Ocean acidification: Silent killer looms as oceans cry for help

by Marco Lopez

The oceans absorbs 30 percent of the CO₂  released into the atmosphere. Naturally, increased atmospheric CO₂  will cause increased rated in the ocean. Hydrogen ions are form result from a series of chemical reaction caused when CO₂  is absorbed by seawater.

This increase in hydrogen ions causes the seawater to become acidic and causes carbonate ions to be less abundant. Carbonate ions are the building block of structures like sea shells and coral. The decrease can make building and maintaining calcium carbonate structures difficult.

Organism such as oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea corals, and calcareous plankton are all affected as a result.

In acidic waters certain fish lose their ability to detect predators, putting the entire food chain at risk. Many countries and economies depended of fish and shellfish as a primary source of protein and for export revenue as well.

Still every year, the ocean absorb at least a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere – and the rate of fossil fuel emissions, cement production and land use change continue to increase.

A study from the OSPAR Commission advises that ocean acidification be taken into account when considering climate mitigation and adaptation responses.

The study states:

“Ocean acidification will progress in concert with climate-related stressors and other pressures on the marine environment. It is clear that mitigation measures will be important components in strategies deployed to reach internationally agreed climate targets. In principle, climate change-related measures to reduce CO₂ emissions and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations have a strong potential to also address ocean acidification.

“However, climate change mitigation and adaptation responses must take a holistic view: Strategies to mitigate climate change, especially ocean-based CO₂ removal techniques, where carbon is removed from atmosphere and transferred to the ocean, or chemical or physical alterations of the marine environment, need to consider the viability and effectiveness as well as associated environmental risks.”

Remedying ocean acidification hinges on human-kind’s ability to evolve from the fossil-fuel era to the era of clear energy.