Yessica Pacheco

Ocean Acidification -Lab Report The Effect of Composition of Water on the Absorption on Carbon Dioxide. Ocean acidification is when carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) combine and create an acid called Carbonic Acid (H2CO3). Ocean acidification is really toxic for marine life in the ocean because it risks the life of animals and plants that live there. For example; the acidity in the water could cause shells to dissolve and kill the creature inside it. The acidity in the ocean is also killing plants and coral reefs. We're trying to find out how Ocean acidification affects all of marine life, plants, and planktons. We're trying to also find a way to prevent the ocean from acidifying. Marine life is important and we could help prevent ocean acidification by not burning as much fossil fuels by creating eco-friendly factories, nor using as much gasoline and using solar energy instead. In this lab, we got to blow into the ocean water; we are blowing in CO2 gas. While we were blowing in CO2 gas, the color of the water changes. The color changes because of the CO2 and the PH balance changing. In this lab we are measuring change in the water according to time. Measuring the pH of the water tells us the amount of acidity there is in it. I think that Carbonic Acid will affect the pH of salt water through marine creatures and plants. This will affect everyone living in the ocean. In the Shells Protocol project, we got to put shells into vinegar and another shell in sea water, I predicted that the shells would break down in the vinegar, and that nothing would happen to the shell in sea water. I predicted that sea water had a weaker pH than Vinegar. The protocol I used in this bubble experiment was Sea water and indicator. The protocols I used for the shell experiment was Sea water, Vinegar, Test strips, and shells. The dependent variable in these experiments was the composition of water. The Independent variable was the absorption on CO2. The constant was the amount of liquid we used for each.

Yessica Pacheco

As I blew through the straw I was adding CO2. The H2O was absorbing CO2. That changes the pH because CO2 increases acidity. The Universal Indicator told us the pH of the H2O. All this tells us that the effects of carbonic water in ocean water changes the ph. Based on my results of my experimental protocol, the factor that affected the pH of the water most was temperature. Conclusion My hypothesis was correct, it was correct because after more time, the more acidic the water gets the pH balance changes as well. I learned a lot about Ocean acidification. For example, the earth is full of CO2, and due to so much CO2, the water absorbs it, when they combine, they convert into Carbonic Acid. Carbonic acid is really deadly for all marine life, the ocean is a key source for most of our oxygen and essential in our daily lives. There is only one earth and we should protect it and take care of it more since there is not another place that sustains life besides planet Earth. We should stop polluting the Earth and try not to use that much CO2. We need to protect our future and each and every one of us can make a difference