Editorial

Over 70 percent of the coral reefs around the world have become damaged.

CORAL BLEACHING

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Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH value of the Earth’s oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.The main cause of ocean acidification is the burning of fossil fuels.

Ocean acidification is one of several effects of climate change on oceans. Seawater is slightly basic (meaning pH > 7), and ocean acidification involves a shift towards pH-neutral conditions rather than a transition to acidic conditions (pH < 7).

An estimated 30–40% of the carbon dioxide from human activity released into the atmosphere dissolves into oceans, rivers and lakes.[4][5] Some of it reacts with the water to form carbonic acid.

Some of the resulting carbonic acid molecules dissociate into a bicarbonate ion and a hydrogen ion, thus increasing ocean acidity (H+ ion concentration). Increasing acidity is thought to have a range of potentially harmful consequences for marine organisms such as depressing metabolic rates and immune-

responses in some organisms and causing coral bleaching.

By increasing the presence of free hydrogen ions, the additional carbonic acid that forms in the oceans ultimately results in the conversion of carbonate ions into bicarbonate ions.

Ocean alkalinity (roughly equal to [HCO3−] + 2[CO32−]) is not changed by the process, or may increase over long time periods due to carbonate dissolution.

This net decrease in the number of carbonate ions available may make it more difficult for marine calcifying organisms, such as coral and some plankton, to form biogenic calcium carbonate, and such structures become vulnerable to dissolution.Ongoing acidification of the oceans may threaten future food chains linked with the oceans. Ocean acidification has been compared to anthropogenic climate change and called the “evil twin of global warming”

Before

After

HOW MUCH C02 HAS BEEN ABSORBED IN THE OCEAN ALREADY?

You can see this in the chart above, which show the ocean-atmosphere exchange of CO2 over the study period for the whole world. The coloured lines show different estimates, while the thick black line shows the average. Following convention, the uptake of CO2 into the ocean is shown as negative, so descending lines indicate that the ocean is absorbing more CO2.

MARINE LIFE Ocean acidification has been compared to anthropogenic climate change and called the “evil twin of global warming” and “the other CO2 problem”.

The calcium carbonate shelled organisms can not reproduce under high saturated acidotic waters. An estimated 30–40% of the carbon dioxide from human activity released into the atmosphere dissolves into oceans, rivers and lakes.

Some of it reacts with the water to form carbonic acid.

Some of the resulting carbonic acid molecules dissociate into a bicarbonate ion and a hydrogen ion, thus increasing ocean acidity (H+ ion concentration).

Increasing acidity is thought to have a range of potentially harmful consequences for marine organisms such as depressing metabolic rates and immune responses in some organisms and causing coral bleaching.By increasing the presence of free hydrogen ions, the additional carbonic acid that forms in the oceans ultimately results in the conversion of carbonate ions into bicarbonate ions. Ocean alkalinity (roughly equal to [HCO3−] + 2[CO32−]) is not changed by the process, or may increase over long time periods due to carbonate dissolution.

There is still hope for the ocean to be saved -