LAB 7: OCEAN ACIDIFICATION Week of March 7th – March 11th INTRODUCTION In this lab, we are going to be looking at one of the side effects of using fossil fuels as energy sources, namely the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. Beyond the effects of warming the Earth, rising CO2 levels can have a direct impact on the oceans, on seawater, and on marine life. For this reason, we’re going to look at a current phenomenon called ocean acidification, which is sometimes known as the other carbon dioxide problem and is receiving increasing attention and concern. In the process of looking at ocean acidification, we will begin to gain some fundamental understanding of the chemistry of CO2 in the oceans. Ocean acidification is caused by the dissolution of CO2 in seawater. In very simple terms, the more CO2 there is the atmosphere, the more CO2 dissolves in seawater, and the more acidic the oceans become. Let’s explore how ocean acidification works and the causes behind it. CARBON DIOXIDE AND WATER DEMONSTRATION To illustr
