Ocean
Acidification Causes and Solutions
Causes:
The
acidification of the world’s ocean has increased at a rapid rate following the
Industrial Revolution. The main cause of ocean acidification is the increase in
carbon emissions since this time. Oceans have become more acidic at such a
rapid rate, that calcifying organism has been unable to evolve to meet this
change. This is especially troubling as calcifying microorganism form the basis
of marine food webs throughout the ocean. These microorganisms need these
shells for protection from other microorganism. When microorganism finally
succumbs to the acidification, all other populations within the marine food web
will also be devastated. Ocean acidification is a truly international issue, as
it is a threat to global biodiversity. The United States
The
root of ocean acidification is carbon dioxide emission. Carbon dioxide emission
comes from a variety of source such as cars, industrial pollution, electric generated
emission, petroleum, natural gas, coal, fossil fuels and much more. From the
carbon dioxide that is emitted, the ocean absorbs a quarter of the carbon
dioxide. When the carbon dioxide is absorbed, a chemical change occurs; the carbon
dioxide + water + carbonate ion à 2 bicarbonate ions. This chemical change results
in making the ocean more acidic and lowers the pH of the ocean.
Ocean
acidification affects all aspects of ocean life, especially the shelled (calcifying)
organisms. The lowering of the pH level affects mussels and oysters shells,
causing a direct decline in their populations. This occurs because a lowering
of pH causes the shells to dissolve in turn making shelled organisms vulnerable
to dissolution. Statistics and tests show that there is a 25- 45% decrease in calcification
and there are also clear signs of structural damage in their shell. Pteropods
are small winged snails that are the basis of the food chain for much of the
commercial fishing. Recent studies have showed the dissolution to their shells
if exposed to the carbonate content of the ocean in the next 50 years.
Coral
reefs are very sensitive to temperature and if the carbon dioxide levels in the
atmosphere cause even a 1-2 degree change in the water that could cause
bleaching of the coral. Bleaching of corals is when the coral expels their
vital algal symbionts, leaving the coral looking translucent. An example of
this was in 1998 when a single bleaching event led to the loss of almost 20% of
the world’s living coral. And it is thought that by 2050 more reefs will be
disappearing from erosion then we can build due to the combination of warm
waters and reduced calcification due to acidification. Another danger to reefs
is the higher carbon dioxide concentrate in the water, leading to lowered
calcification rates. These lower rates affect the reef’s ability to grow its
carbonate skeleton. If this is to happen then the coral will grow much slower
and will be much more fragile leading to quicker erosion.
The
effects of the increase in carbonate in the oceans could drastically damage
humans as well. This is because nearly 500 million people depend on healthy reefs
for sustenance, resources, and protection, and with an estimated 30 million
people depending on reefs entirely for food. Challenges faced by the coral
reefs in the future are directly temperature change.
Ocean
acidification will affect different areas of the ocean at different times, for
instance areas of higher latitude where the natural carbonate levels are lowest
are more susceptible. Also areas to be greatly affected are cold water coral
communities which often grow at depths of hundreds of meters and already grow
at slow rates and are also fragile. They are thought to be important for many
nursery habitats, they are also a hotspot for biodiversity, other benthic
ecosystems and organisms such as mollusks, star fish and sea urchins are
expected to be hit early due to their already low carbonate concentrations in
their deep environments.
Solutions:
Numerous
previous solutions exist to solve the problem of increasing carbon emissions
and ocean acidification. Alternate energy solutions have been developed to
generate electricity in more environmentally friendly methods. Solar and wind
powered electrical generation systems have become more prevalent in their
appropriate regions in recent years. The main limitation of alternate “green”
energy producing solutions is that they cannot be utilized in all regions of
our nation. Therefore, the current consensus is that only a combination of
solutions will allow the nation to transition from its dependence on fossil
fuels. Efforts are also underway to reduce the amount of carbon emissions
produced in the transportation of people and commodities. Government
regulations have and will continue to improve the fuel efficiency of consumer
vehicles well into the future. Automobile manufacturers have recently embraced
electric, natural gas, and hybrid vehicles due to rising fuel costs. The main
obstacle of reducing transportation related carbon emissions are the American
consumer. The commercial transportation industry will certainly shift to “green”
sources of energy as fuel prices increase in order to maintain profits.
However, consumers may not be willing to purchase smaller, fuel efficient
vehicles that are presumed to be less safe. These combustion methods will not
be able to proliferate until its supporting infrastructure becomes economical
and readily-available. Public mass transportation in metropolitan areas also
helps reduce carbon emissions.
The
solution to ocean acidification is simply to reduce carbon emissions. Several
working solutions have already been developed and utilized throughout the
nation. Although increasing awareness would be detrimental to the effort, this
course of action is limited as most people are already aware of global climate
change and have not attempted to change their carbon footprints. Unfortunately,
government intervention may be required to stop the rising trend of carbon
emissions. It is clear that the majority of citizens will only adapt clean
energy solutions when they become economically advantageous. One solution that
seems practical is the process of geologic sequestration. This term refers to
the injection of carbon emissions into deep underground reservoirs. However,
this solution is also has be met with disagreements. It is agreeable that ocean
acidification is impossible to get rid of. Even though public awareness may be
overlooked as previously stated, increasing public awareness can always be a
positive. It might seem that promoting public awareness is useless now, but in the long
run, it will have served its purpose.
Dr. Hood, M., Dr. Hans-Otto, P., Dr. Fabry, V., Dr. Gattuso, J., &
Dr. Reibesell, U. (n.d.). Ocean acidification network. Retrieved from
http://www.ocean-acidification.net/FAQeco.html
EPA.
(2011, April 14). U.S environmental
protection agency. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_human.htm
Natural resources
defence council.
(2009, September 17). Retrieved from
http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification
Pmel
carbon organization. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What is Ocean Acidification?
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