Many can probably guess that lethal coal mines, the offshore drilling explosions and the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill as being a principal culprit of ocean acidification but have you ever thought that global warming actually has a much larger role in ocean acidification than we think? That is why we need to be educated on what ocean acidification is, what are the effects of ocean acidification, who are the ones being mostly affected, and how can we resolve this issue. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), ocean acidification is defined as, “a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere”. Carbon dioxide that has
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In order to introduce ocean acidification, it is important to relate it with another remotely similar issue. Atmospheric acids are one of the problems that stem from ocean acidification. Atmospheric acids that mingled in rainwater are currently causing a lot of major problems for marine organisms and humans. This is a problem that needs to be dealt with efficiently in order to improve the betterment of the human race and our marine organisms. Atmospheric acid, along with ocean acidification, has developed the problem that threatens to harm marine life and indirectly through them effect humans that depend on fish products for daily sustenance. Another big problem to consider is that ocean acidification is an error in the carbon cycle. Carbon cycle refers to the biogeochemical cycle where circulation of carbon in the atmosphere occurs and in order to maintain the level of carbon in the atmosphere the ocean must take in any access remaining onto themselves. The carbon cycle procedure is quite essential for certain marine life-forms survival and creation. However, when the levels of carbon concentration increases, the H in pH also increases causing the pH values to decline. As the level of carbon starts to increase, it creates an acid called H2CO3 which inhibits calcification procedures on oysters and crustaceans (Kantharia 2015). The blockage of the calcification procedure due to ocean acidification deprives marine life-forms of their survival which would prove to be a threat to people who are part of the business of collecting pearls from oysters or buying, selling, or consuming of crustaceans as food
In order to introduce ocean acidification, it is important to relate it with another remotely similar issue. Atmospheric acids are one of the problems that stem from ocean acidification. Atmospheric acids that mingled in rainwater are currently causing a lot of major problems for marine organisms and humans. This is a problem that needs to be dealt with efficiently in order to improve the betterment of the human race and our marine organisms. Atmospheric acid, along with ocean acidification, has developed the problem that threatens to harm marine life and indirectly through them effect humans that depend on fish products for daily sustenance. Another big problem to consider is that ocean acidification is an error in the carbon cycle. Carbon cycle refers to the biogeochemical cycle where circulation of carbon in the atmosphere occurs and in order to maintain the level of carbon in the atmosphere the ocean must take in any access remaining onto themselves. The carbon cycle procedure is quite essential for certain marine life-forms survival and creation. However, when the levels of carbon concentration increases, the H in pH also increases causing the pH values to decline. As the level of carbon starts to increase, it creates an acid called H2CO3 which inhibits calcification procedures on oysters and crustaceans (Kantharia 2015). The blockage of the calcification procedure due to ocean acidification deprives marine life-forms of their survival which would prove to be a threat to people who are part of the business of collecting pearls from oysters or buying, selling, or consuming of crustaceans as food