PHYS 100 Osei-Mensah

What's Happening to our Oceans?

A deeper understanding of Ocean Acidification Samuel Osei-Mensah Drury Univeristy

Definition of Ocean Acidification: the ongoing decrease in the ocean's pH by the absorbtion of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Copernicus Marine Service).

HypothesisIf carbon dioxide emissons are reduced, then marine ecosystems can have the time to recover and the ocean's pH can stabalize over time.

Genially

How does Ocean Acidification impact the natural processes of systems?

• Disrupts the natural processes
• lowers the availability of carbonate ions
• the building blocks for shells, harming organisms like corals, shellfish and some plankton (EPA)
• Leads to weakened structures, reduced growth and survival rates - that impact food webs leading to a loss of biodiversity (EPA)

The Impact of ocean acidification on the natural processes of the earth and its systems

Ocean Acidification: Rising Waters, Falling pH, and the Fight for Our Seas

• Increases acidity in our oceans
• Nutrients entering the water from our land exacerbate acidification in near shores
• plankton population suffer
• reduces fish size

Ocean Acidification's main impact is the Earth's water and water systems

• The primary damage is to marine life
• shell and skeleton formation
• physiology damage to marine organisms (due to the change in water chemistry)
• weakened coral reefs
• harmful to shellfish, krill and plankton (Coral vita)

Ocean Acidification's Impact on the Earth

• The main impact of ocean acidification on the earth other than our oceans are its effects on the entire food web
• Impacts to biodiversity
• Human enconomies
• Fisheries
• Tourism (EPA)

Ocean Acidification Impact on the Ocean

Bibliographic references

• Marine life to include corals, shellfish and plankton face imminent threats due to the acidifying waters dissolving carbonate structures (coral vita)

• Some areas are acidifying 10 times faster than global averages, mostly polar and costal regions (coral vita)

Ocean acidification's impact on the earth's atmosphere

• Ocean acidification does not directly impact atmospheric changes.
• However, consequences of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) act as a buffer
• It absorbs about 1/3 of human emissions
• The absorbtion chemically alters seawater
• Making the oceans more acidic - harming marine life and disrutping food chains
• Creating a negative feedback loop where marine ecosystem damage could eventually change carbon cycling (OEHHA)

viable solutions

01. Reducing carbon dioxide emissons

05. Reduce personal carbon footprint

06. Manage local runoff

02. Reduce fossil fuels

03. Implement carbon policies

04. Support climate-smart iniiatives

Best solution

Reducing Carbon dioxide emissions will have the biggest impact on limiting and controlling ocean acidification.

Conclusion

Reducing Carbon dioxide emissions to control ocean acidification

• By shifting to renewable energy which improves efficiency
• By protecting ecosystms like seagrass
• By managing local runoff (Union of Concerned Scientists)

References

• https://marine.copernicus.eu/ocean-climate-portal/ocean-acidification
• https://www.epa.gov/ocean-acidification/effects-ocean-and-coastal-acidification-ecosystems
• https://coralvita.co/coral-cafe/ocean-acidification/
• https://www.epa.gov/ocean-acidification/effects-ocean-and-coastal-acidification-ecosystems
• https://oehha.ca.gov/climate-change/epic-2022/climate-change-drivers/acidification-coastal-waters#:~:text=Carbon%20dioxide%2C%20the%20most%20important,carbon%20dioxide%20in%20the%20atmosphere.
• https://www.ucs.org/resources/co2-and-ocean-acidification#:~:text=The%20most%20effective%20way%20to,of%20acting%20to%20mitigate%20them.