/p>\n

    This means using\u2026<\/p>\n