Acidification of our oceans will increase by 170% by 2100!
By: Doc Swagg
Marvin Gaye was prophetic in his song, Mercy Me (the Ecology). Marvin broke down the numerous insults we are inflicting on our living habitat, and ultimately damaging our ecology.
According to a report from the 2012 Symposium on the Ocean, our oceans are rapidly undergoing the process of acidification. This process is having a staggering deleterious effect on our water, seafood, and tourism.
What’s actually happening?
The cause of our ocean acidification is based on the exponential increase in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) build up in the atmosphere due to industrial burn off of fossil fuels and coal. The burning of coal and oil release high amounts of CO2 into the environment.
According to the report, ” the rate of change may be faster than at any time in the last 300 million years, predicting that by 2100 there will have been a 170% increase in ocean acidity, compared to pre-industrial times.”
Approximately 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed into the water, a portion is also absorbed by plants and trees that convert CO2 into oxygen, and the remaining is floating around in the atmosphere and traps solar radiation in our ecosystem. The CO2 absorbed by the water is converted to carbonic acid.
Why does this matter?
The carbonic acid produced drops the ocean’s pH level and acidifies it. The acidity inhibits the growth and formation of much sea life. Clams, oysters, mussels, and other shellfish cant properly form their calcium embedded shells, and the acidity kills off their larva. The carbonic acid disrupts the calcium carbonate that composes a substantial portion of their shells.
The acidity also is highly corrosive to our shoreline, and thus it’s postulated that we will experience mass erosion of coastal lines. Furthermore, the plankton absorb high amounts of CO2 via photosynthesis in the water, but as they die off, they are releasing higher proportions of CO2 in deep ocean waters.
We are witnessing a self feeding chain of ecological destruction. The production of CO2 from industrial processes increases atmospheric CO2 content that traps solar radiation and raises global temperatures. We also have the acidification of the ocean because the ocean is absorbing historic levels of CO2, but the ocean can reach a saturation point where plankton die off and release CO2. Thus, the CO2 is not being absorbed by the ocean and adding to the atmospheric CO2.
The 2012 Earth System Science Data Journal said that the ocean absorbs approximately 8 billion tons of CO2 each year.
What’s the economic impact?
The Pacific Northwest has a reported $111 million dollar shellfish industry. Active shellfish hatchery owners have come close to bankruptcy several times, because they rely on the larva of shellfish to sell nationwide to shellfish farms across the country. They also say that this is something that is soon to affect the East Coast Atlantic regions of the worlds waters, and that devastating effects will cause a major crisis if we can’t reign in the over-production and emission of CO2.
Also consider this……
What happens as we are steadily conducting deforestation and a global level. Environmentalist are embroiled in a battle with capitalist that are deforesting the Amazon and other land masses that have dense forest, woodland, and other vegetation. When we reduce our trees and woodlands, we are removing another CO2 removing agent in our environment and contribute to global warming and ocean acidification.
What’s your thoughts on this??
Sources:
1. http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/
2. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/climate-change-seas/2024759/
3. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/world/ocean-acidification-report/
