Ocean Acidification Effects On Marine Life

Ocean acidification plays an important role in how healthy the oceans ecosystems are because it allows some species to increase, but also has several negative effects that could cause species to become extinct. Ocean acidification occurs as the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the air which then causes the ocean 's pH level to decrease. As the ocean 's acid levels increase, it can affect marine life by helping organisms who make energy by combining sunlight and carbon dioxide, but hurts the chemical communication, impact, and growth of many organisms by increasing the pH. Overall, the increase in carbon dioxide is bringing severe consequences to our environment and needs people who are willing to make a difference by monitoring their carbon …show more content…
The chemical reactions that marine and non-marine life depend on can be wildly sensitive to the smallest of changes in pH. The rise in acidity can affect everything from corals and oysters to humans blood pressure. It can affect the growth, reproduction, and safety mechanisms of marine life. One significant example of this is the effect excess carbon can have on zooplankton. Although zooplankton are a small part of the ocean, they end up feeding most aquatic mammals bigger than them. A variety of experiments show that higher levels of acidity result in dissolving zooplankton 's shells. This could lead to zooplankton living in tropical areas to become extinct by the end of the century, which would result in a food shortage for many of the ocean 's largest creatures. In the Southern Ocean, the shells of pteropods are already dissolving, due to the rising acidity of the water in the Southern Ocean. If ocean acidification continues to occur, marine organisms will continue to experience harm due to the rise in acidity of the ocean and risk …show more content…
Ocean acidification can not end immediately, but humans can play a crucial role in slowing the acidification by reducing their carbon emissions. One way mankind can positively affect the acidification of oceans is by reducing the burning of fossil fuels and finding more carbon sinks, like regrowing mangrasses, seagrass beds, and marshes. Another way humans can play their part in helping the environment is by lowering the amount of carbon dioxide used each day. This can be down by recycling, turning off lights, walking or biking rather than driving, using solar, wind, or geothermal power, and checking tire