Many can probably guess that lethal coal mines, the offshore drilling explosions and the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill as being a principal culprit of ocean acidification but have you ever thought that global warming actually has a much larger role in ocean acidification than we think? That is why we need to be educated on what ocean acidification is, what are the effects of ocean acidification, who are the ones being mostly affected, and how can we resolve this issue. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), ocean acidification is defined as, “a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere”. Carbon dioxide that has been released by human afflicted actions into the environment causing irreversible damage. That is why humans have the responsibility to eliminate the effects ocean acidification has on the ocean. Specifically, to brittle stars and larval urchins by following basic environmental solutions and enforcing regulated state policies. In order for that to take action, the research question must be asked and answered. The research question will answer what are the effects of ocean acidification on humans, brittle stars and larval urchins and what steps can humans take to reduce the growth of global warming, decreasing pH levels and increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that results in ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is one of the biggest and increasing problems that threaten both human and marine life.
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In order to introduce ocean acidification, it is important to relate it with another remotely similar issue. Atmospheric acids are one of the problems that stem from ocean acidification. Atmospheric acids that mingled in rainwater are currently causing a lot of major problems for marine organisms and humans. This is a problem that needs to be dealt with efficiently in order to improve the betterment of the human race and our marine organisms. Atmospheric acid, along with ocean acidification, has developed the problem that threatens to harm marine life and indirectly through them effect humans that depend on fish products for daily sustenance. Another big problem to consider is that ocean acidification is an error in the carbon cycle. Carbon cycle refers to the biogeochemical cycle where circulation of carbon in the atmosphere occurs and in order to maintain the level of carbon in the atmosphere the ocean must take in any access remaining onto themselves. The carbon cycle procedure is quite essential for certain marine life-forms survival and creation. However, when the levels of carbon concentration increases, the H in pH also increases causing the pH values to decline. As the level of carbon starts to increase, it creates an acid called H2CO3 which inhibits calcification procedures on oysters and crustaceans (Kantharia 2015). The blockage of the calcification procedure due to ocean acidification deprives marine life-forms of their survival which would prove to be a threat to people who are part of the business of collecting pearls from oysters or buying, selling, or consuming of crustaceans as food products. Humans are adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through fossil fuel usage which is taken up by the oceans in a process that lowers ocean pH and these effects have potentially serious consequences for marine life. There are three main ocean acidification events to back up this statement. The first one is the aptian oceanic anoxic event. The aptian oceanic anoxic event will continue to have effects on calcification that would last over millions of years. Scientists think this because calcified taxa peaked during the minimum nannoconid abundance. The second event involving ocean acidification stated that the end-permian and cretaceous-tertiary boundary are believed to have invoked carbon dioxide in the ocean-atmosphere system which is one of the largest eruptions of flood basalts ever recorded (Zeebe et al., 2012). The last event that will be mentioned is the paleocene-eocene thermal maximum event better known as PETM. PETM is believed to have caused ocean acidification, according to Zeebe et al., the carbon release led to ocean acidification and widespread dissolution of deep sea carbonates. Escalating concentrations of carbon dioxide are making oceans acidic, endangering the reproduction and growth of marine species from plankton to squid. Ocean acidification— a large amount of carbon dioxide reacting with seawater to form carbonic acid, is a ticking time bomb as there is little time before the acidification irreparably harms
In order to introduce ocean acidification, it is important to relate it with another remotely similar issue. Atmospheric acids are one of the problems that stem from ocean acidification. Atmospheric acids that mingled in rainwater are currently causing a lot of major problems for marine organisms and humans. This is a problem that needs to be dealt with efficiently in order to improve the betterment of the human race and our marine organisms. Atmospheric acid, along with ocean acidification, has developed the problem that threatens to harm marine life and indirectly through them effect humans that depend on fish products for daily sustenance. Another big problem to consider is that ocean acidification is an error in the carbon cycle. Carbon cycle refers to the biogeochemical cycle where circulation of carbon in the atmosphere occurs and in order to maintain the level of carbon in the atmosphere the ocean must take in any access remaining onto themselves. The carbon cycle procedure is quite essential for certain marine life-forms survival and creation. However, when the levels of carbon concentration increases, the H in pH also increases causing the pH values to decline. As the level of carbon starts to increase, it creates an acid called H2CO3 which inhibits calcification procedures on oysters and crustaceans (Kantharia 2015). The blockage of the calcification procedure due to ocean acidification deprives marine life-forms of their survival which would prove to be a threat to people who are part of the business of collecting pearls from oysters or buying, selling, or consuming of crustaceans as food products. Humans are adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere through fossil fuel usage which is taken up by the oceans in a process that lowers ocean pH and these effects have potentially serious consequences for marine life. There are three main ocean acidification events to back up this statement. The first one is the aptian oceanic anoxic event. The aptian oceanic anoxic event will continue to have effects on calcification that would last over millions of years. Scientists think this because calcified taxa peaked during the minimum nannoconid abundance. The second event involving ocean acidification stated that the end-permian and cretaceous-tertiary boundary are believed to have invoked carbon dioxide in the ocean-atmosphere system which is one of the largest eruptions of flood basalts ever recorded (Zeebe et al., 2012). The last event that will be mentioned is the paleocene-eocene thermal maximum event better known as PETM. PETM is believed to have caused ocean acidification, according to Zeebe et al., the carbon release led to ocean acidification and widespread dissolution of deep sea carbonates. Escalating concentrations of carbon dioxide are making oceans acidic, endangering the reproduction and growth of marine species from plankton to squid. Ocean acidification— a large amount of carbon dioxide reacting with seawater to form carbonic acid, is a ticking time bomb as there is little time before the acidification irreparably harms