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Ocean acidification global impact free essays
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If you knew something was going on that caused the oceans and all the marine and plant life that dwelled beneath it to suddenly die wouldn't you try to do whatever was necessary to save them. Well what if i told you that your 30-40% of the reason why its happening. Doesn't that add a little guilt to your day. Pay attention and you’ll find out all about whats going on in the ocean and more importantly how to fix it.
That something destroying our oceans and marine life is known as ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is a non-stop decrease in the pH of the earths oceans. You may be thinking something this diabolical must have been sent straight from the devil himself. When in all reality its caused by one of the most common gasses floating around earths atmosphere. Ocean acidification is caused by the return of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Incase you didn't know carbon dioxide is what you exhale everytime you breathe.
Ocean acidification will have harsh outcomes for shelled organisms and coral reefs. But don’t you wonder what type of effect it will have on you! People have a misconception that if the ocean turns into acid that it’ll be hazardous to get in the water. Ocean acidification isn't gonna harm humans directly. As you all know though humans are inextricably linked to the health of the ocean. Ever since i can remember humans have depended on the sea for more things then land. The ocean provides resources like food, recreation, transportation, and medicines. People need to realize they need the ocean for more things then they can imagine. Not to mention the guilt you’d feel if the ocean was extinct and you didn't do anything to help prevent it.
After hearing a little bit of information some would say its obv...
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...ation is to stop the amount of co2 being realized into the ocean. now as much as i’d like to tell some people to stop breathing thats not the answer. Somethings we can do though as humans is burn less coal, oil, and natural gas. if we reduce the consumption of electricity or motor fuel we contribute to reducing the world.
So as you can see ocean acidification is a very serious and real thing. it’s going on in the ocean as we speak. Literally! It effect the ocean, everything thats dwells beneath the sea. Not to mention the great impact it could have on society. That being said it hasn't gotten that far yet, and if you'd like it to remain like that a suggest you get a bike or figure out a way to not breathe and still be alive!
Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification
http://www.climateinterpreter.org/content/ocean-acidification-effects-humans
The bubbling pool of acid: Acidification most disastrous event in the history of our planet
Nasir Naqvi et al. confirm “that emotions play a role in guiding decisions” (261). The article “The Role” also mentions that “moral decisions…engage emotions, especially when one is required to consider the consequences of one’s actions for another’s well-being” (263). Perhaps learning about the plight of the calcifiers due to ocean acidification will be enough to change some minds. But, recognizing the impact it will have on humans will be the major factor in influencing others. This is what was wrong with Kolbert’s book: she did not discuss what acidification would do to humans. She could have explained that some zooplankton is weak against acidification, and since they assist in absorbing the carbon dioxide, it could be detrimental for humans to see these types of microscopic organisms become scarce. For, if they do, there would be even more carbon in the atmosphere, which would make it harder for humans to breathe. In addition, the lack of zooplankton would result in a decline of biodiversity, as zooplankton are the basis for various food webs. Less marine animals means less seafood for humans, which would be an immense problem because an innumerable amount of people depends on it. Everyone must learn the dangers of ocean acidification so that the predicted future can
In addition to lowering greenhouse gas levels and using cleaner energy sources, there are things we can do as people to stop climate change. We could reduce our use of electricity at our homes by turning off the lights when we leave the room, turning down/up the heating/ac when it is unnecessary, and using less water. Also, we could install solar panels in our homes and donate money to environmental protection agencies. Hopefully, the people of our world will soon realize climate change is a pressing issue that must be solved as soon as
...oceans. Anthropogenic systems such as the combustion of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution have greatly increased the rate of acidification to levels where negative impacts ensue. Negative impacts occur both to marine organisms that rely on certain water conditions to maintain vital functions and the environment which is damaged by highly acidic waters. There is great variation in the acidity of each of the oceans, differences caused by the chemical composition of the ocean and biogeography. Understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification is relatively new to the scientific community and therefore little is known on how to counteract anthropogenic influences. Although reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced will in turn reduce the lowering of the oceans acidity levels and reduce negative impacts on the environment and marine organisms.
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.
One of the major problems affecting, not only oceans around the world, but also many local bodies of water right now is the problem of ocean acidification. You may have heard of ocean acidification, which you may have just disregarded as a problem that affects the large oceans as a whole. However, this acidification also affects the Chesapeake Bay itself. I have come to realize that the acidification of the Chesapeake is a major problem that will affect the diverse ecosystem that all the wildlife is located in, but also the many businesses locally and throughout the state that depend on the health of the ocean and the wildlife located in the
Ocean acidity will spoil marine ecosystems if it remains persistent. Preserving sustainable fishing industries will become unmanageable if the carbon dioxide absorbed by the world’s oceans is not considerably abridged.
is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Guinotte, J. M. and Fabry, V. J. (2008), Ocean Acidification and Its Potential Effects on Marine Ecosystems. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1134: 320–342. doi: 10.1196/annals.1439.013
Ocean Pollution is a serious issue in today's global politics. The delicate balance of Earth's ecosystem is put in jeopardy when the ocean is not clean. Problem evolving from ocean pollution directly harm marine life and indirectly affect human health and the Earth's many valuable resources. Ocean Pollution is a Broad term that encpompasses any and all foregin matter that directly or indirectly makes its way into the ocean. This includes everything from the extreme: oil spills, Toxic Waste dumping and industrial dumping-- to the small scael: human activities and basic carelessness. Because the oceans and all other water bodies are invariably, somehow connected, and because they account for 3/4 of the Earth's surface, they are an ideal method of transportation for pollution, allowing the rapid spread of seemingly far away toxins into a river near you! It is increasingly important that we educate ourselves as to what, exactly, ocean pollution is, so that we can identify the causes at their source and take action in small and large ways, and hopefully, prevent this terrible form of pollution from getting any worse than it is today.
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 ocean is an abundant source of life. It is home to thousand of different creatures, provides a great source of food, and provides the earth with about one half of the oxygen needed to sustain life. (National Geographic) Pollution especially plastic, is a catastrophic problem. Ironically plastic, which is a material designed to last forever is generally used for things we tend to throw away. Every year about one hundred to two hundred billion pounds of plastic are manufactured. Only 31% of that plastic is actually recycled. Biomass packaging estimates 10% of that plastic ends up in the ocean annually. About 20% of it coming from ships and other platforms, and the other 80% coming from land derived sources, such as international garbage dumping, winds or tides either way it finds its way to the ocean.(Biomass Packaging Co., et al)
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.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
While this may contain some truth, most believe that the causes of aerosol, fossil fuels, and the greenhouse effect are the reasons for global warming. These causes can easily be reduced if we take the time and effort to halt the action. Simple actions can be made that will not have a severe effect on our everyday lives. Al Gore once said, "The good news is, we have everything we need now to respond to the challenge of global warming. " We have all the technologies we need, more are being developed but we should not wait, we cannot wait, we must not wait.”