Austin Marshall

4th period
5-16-16

Ocean Acidification
1

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The website talks of what ocean acidification actually is. Ocean Acidification is the process of
CO2 being absorbed by seawater in the ocean, changing the ph of the water in turn affecting
natural chemical processes that sea life needs to survive and thrive in its environment. Extra CO2
in the ocean can be beneficial for plant life in the ocean as it needs CO2 to survive but it is
harmful to calcifying species who don't thrive in a more acidic environment. The main species
affected poorly by ocean acidification are Shellfish, Coral, and Pteropods. CO2 is added to
seawater through the equation CO2 + H2O + CO3 = 2HCO3. The increase in CO2 leads to an
imbalance in equilibrium as as less calcium is produced in certain reactions depriving calcifying
species from getting the calcium they need.
2

American Chemical Society

The ocean holds a role as an energy reservoir storing carbon from the atmosphere. Carbon has
been in equilibrium for years as it transfers through the carbon
cycle between plants/soil, the atmosphere, the ocean, and
sediment until burning of fossil fuels created a one way source of
carbon into the ecosystem. First CO2 gas is pressurised and
becomes CO2 aqueous as it's absorbed by the water. The CO2 is
mixed in the upper layers of the ocean but it takes many years for
it to mix to lower layers of the ocean causing the surface layers
to be oversaturated. The extra carbon dioxide affects the
equilibrium that creates Calcium Carbonate, Ca2+(aq) + 2
HCO3(aq) CaCO3 + CO2(aq) + H2O, and species like
coral and shellfish need calcium carbonate and adding CO2
makes the other side of the reaction favored. As this happens the ocean becomes more
acidic based on the equilibrium CO2(aq) + CO32(aq) + H2O 2 HCO3(aq), creating more
aqueous hydrogen.

1 "What is Ocean Acidification? - NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental ..." 2011. 13 May. 2016
<http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F>

2 "Ocean Chemistry - American Chemical Society." 2013. 16 May. 2016

<http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/oceansicerocks/oceanchemistry.html>

Ocean Portal, Smithsonian National Museum

One quarter of CO2 produced by humans is absorbed into the ocean cutting the amount in the
atmosphere but negatively impacting the oceans. Ocean has become 30% more acidic in the past
200 years. CO2 and H2O form together to create
carbonic Acid (H2CO3) which over time breaks things
down and releases hydrogen that takes up the CaCO3
that shellfish need to keep their shells strong. The extra
hydrogen directly lowers the ph of the ocean, causing it
to become more acidic thus harming organisms. The
ocean had a ph of 8.2 (slightly basic and above the
neutral 7) before the industrial rev and has a ph of 8.1
now and is predicted to drop to 7.7 by the end of the
century at its current rate. Hydrogen is more attracted to
Carbonate than Calcium is so less calcium carbonate is
created in an ocean with a lower ph so skeletal structure of sea creatures is harmed causing fish
and their food to be smaller thus affecting the 1 in 7 humans who rely on the ocean for food.
Coral builds its structure on CaCO3 and creates homes and ecosystems for other fish, so when it
loses the chemicals it needs to survive, the fish that rely on coral to live also die.
4

Climate Interpreter

Ocean Acidification is caused by an abundance of carbon dioxide being released into the
atmosphere and working its way to the ocean through the carbon cycle where the excess carbon
dioxide effects ocean species negatively. The main two sources of the excessive carbon dioxide
being produced and put into our atmosphere are from fossil fuel emissions and deforestation.
After the start of industrialization, fossil fuel emissions increased with the creation of new coal,
gas, or oil burning machines that have brought climate issues. Deforestation is harmful as it cuts
away the biggest source of reducing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and the cut trees are
full of absorbed carbon dioxide that is put back into the atmosphere when they are burned greatly
increasing carbon emissions. Carbon emissions put into the atmosphere eventually work their
way into the ocean increasing the ph of the ocean and causing great damage.

3 "Ocean Acidification | Smithsonian Ocean Portal." 2014. 19 May. 2016 <http://ocean.si.edu/oceanacidification>

4 "How are humans causing ocean acidification? | Climate Interpreter." 2014. 25 May. 2016
<http://climateinterpreter.org/content/how-are-humans-causing-ocean-acidification>