Running header: OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
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The Serious Nature of Ocean Acidification and
Its Implications for Human Beings
Neil P. Costa
Suffolk County Community College
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It is the Earth’s vast oceans that have helped to make the planet suitable for life to thrive.
From the first single celled organisms that swam the great primordial oceans, to the complex
multi-celled marine life seen today, the Earth’s oceans have always been an integral part to life
on Earth and a habitat for countless species of plants and animals. Therefore, it is not
unreasonable to assume that humans have taken them for granted, and always expected that the
life sustaining nature of the oceans will never change. Unfortunately, if the current pattern of
burning fossil fuels and emitting carbon into the atmosphere continues, that may not necessarily
be the case.
According to contemporary science, the atmosphere is not the only system on Earth that
is being altered by human emitted carbon. The oceans, which cover 70% of the Earth’s surface,
are also being affected. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution in the mid nineteenth century,
humans have been emitting unnatural amounts of carbon into the atmosphere through the
burning of fossil fuels. As with atmospheric temperature, a direct correlation between ocean
acidity and greater PPM (parts per million) of carbon has been recorded. This can be explained
by the oceans’ role as the Earth’s largest carbon sink: up to 50% of all carbon emissions have
been absorbed by the oceans (Skeptical Science, 2014). Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the
Earth’s oceans have always been measured more alkaline on the pH scale, usually a unit or two
above neutral (7). However, by adding carbon to a solution (in this case ocean waters) the pH
decreases with the formation of carbonic acid. This is not to say that the entire sum of Earth’s
water will turn into acid, but rather it has and will continue to become more acidic. Ocean pH
occurs naturally between 8.0-8.3, and has held constantly in this range for millions of years. In
the last century and a half since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, ocean pH has
dropped by about .11 units on average (Skeptical Science, 2014).
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After all this, the real question still remains unanswered; so what? A drop of .11 on the
pH scale seems incredibly minor, how could such a minute change cause any harm at all? To
grasp the magnitude of the situation, one must first understand the true value of the pH scale and
what a rating actually means. For instance, each unit on the pH scale is a change of x10. This
means a substance that is rated as a 4 on the pH scale is 100 times more acidic than a substance
rated as a 6. And although a change of .11 units seems microscopic, it is rather significant given
how short of a time scale the change occurred on. With this understanding, the change is
immense in proportion to the time, given that ocean pH has decreased greater over the last two
hundred years (since the start of the Industrial Revolution) than in the millions of years
preceding. That is an extremely rapid change, similar to rising atmospheric temperatures, which
must be attributed to human act ivies, not natural cycles.
Although this change in pH seems too minor to have a direct effect on human beings, it is
the catalyst for waves of change throughout the ocean ecosystems. The very basis of the marine
food chain is a group of organisms known as plankton. Many of these plankton come in various
microscopic species that form shells and plates made of calcium carbonate. As more carbon is
absorbed by the oceans, there is less and less available carbonate available for these tiny
organisms to produce their protective covers (Mandia, 2014). This is because hydrogen ions are
a waste product of the carbonic acid that forms from water and carbon dioxide. These free
hydrogen ions then bond with carbonate ions. The result of this bond, bicarbonate, cannot be
utilized by microscopic plankton to form shells or plates. Therefore, the protective layers that
less and less plankton can manage to form are thinner and less robust than previous generations.
In addition, these plankton are more prone to the corrosive effects of the greater acid content in
the ocean waters, the very acidity that stumped their shell development in the first place
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(Mandia, 2014). These plankton are trapped in a vicious cycle, being constantly broken down
and incapable of rebuilding.
Being that plankton are the base of the marine food chain, their struggle means problems
for other species that rely on them for energy, such as small fish and even large filter feeders,
like whales. The lack of available plankton for consumption means these creatures will also
suffer. As the domino effect continues, the hardship will eventually make its way all the way to
the top, to human beings. Nearly 1/7 of the Earth’s human population receives the majority of
their protein intake from seafood (Mandia [Alliance for Climate Education video], 2012). If that
food source begins to disappear, that’s over a billion people who would now have to compete
with others in order to avoid starvation. The consequences as a result of such social unrest could
be catastrophic.
In addition to plankton, coral reefs are also suffering as the Earth’s oceans become more
acidic. Similar to how plankton construct their shells, coral reefs also built upon layers of
calcium carbonate. Therefore, coral reefs are prone to the same construction issues and
destruction by corrosion that are brought on by ocean acidification. Again, this could also be
devastating for other species that humans rely upon, as coral reefs make up habitats for 25% of
the oceans inhabitants (Skeptical Science, 2014). Furthermore, the loss of these reefs would also
have severe effects on economies around the world. The Great Barrier reef is a major source of
revenue for Australia, through tourism and also extensive fisheries, which have been reportedly
valued at $360 million a year. In the US, over $30 billion dollars is spent on fisheries, which are
also dependent on robust, expansive coral reefs (Mandia, 2014). The collapse of coral reefs
could have devastating social and economic consequences for communities around the world,
not just for oceanic species.
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One of the greatest myths perpetuated by the global climate change contrarians is that
ocean acidification is not serious. This is not true. Ocean acidification has been proven to be
occurring, and is a result of unnatural amounts of carbon being introduced into the atmosphere
by humans. More importantly, ocean acidification is a serious issue, and is capable of putting
extreme stress on human beings. This myth, this ignorance of the dangers associated with ocean
acidification, does not take into account the fundamental balance of the oceanic ecosystem, as
well as human reliance on it. Ocean acidification destroys the calcium carbonate covers
plankton protect themselves with through the unavailability of materials and outright corrosion.
This decreases the plankton population’s size, vigor and number, leading to adverse effects on
the populations of all other oceanic species that play a role in this food chain, including humans,
a sizeable portion of who rely on seafood as their primary source of protein. Additionally, the
destruction of coral reefs by oceanic acidification will have devastating implications for the
tourism and fishing industries, which are major business ventures worldwide. In many ways,
ocean acidification is not a result of global warming, but rather a nefarious equal, “a partner in
crime” of sorts. As the amount of carbon in the atmosphere is increased by human activities, the
Earth will continue to warm and the oceans will continue to acidify. Both will cause major
stresses for human life on Earth. However, the danger in ocean acidification is its “below the
radar” nature, the silent killer slowly but surely obliterating ocean resources necessary for
humanity’s survival. Ocean acidification, like global warming, is making the planet a less
hospitable place for life, little by little. And humans only have themselves to thank for that.
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Works Cited
Alliance for Climate Education (2012). Ocean Acidification by the Alliance for
Climate Education [Motion picture]. United States: Alliance for Climate Education.
Mandia, S. (2014). Global Climate Change Chapter 7 Class Notes: Ocean Acidification.
Retrieved from http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/met295/Chapter%207.pdf
Skeptical Science (2014). Most Used Climate Myths: Ocean Acidification isn’t Serious.
Retrieved from http://www.skepticalscience.com/ocean-acidification-global-warmingbasic.htm