Ocean Acidity

By: Mariam Hoteit

During this world wide pandemic, many of us were under lockdown and had to

quarantine ourselves. In May though, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere had gone up to 418 parts per million, which was the highest recorded ever in

history. It was most likely even the highest point from the last three million years.

(Borunda) But, that record broke during the pandemic, and had the most dramatic drop of

CO2 emissions ever recorded. Daily emissions were about 17% lower than last year,

according to Nature Climate Change. (Borunda) Even though it was a big drop in emissions,

it really had no impact on the overall CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Because of such

a high concentration, ocean acidity around the world has never been worse.

Ocean acidification is the reduction in pH in the ocean over time due to the uptake of

CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. (NOAA) 30% CO2 from the fossil fuels we burn gets

absorbed into the ocean, which means there are millions of tons mixed into the ocean each

day. (NOAA) The CO2 that gets absorbed, actually increases the ocean’s acidity through

chemical reactions, which is a terrible thing for marine life. What happens is that there

becomes an increase in concentration of hydrogen ions, which causes the seawater to

become more acidic and carbonate ions to be less abundant. (NOAA)

To understand better on what really is happening in the water, we can look at the

chemical reactions. We understand that lower levels of carbonate promotes the dissolution

of calcium carbonate, which is a main building block of structures such as sea shells.

Bellow, there are 3 equations for CO2 dissolution and the loss of carbonate:
 In reaction 1, we can see when CO2 dissolves in water, it forms carbonic acid

(H2CO3).

In the second reaction, we can see when the carbonic acid reacted with water (H2O) to

form a bicarbonate ion (HCO3-) & a H3O+ ion, some of the H3O+ reacted with some of the

CO3 2- ions, which reduced the carbonate concentration in the ocean. What’s left of the

H3O+ from reaction 2 stays in the ocean and causes the pH to decrease, which means there

was an increase in acidity. (Seen in reaction 3). (Ake Nei) This is a problem because even if

the pH decreased by 1, the concentration of H3O+ ions differs by a factor of 10. For

example, the ocean’s pH is 8.14 today, it’s predicted that by yr. 2100, it will be 7.8. This is a

120% increase in concentration of acid (H3O+). (Ake Nei)

We need to understand that CO2 is not absorbed equally by the ocean all over the

world. Usually the Southern Ocean and adjacent waters take up more CO2 than tropical

waters, because of a complex interaction of big waves, wind, and a high CO2 solubility in
cold water. (Ake Nei) We know that generally, the deeper the ocean is, the more stable the

pH is, which ranges between 8.0 - 8.2. There are many factors that affect the pH at the

surface though, such as : temperature, season, tidal and wave mixing, weather, influence of

pollution and shipping, freshwater input, dissolution of rocks, and the actions of marine

animals and plants. (Ake Nei).

With the global research that we have today, we can see that ocean acidification

impacts reproduction, development of young and juvenile animals, as well as physiology

and adult metabolism, especially in animals that produce calcium carbonate shells. (UCS)

They are the most vulnerable, and it makes it harder for the species to bounce back. (UCS)

We can see this in coral bleaching. Coral has a mutualistic relationship with the

photosynthetic algae living in their tissue. They provide them shelter, and in return they

are able to get the necessary nutrients to survive. But with the rising water temperatures,

the coral expels the algae, leaving them defenseless to disease and not being able to

maintain and build their skeletal structures. (UCS) “A report by the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change finds that 99 percent of the world’s warm-water coral reefs could

disappear if global average temperatures rise 2°C or more above pre-industrial levels.”

(UCS)

“Why does this matter” you may be asking. Well, humans are the ones mostly at fault

for these climate changes and the ocean’s increase in acidity. Many people don’t know that

we are also affected by this problem. Many economies around the world are dependent on

fish and shellfish, and with ocean acidification paired with global warming, it could cost

$140 billion in today’s dollars in lost recreational benefits associated with coral reefs.

(UCS) And according to UCS, “the US coral reef recreation industry could decline in value by
more than 90% by 2100.” In fact, with increasingly acidic waters, and the subsequent

reduction of the minerals that shellfish need to grow, many US West Coast fisheries have

been forced to shut down. (UCS)

Now that we understand the problem, what is the solution? While the most effective

way to decrease ocean acidification is to also decrease climate change, we need to keep in

mind that they are two separate phenomenons that require distinct strategies to help limit.

(NRDC) We need to reduce our carbon footprint to help reduce the harm and CO2

concentration that goes into our marine ecosystems. (UCS)

There are many steps that we can take to reduce our carbon footprint. A lot of them

play important social factors that help the environment. The first thing that we should do is

raise our voices. This is a problem that everyone must help contribute to solve. Everyone

needs to know about this and how much of a threat ocean acidification is and the effects

that come with it. (Revolution) The next step is to eat less meat. It’s a big surprise to a lot of

people that livestock farming actually produces more greenhouse gasses than all forms of

transportation combined, and is actually the biggest contributor to climate change.

(Revolution) In fact, the grain production to feed the livestock that we eat requires large

quantities of fertilizer, fuel, pesticides, water and land. The fertilizer that’s used actually

generates significant amounts of nitrous oxide (N20), which has 300 more times of the

warming effect of CO2. (Revolution) The way to think is that the lower on the food chain

you eat, the less energy is used, ergo less CO2 is emitted. Eating healthy sources of nutrition

such as beans and lentils, saves water, land, energy, and reduces the emission of

greenhouse gases. (Revolution) Another step is to use less energy at home and to conserve

water. “Make sure your home is well insulated, especially in the roof and around windows.”
(Revolution) Saving water actually helps reduce the gas emissions because it takes a lot of

energy to pump, treat, and heat water. Also making sure that you pour only eco-friendly

products that can break down, down the drain helps. Because you need to always

remember what goes down the drain and always finds a way to end up in rivers and lakes,

which filter out into the oceans. (Revolution) This goes the same for reducing the use of

plastic. Don’t use bottled water, refuse plastic straws, don’t use single use plastic bags, and

bring your own reusable containers. According to the Natural History Museum, about 4.8 -

12.7 million tons of plastic gets into the ocean every year. These plastics can be large

pieces, or microplastics (pieces under five millimetres in length). This causes a big threat to

the marine life in the area too.

For many, the saying “Seeing is believing”, hinders their ability to understand just

how bad climate change and ocean acidification has gotten. Because we can’t see the effects

of what’s happening, it’s really hard for those people to take any action. But they need to

understand that these invisible effects really do have the potential to cause huge negative

impacts on the marine environment. Ever since the start of the industrial revolution, the

ocean has been taking up half of the total CO2 emissions from the atmosphere, and it’s

almost to it’s breaking point. This cannot continue forever, so following those eco-friendly

solutions will help significantly in reducing the ocean’s acidification.

Bibliography:
US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “What Is

Ocean Acidification?” NOAA's National Ocean Service, 1 Aug. 2012,

oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/acidification.html.

“Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?” NASA, NASA, 27 May 2020,

climate.nasa.gov/evidence/.

Ake Nei, Moana a Haere, and Whakakawatanga o te Wao nui a Tangaroa. “The Ocean of

Tomorrow .” Ocean Acidification and the Marine World, University of Otago,

www.otago.ac.nz/marine-studies/resources/download/otago636544.pdf.

“CO2 And Ocean Acidification: Causes, Impacts, Solutions.” Union of Concerned Scientists,

30 Jan. 2019, www.ucsusa.org/resources/co2-and-ocean-acidification.

Suatoni, Lisa, et al. “Reduce Ocean Acidification.” NRDC, 16 Mar. 2018,

www.nrdc.org/issues/reduce-ocean-acidification.

“Ocean Acidification Solutions.” Revolution, therevolutionmovie.com/index.php/open-

your-eyes/ocean-acidification/solutions/.

Borunda, Alejandra. “Plunge in Carbon Emissions from Lockdowns Will Not Slow Climate

Change.” CO2 Emissions Declines from Lockdowns Will Not Solve the Climate Crisis, 20 May

2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/05/plunge-in-carbon-emissions-

lockdowns-will-not-slow-climate-change/.
“How Much Plastic Is in the Ocean?” Natural History Museum,

www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/quick-questions/how-much-plastic-is-in-the-ocean.html.