Ocean Acidification Research Papers

When we burn things like gas, oil, or coal, the result of that turns into carbon dioxide where it is released into the atmosphere and it acts as a greenhouse gas. The thing is, greenhouse gases caused by human activity are not only affecting the environment but also that oceans all around the world. This of course partially has to do with the overall warming of the planet caused by climate change. But, over time most of this carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is being absorbed by the ocean, where it then reacts with the seawater and forms an acid that is corrosive to coral reefs, shellfish, as well as a plethora of other sea life. This is known as ‘ocean acidification’.

Coral reefs are most vulnerable to this acidification due to the fact that …show more content…
It is no longer a fear of the future, it’s a reality that we are facing right in this moment. Initiatives to increase the alkalinity of ocean water around coral reefs have been proposed as a geoengineering measure that could possibly help save shallow marine ecosystems. The results show that this idea could possibly be effective, however the practicality of enacting such measures would almost be impossible.
The only real thing that will be long lasting to protect the coral reefs around the world is to make extreme changes when it comes to our carbon dioxide emissions. If we don’t take action as soon as possible this issue is going to continually get worse, and at some point it will be past the point of no return. Everything that depends on coral reefs which include not only wildlife but also local communities will not survive into the next century if we don’t make drastic changes now, or should i say …show more content…
Carbon dioxide is a major part of our class discussions because the emissions from it are one of the leading causes of climate change as well as the acidification of ocean waters. Learning in class that carbon dioxide not only can affect the atmosphere and environment, but as well as the oceans has helped me understand more of the real crisis that we have on our hands. Our time is so limited and there are so many things we must change in order to reverse these horrible and destructive effects that are happening right before our eyes. If we don’t start making big changes now, our planet will be a completely different place in that matter of 50 years. It will become uninhabitable and we will see the end of such an amazing and intelligent species. However, nature will overcome. We however will