Ocean Acidification

What is it?

- Name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans. It tends to cause the ocean water to become more acidic. Also causes lots of carbon dioxide pollution.

What causes it?

- Caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When carbon dioxide mixes with water, acid is made. 

How does it effect benthic organisms? Plankton?

- Acidification makes organisms work harder to produce their shells leaving them with less energy. Many organisms may not be able to survive. The acid also dissolves sea structures. Terapods, a commonly known plankton, are often effected by the ocean Acidification  Their shells begin to dissolve due to the acidic water. Higher acidity will extinguish terapods which are a basic source of food for fish. The entire food web becomes weaker and more vulnerable. 

How does man contribute?

- Man destroy ecosystems. We need to ultimately give ecosystems a chance to live and develop. Man must take ecosystem efficiency into account. 

3 Important Things I Learner

1. One in every four species in the ocean live on a coral reef.

2. The only way to stop Acidification is to admit less carbon dioxide.

3. What makes a great tragedy a great tragedy is that you can see it coming, yet you can not do anything to really stop it.