Ocean acidity expected to rapidly grow this century

Ocean acidification is one of the worst forms of pollution affecting our oceans, and by the current looks of it, the situation will become lot worse in years to come. A group of renowned ocean experts recently issued warning that the acidity of the world's ocean could increase by around 170% by the end of the century. This will not only result in major environmental damage but will also bring devastating economic losses.

The summary will be launched at the UNFCCC climate negotiations in Warsaw, 18 November, for the benefit of policymakers because climate change is the main reason behind the excessive and fast-growing ocean acidification as oceans sink carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Sadly, the capacity of the oceans to act as a carbon sink decrease as they become more acidic.

The increased ocean acidity will no doubt lead to major changes in marine biodiversity. It will likely cause declines in shellfish aquaculture and the degradation of tropical coral reefs which will affect the entire marine food chain leading to major environmental and economic losses.

Reducing the rate of carbon dioxide emissions can slow acidification but world leaders are yet to agree on serious carbon offset targets as there is still a major difference in opinion between developed and developing countries.

Acidification is just one of the issues troubling world oceans these days. The others include deoxygenation, pollution and overfishing.

These ocean stressors are yet to be taken seriously by world leaders, being very low at global political agenda, despite the countless scientific warnings.

Ocean pollution caused by oil spills and arsenic

Oil spills are creating different forms of ocean pollution, and the latest study published in the journal Water Research has even revealed that oil spills can also increase levels of toxic arsenic in the ocean, creating an additional long-term threat to many marine ecosystems.

Arsenic is poisonous material that is found in oil, and high levels of arsenic in seawater can enable the toxin to enter the food chain where it can create huge damage to many marine organisms. The negative effects of arsenic in seawater include disruption of photosynthesis process in marine plants, different genetic alterations that can cause birth defects, and it can also kill animals such as birds that feed on sea creatures affected by arsenic.

Though arsenic occurs naturally in the oceans, sediments on the sea floor filter it out of seawater, which keeps the levels of naturally occurring arsenic low. Oil spills can somewhat block the ocean's natural filtration system and prevent this from cleaning arsenic out of the seawater, which would significantly increase the levels of arsenic in seawater.

The researchers from the Imperial College London have discovered that oil spills and leakages clog up sediments on the ocean floor with oil, which prevents the sediments from bonding with arsenic and burying it safely underground with subsequent layers of sediment. The scientists also explained that this shutdown of the natural filtration system causes arsenic levels in seawater to rise. Increased levels of arsenic in seawater means that arsenic can enter the marine ecosystems, where it becomes more concentrated and poisonous the further it moves up the food chain.

To connect this with the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the scientists said how they "can't accurately measure how much arsenic is in the Gulf at the moment because the spill is ongoing". However, they have warned that the real danger lies in arsenic's ability to concentrate and accumulate, which means that each subsequent spill raises the levels of this pollutant in seawater.

Since thousands of gallons of oil are leaked into our oceans each year from not only big oil spills but also from offshore drilling and routine maintenance of rigs, many places may be at risk from increased arsenic levels, which could in the long run affect entire marine life, and also the people who rely on the oceans for their livelihoods.

Why are oceans becoming more acidic and what can we do about it?

Scientists are warning us that ocean acidification is becoming huge environmental problem. Ocean acidification is the result of excessive CO2 emissions, caused mainly by human activity. The main contributor to excessive CO2 emissions is burning of fossil fuels, and oceans are becoming more acidic because too much CO2 dissolves into the oceans.

Some scientists believe that ocean acidification could soon represent an equal or perhaps even greater threat to the biology of our planet than global warming, and therefore it is vital to significantly reduce CO2 emissions as soon as possible.

Scientists have calculated that more than 30% of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, deforestation and other human activities goes straight into the oceans, turning them gradually more acidic, and ocean acidification has very negative impact on many marine organisms, especially species whose shells or skeletons are made from calcium carbonate, like corals.

Ocean acidification has extremely negative impact on corals.

Ocean acidification can also cause great damage to reproduction of many plankton species that play vital role in many marine ecosystems, and this could disrupt the normal functioning of the food web in our oceans, and lead to extinction of many marine species.

If we look at the history of our planet many former "mass extinctions" were accompanied with increased levels of ocean acidification, and if we fail to do something quick about reducing CO2 levels we may very soon strike the death sentence to many marine species.

Scientists say that future acidification will primarily depend on how much CO2 humans emit in years to come, and if the current trend continues by the year 2100 the oceans will be likely acidified by a further 0.3 to 0.4 pH units, which will lead to death of many marine organisms, including corals.

The most worrying sign is that these changes in ocean acidification are happening at rates that are 100 times faster than they have ever been over the last tens of millions of years.

Ocean pollution in form of ocean acidification

Because of the excessive carbon emissions our oceans are becoming more and more acidic, in fact the scientists from the University of Bristol have calculated that since the industrial revolution started acidity in our seas and oceans has increased by staggering 30 percent.

The acidity of the oceans is changing too fast. The scientists have come to conclusion that such a fast change is likely to have occurred 65 million years ago, when some natural event caused ocean acidification and the extinction of dinosaurs. The excessive acidity of our oceans could in years to come present the real problem to not only many marine organisms but also to our future generations.

The ocean acidification will mostly affect the tiny marine organisms that despite being at the bottom of the food chain play extremely important role in the proper functioning of global marine ecosystems. Ocean acidification is harmful from many different ways, it can dissolve the carbonate shells of some marine organisms and cause muscle wastage and dwarfism in others.

Ocean acidification is constantly accelerating, and many scientists believe that many marine species are already finding it very tough to adapt to these ever-increasing levels of acidification. Among the mostly affected species are coral reefs that play vital role in many marine ecosystems. If the acidification continues at such fast pace we could see major disrupt in marine ecosystems even before the end of this century.

Corals are among the marine species mostly affected with ocean acidification.

Unless we reduce the carbon emissions from our cars and our factories acidification will continue to grow, and the damage done to our oceans will be tremendous. We must not forget that mass extinction in oceans is likely to threaten ecosystems on global level in the future.

Arctic ocean pollution - Acidification problem

Generally speaking, area around the North pole is mostly hit with climate change impact so it is really no surprise that Arctic ocean is becoming more and more acidic. This Arctic ocean pollution is increasing with each day because waters around North pole are absorbing more and more carbon dioxide. How serious is this pollution? Well, lets just say how some scientists predict that Arctic ocean will reach corrosive levels within the next 10 years.

As seas are getting more and more acidic life of many sea creatures are at stake, and this will surely cause tremendous damage to marine ecosystems in this area. We have to be also aware that process of ocean acidification isn't only taking place in Arctic ocean but also around the globe, though Arctic ocean is becoming acidic at the fastest rate in the world, mainly because CO2 is more soluble in cold water than hot water.

Professor Jean-Pierre Gattuso of the National Centre for Scientific Research in France was the lead author of the latest study that predicts that by 2018, 10 percent of the ocean will be corrosively acidic, this number will rise to 50 percent in 2050, and by the end of the century the entire Arctic Ocean will be inhospitable to shellfish, if CO2 emissions continue their current trend in years to come.

How can we stop ocean acidification? The solution is the same as for the climate change, namely to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ocean pollution problem in form of acidification also requires urgency just like the climate change but sadly politicians still do not look to be hurrying to come up with the possible solutions.

 Arctic ocean pollution problem is mostly in form of highly increasing ocean acidification.

Carbon emissions causing huge ocean acidification

Majority of world's leading marine scientists agree that immediate action in reducing CO2 emissions is necessary if we want to slow down current levels of ocean acidification and give chance for survival to many different marine ecosystems. Ocean acidification is widely spreading doing severe damage to many sea creatures, and only way we can slow down this accelerating process is to limit future atmospheric CO2 levels. Without this we could see serious problems for many marine ecosystems, and many marine species will be push to the very edge of extinction.

Increased amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are making ocean water more acidic as the gas dissolves to create carbonic acid. Scientists have calculated that ocean chemistry is changing 100 times faster than in the 650,000 years that preceded the modern industrial era and since the late 1980s an overall drop in the pH of the oceans fell from 8.16 to 8.05.

CO2 emissions are causing ocean acidification that threatens survival of wide variety marine organisms.

This rapidly increasing acidity has potential to hamper the ability of many different marine creatures (such as corals) to form calcium carbonate shells and skeletal structures. Scientists are warning that ocean acidification is exceptionally harmful in the larval and juvenile stages in the lives of many marine invertebrates, because ocean acidification not only inhibits calcification, but also affects reproduction and growth in some marine organisms.

As you can see scientists are as usually warning the world, but politics as usually fails to listen their warnings. Reducing carbon emissions is not only important because of ocean acidification but for the whole climate change issue, and all problems related to global warming and climate change. World still awaits obligatory international agreement that would really make the difference, and ensure that all world countries reduce carbon emission levels.

Ocean acidification - Threat to marine food chain

Ocean acidification is definitely among the biggest ecological problems we are facing today. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from Earth's atmosphere. Due to excessive fossil fuels burning there is a lot more CO2 in the atmosphere the water is also becoming more acidic which threatens not only corals, and other marine organisms that have shells and skeletons build out of calcium carbonate but also the complete marine food web.

Dr Donald Potts, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz said how increased ocean acidification will "disrupt developmental processes of populations and communities on many scales, and it's going to change the dominant organism in the food chain, with very real danger that it may short-circuit the food chains".

Ocean acidification is one of the biggest ecological problems

Ocean acidification will not affect all parts of the oceans equally. Within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of shore, acidity of ocean water is more variable than in the rest of the ocean. Fresh water and wind from the land can carry chemicals that alter the pH of near-shore water, making it either more acidic or more alkaline. There are probably some organisms in this region that are already starting to adapt to these changes in ocean acidity. But one thing is sure though, many marine species will fail to adapt if CO2 levels continue to rise.

Oceans becoming more acidic

Different climate change models and similar studies have already raised concerns about the acidity levels of our oceans but latest study based on 24,519 measurements of ocean pH spanning eight years showed that things are even more serious as oceans acidity increased more than 10 times faster than in any previous study.

Such rapid increase will have devastating effect on marine food chains, causing rapid decline of biodiversity in our oceans. Such high levels of acidity in our oceans are the result of increasing carbon emissions. Carbon dioxide dissolves in water creating carbonic acid in process, increasing the acidity of the ocean.

Ocean's acidity is increasing at an alarming rate

High acidity levels in our oceans will lead to death of many sea creatures, especially the ones that have shells or skeletons made of calcium carbonate, that are easily dissolved by high acid levels. Among sea creatures most affected are corals and some types of planktons. Both of these species play important role in balance of the marine food web, and in the worst scenario the impact on the marine food chain will be catastrophic because these species represent the base of many ocean ecosystems.

Condition of our oceans is close to alarming, and still there is so little focus on them. Oceans have extremely rich biodiversity, providing habitats to many unique ecosystems, and what is also important they play important role in global carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide so there should be definitely more emphasis on oceans.

North America's Pacific coast becoming more acidic

Federal scientists were very surprised with the latest findings that North America's Pacific coast are becoming more acidic. Acidification levels are so high that scientists did not expect to see this extent of ocean acidification until the middle to the end of the century as the study co-author Chris Sabine said. Large section of North American continental shelf is impacted by ocean acidification and this will bring negative impact to marine ecosystems.

This is mainly the result of global warming because ocean water is becoming more corrosive as the water absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are in connection with the burning of the fossil fuels, process that increased dramatically in the last 50 years.

Rich marine life will have tough time adapting to this new change in ocean chemistry, in particular organisms with calcium carbonate shells, such as corals, mussels, mollusks, and small creatures in the early stages of the food chain. However, the negative impact probably won't stop on marine life, and NOAA assistant administrator Richard Spinrad predicts how "acidification of the Earth’s ocean water could have far-reaching impacts on the health of our near-shore environment, and on the sustainability of ecosystems that support human populations".

Ocean acidification - Great threat to marine ecosystems

The team has gathered data from 13 survey lines dropped last summer and stretching from the waters of central Canada to northern Mexico. They measured pH levels in seawater to detect acidification, and found lower levels were much closer to the surface than researchers had predicted. Future predictions are everything but optimistic, and scientists believe that ever-increasing levels of carbon dioxide will cause even bigger impact to ocean acidification.

The most symbolic words were said by Burke Hales, an associate professor at Oregon State University who said: "The coastal ocean acidification train has left the station, and there is not much we can do to derail it."

Ocean acidification - Acid rains affecting oceans

Ocean acidification is decrease in the pH in our oceans caused when chemical substances like carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur, or nitrogen mix with seawater. Ocean pH pH has dropped by slightly less than 0.1 units since industrial revolution and it is estimated that it will drop by a further 0.3 - 0.5 units by 2100, mainly because of carbon dioxide.

Ocean acidification has extremely negative results on some marine creatures like sea urchins, corals, and certain types of plankton as it decreases their ability to harness calcium carbonate which they need to harden their outer shells (exoskeletons). Importance of these creatures is highly important in marine food chain since they provide essential food and habitat to other species and they really represent the base of ocean ecosystems. Researcher Gretchen Hofmann recently said: "It's possible by 2050 they may not be able to make a shell anymore. If we lose these organisms, the impact on the food chain will be catastrophic.

Ocean acidification isn't making oceans significantly more acidic on global scale, but it significantly hurts coastal and shallow area and organisms that live in these areas. There are many factors contributing to acid rains such as farming, livestock husbandry and combustion of different fossil fuels. The most affected areas are usually downwind of coal power plants, on the eastern edges of North America, Europe, and south and east of Asia.

So not only our land hurts because of acid rains, but also our oceans and many marine organisms struggle to cope with increased acidity. And if current rates continue, by the end of this century acidity will be five times bigger than today, and this would really mean catastrophe.

Acid rains are also affecting oceans