Research Proposal
Ocean pH Levels and Shellfish Survivability
Josh Lewis
Abstract: Ocean acidification is a growing issue that is causing young shellfish to die, which is hurting marine ecosystems. Research has been done on the topics involved (pH levels, effects of ocean acidification on shellfish, etc.) many times, and though it’s a slow moving issue, it is evident. As I stated, this is an extremely important topic to know about because thriving marine ecosystems are being damaged. As humans, we care about the well-being of the planet we live on and want to protect it, so finding new information on this is imperative. The PMEL Carbon Program (backed by the NOAA) as well as many other researchers are desperately trying to find a long term solution to the ocean acidification problem, and it is not something to be taken lightly. Researchers have tested and learned quite a lot about this issue, but I’d like to answer a question that has not yet been answered. I want to know the point pH level which adult shellfish shells will corrode, because something we know already is that at pH level of 8.1, younger shellfish are already dying. We will be testing the question with a tedious, however important experiment.
Multiple samples of shellfish will be collected and we will …show more content…
The PMEL Carbon Program tells us by research done that ocean acidification is when seawater takes in carbon dioxide from the air, thus making chemical reactions to occur. As a result of these reactions, the ocean pH (acidity or alkalinity within a solution) lowers. The pH scale ranges from one to fourteen. On the scale, one is the most acidic, seven is neutral, and fourteen is the most alkaline. Therefore, when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, the pH level drops, thus making the seawater more acidic. In its most basic form, this is ocean
Ocean pH Levels and Shellfish Survivability
Josh Lewis
Abstract: Ocean acidification is a growing issue that is causing young shellfish to die, which is hurting marine ecosystems. Research has been done on the topics involved (pH levels, effects of ocean acidification on shellfish, etc.) many times, and though it’s a slow moving issue, it is evident. As I stated, this is an extremely important topic to know about because thriving marine ecosystems are being damaged. As humans, we care about the well-being of the planet we live on and want to protect it, so finding new information on this is imperative. The PMEL Carbon Program (backed by the NOAA) as well as many other researchers are desperately trying to find a long term solution to the ocean acidification problem, and it is not something to be taken lightly. Researchers have tested and learned quite a lot about this issue, but I’d like to answer a question that has not yet been answered. I want to know the point pH level which adult shellfish shells will corrode, because something we know already is that at pH level of 8.1, younger shellfish are already dying. We will be testing the question with a tedious, however important experiment.
Multiple samples of shellfish will be collected and we will …show more content…
The PMEL Carbon Program tells us by research done that ocean acidification is when seawater takes in carbon dioxide from the air, thus making chemical reactions to occur. As a result of these reactions, the ocean pH (acidity or alkalinity within a solution) lowers. The pH scale ranges from one to fourteen. On the scale, one is the most acidic, seven is neutral, and fourteen is the most alkaline. Therefore, when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, the pH level drops, thus making the seawater more acidic. In its most basic form, this is ocean