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Ocean acidification global impact essays
Ocean acidification global impact essays
Ocean acidification global impact essays
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With carbon dioxide levels continuing to rise over the past few decades (fig. 1) and now into the future, concern has been brought to what is happening to the carbonate chemistry of the oceans. Because of these changes in chemistry, the ocean is becoming more acidic. Along with climate change, ocean acidification may be one of the greatest threats to our planet. The higher the ocean’s acidity level goes, the lower the calcium carbonate levels will drop. Even though this is a big scale issue, my goal is to focus on and underline what these changes will mean for the marine life that depend on the calcium carbonate in seawater. I will go in depth with specific regards to a study regarding pteropods or sea butterflies.
To best explain what is happening to our world’s oceans, it is paramount to
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Even though the study of the deterioration of pteropods in high acidity water may seem unimportant in the grand scheme of the ocean, it is crucial to start somewhere. In this case the pteropods happen to be one of the most obvious examples of marine life that will be influenced by the ocean acidification. It is without a doubt clear that ocean acidification is an up and coming problem that will change the chemistry of the ocean and not only the effect the ocean’s ecosystem and creatures, but most likely the rest of the environment as well. Even though there is copious amounts of research available concerning ocean acidification, it is unclear whether model predictions will come to fruition in the future, or if actual results will completely differ from projections. Currently, the only clear path to try to delay the progression of ocean acidification is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions exponentially. The chart below (Fig. 5) gives a concise and detailed account of what is happening, what will happen and what needs to happen if ocean acidification is going to be
In “Chapter 6 – The Sea Around Us” of Elizabeth Kolbert’s The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, the author reveals the fact that the ocean is acidifying due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. In this chapter, Kolbert notes that there was a lack of biodiversity near the vents at Castello Aragonese in order to present the oceans’ future possibility. One of the types of sea creatures that ocean acidification would devastate are the calcifiers, which are organisms that create shells or skeletons made of calcium carbonate (Kolbert 117-122). Credible sources of information, such as the EPA and the Smithsonian Institution, agree that ocean acidification poses a serious threat to marine calcifiers,
"An Ocean Of Trash." Scholastic Action 33.12 (2010): 16. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 31 Jan. 2014.
The reduction in photosynthesising biomass led to an increased reliance on the Worlds other carbon sink, Oceans. Between 26-44% of CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed by oceans by photosynthesising organisms, mainly phytoplankton (Archer, D. and Pierrehumbert, R., 2011), seawater chemically reacts with aqueous Carbon Dioxide, one of the end products is Hydrogen ions (H+) (NOAA, 2013). The increased concentration of H+ results in the ocean becoming more acidic, since pH is determined by concentration of Hydrogen ions.
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
Given how important coral reefs are, the increasingly disappearance of our coral reef ecosystems will continue to have a detrimental impact on marine biodiversity with in these ecosystems. In addition to the decline of the animal species, job opportunities for many staff members that keep our parks open and healthy for everyone to enjoy, revenue be lost due to the decline in coral reefs. To help ensure this downward spiral in eliminated before it is too late, park officials and scientist conduct continuous research on the effects of ocean acidification and global warming on marine organisms and overall health and longevity of these ecosystems. Ultimately, the goal is to develop ways to intervene before it is to late in hopes that we can reverse the damage already inflicted on our coral reefs and allow these ecosystems to re grow once
In absence of calcium carbonate, coral and shellfish can’t survive. The ecosystem of ocean depends on these organisms because they offer a large source of food at the bottom of the food chain. They need to be abundant in order t...
In each temperature increment there were three different flasks filled with different levels of CO2 in the water to show the effects of ocean acidification on the larvae. The first flask was filled with present day CO2 levels of 380 parts per million (ppm), the second was filled with 710 ppm CO2, and the third was filled with 3,000 ppm CO2. The last two flasks are estimated of what the ocean CO2 levels will be in year 2100 and 2300, respectively. The results of each flask were assessed on days 3, 7, and 14 and were tested to find out the levels of calcium the larvae contained. However, not all larvae were tested because the researchers used random sampling to test the larvae to because this created separation from the few mothers of each larvae. To test the calcium content of the larvae the researchers used ion chromatography. Ion chromatography separates different ions to show the content of each ion in the larvae, so this shows the calcium levels because calcium ion can be separated to show the
Over the last century, [it is evident that] the current levels are beginning to impact organisms that make their shells out of the minerals aragonite and calcite…” (Bralower) “Coral reef[s] are highly vulnerable to ocean acidific...
Al Gore once said, “CO2 is the exhaling breath of our civilization,” this quote is completely accurate human civilization resolves around the production, consumption, use of entities that contain CO2. Due to our extreme use of CO2 based products we are causing a rapid spike in the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, the Mauna Loa CO2 records indicate CO2 levels has risen from 315ppm in 1960 to 403ppm in 2016 and it is still rising (noaa). This drastic increase of this toxic gas is that it is damaging the world, as we know it. The most talked about consequence of this is climate change, but the other “equally evil twin” is ocean acidification. This effect of this excessive amount of CO2 being released into our atmosphere is the decrease of pH levels of the oceans due to the increase uptake of CO2. The lowering pH level is due to the combination of CO2 and H2O combining and form carbonic acid, which is an acid. This acidification of the oceans is already wreaking havoc on the oceanic ecosystems and the effects will be more devastating in the
Our oceans take a large beating every day by the extremely large amount of pollution humans produce. Our society easily dumps their waste into the oceans to dispose of the excessive amount of garbage, sewage, and chemicals, but this small and simple solution is creating an even bigger problem. The way humans dispose of their wastes is causing the death of our beloved marine life. Not only are we killing off our animals, our food source, and our resources, we are also minimizing our usable water. By having a better understanding of the problem on the severe dumping, it will be easier to find ways to help minimize the pollution that is going into the ocean.
The contents of this presentation include the effects of rising CO2 levels, with an emphasis on aquatic ecosystems. One of the central focuses of this presentation is ocean acidification, which is an environmental effect directly caused by increasing CO2 levels. The contents of this presentation will cover the chemistry of ocean acidification, human activities that contribute to this global issue, the efforts taken by the Canadian government to address rising CO2 emissions and the economic impacts of rising CO2 levels.
Ocean acidification is caused due to rising CO2 emissions created by industrial development and greenhouse gases. This increase in carbon dioxide causes changes within the ocean’s biochemistry. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are expected to rise from pre-industrial level of 280 to 540-970 ppm by the year 2100, depending on future emission scenarios (IPCC, 2001). Eventually the oceans will become highly acidic if mankind is unable to control their CO2 emissions. About 30% of CO2 emissions are taken up by the oceans today (Freely et al. 2004) and this percentage will continue to rise if nothing is done to prevent it, potentially leading to enhanced levels of ultraviolet radiation at the earth’s surface (Harley, C. D. G., et al, 2006). While many marine organisms have adapted to thermal fluctuations in the last few million years, the expected changes in pH are higher than any other pH changes inferred from the fossil record over the past 200–300 million years (Caldeira & Wickett 2003; Feelyet al. 2004). The following diagram represents the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the oceans causing increased CO2, decreased pH, sea level rise, storm frequency and potential upwelling.
Infamous power of uncontrollable oppressors tend to cause the demise of ordinary people. Individuals strive to become the best that they can be. Everyone is a power-hungry animal- blind to the consequences of this characteristic. William Shakespeare constructed a complex character that became known as Macbeth. He was a brave war hero that showed devotion to his country, until he came to the conclusion that he deserved to be King of Scotland.
Ocean acidification causes many problems with marine life. It affects both shelled and not shelled life in a negative way. With more acidity in the water, coral and shelled animals cannot build their shells or skeletons. Animals without a shell have interference with some basic bodily functions like growth and reproduction. The acidification of the ocean is caused by carbonic acid, which is formed by CO2 reacting with seawater. In fact, the ocean reduces global warming by absorbing one third of carbon dioxide. In recent studies, the acidic levels have increased by six percent in the last 15 years. There has not been a rapid shift in pH in millions of years and the marine life is not accustomed to it. Paleontology studies show that with a significant change, it usually led to huge losses of sea life. Due to the acidification, marine
Physical-Chemical Oceanography II Apart from the effects of the sun and moon the shape of a coast can also be a factor in determining the type of affect a tide has at a coastal location. Coastal regions that are flat and go on for miles would have a relatively calm increase during high tide. On the other hand coasts that have bottle neck lay out would make a huge difference in the tide. According to the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration “The shape of bays and estuaries also can magnify the intensity of tides.