Everything about Ocean Acidification totally explained
Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the
pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by their uptake of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. Between 1751 and 1994 surface ocean pH is estimated to have decreased from approximately 8.179 to 8.104 (a change of -0.075).
Carbon cycle
In the natural
carbon cycle, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO
2) represents a
balance of fluxes between the oceans,
terrestrial biosphere and the atmosphere. Human activities such as land-use changes, the
combustion of
fossil fuels, and the production of
cement have led to a new flux of CO
2 into the atmosphere. Some of this has remained in the atmosphere (where it's responsible for the rise in atmospheric concentrations), some is believed to have been taken up by terrestrial
plants, and some has been absorbed by the oceans.
When CO
2 dissolves, it reacts with water to form a balance of
ionic and non-ionic chemical species : dissolved free carbon dioxide (CO
2 (aq)),
carbonic acid (H
2CO
3),
bicarbonate (HCO
3-) and
carbonate (CO
32-). The ratio of these species depends on factors such as
seawater temperature and
alkalinity (see the article on the ocean's
solubility pump for more detail).
Acidification
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ocean Acidification'.
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