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3.4 Ocean acidification<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n
What is pH?<\/strong>
\npH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity that indicates the ratio of positively charged hydrogen ions (acidic) to negatively charged ions (alkaline) in a solution. It is measured on a pH scale from 1 to 14, with units from 1 to 6.9 being acids, pH 7 being neutral, and 7.1 to 14 being bases.<\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"cb6e1617-aa79-4a6c-9cac-284bf80af179"},"useSeparator":"auto"},{"content":{"params":{"decorative":true,"contentName":"Image","file":{"path":"images\/file-63e7467a7e569.png","mime":"image\/png","copyright":{"license":"U"},"width":1183,"height":188}},"library":"H5P.Image 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Image","license":"U","title":"Untitled Image"},"subContentId":"201e1caa-bc76-4c1a-9c6b-0839d7f32e68"},"useSeparator":"auto"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"
Oceans have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in two ways: [52]
\ndiffusion (transfer of substance or energy from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration) from the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide interacts with water to form carbonic acid, which is responsible for lowering the pH [53]
\nthrough the process of photosynthesis by plankton and algae.
\nAs carbon dioxide emissions increase due to activities such as burning fossil fuels or deforestation, the oceans are now absorbing larger amounts of the greenhouse gas. The pH of ocean surface waters has therefore fallen by 0.1 pH units over the last 200 years, and is currently 8.1, representing about a 30% increase in acidity. [54] Some predictions indicate that the pH of ocean surface waters may decrease to 7.8, which is a huge increase in acidity and will affect half of the ocean's inhabitants, as well as communities whose livelihoods depend on the biodiversity in the oceans. [55]<\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"47b31603-0306-4835-89d1-146e39677aa8"},"useSeparator":"auto"},{"content":{"params":{"decorative":true,"contentName":"Image","file":{"path":"images\/file-63e7469a4f8f9.png","mime":"image\/png","copyright":{"license":"U"},"width":640,"height":378}},"library":"H5P.Image 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Image","license":"U","title":"Untitled Image"},"subContentId":"e362e282-17d2-41d7-be47-ead3cfff4300"},"useSeparator":"auto"},{"content":{"params":{"text":"
Ocean surface water acidification is associated with the presence of less carbonate ions (CO32-) dissolved in the water. Organisms such as corals, crabs, sea urchins, oysters, and lobsters use these calcium and carbonate ions to build their skeletons and shells. [56] A deficiency of carbonate ions can affect the physiological processes of these organisms, [57] which would negatively affect their growth and development. [58] This would affect the balance of food chains, as well as the food supply and the more than one billion people worldwide who rely on the food provided by ocean ecosystems. [59]<\/span><\/p>\n"},"library":"H5P.AdvancedText 1.1","metadata":{"contentType":"Text","license":"U","title":"Untitled Text"},"subContentId":"6c2f5b88-7dcc-42a2-b420-639c34e8689e"},"useSeparator":"auto"},{"content":{"params":{"visuals":{"fit":true,"controls":true},"playback":{"autoplay":false,"loop":false},"l10n":{"name":"Video","loading":"Video player loading...","noPlayers":"Found no video players that supports the given video format.","noSources":"Video is missing sources.","aborted":"Media playback has been aborted.","networkFailure":"Network failure.","cannotDecode":"Unable to decode media.","formatNotSupported":"Video format not supported.","mediaEncrypted":"Media encrypted.","unknownError":"Unknown error.","invalidYtId":"Invalid YouTube ID.","unknownYtId":"Unable to find video with the given YouTube ID.","restrictedYt":"The owner of this video does not allow it to be embedded."},"sources":[{"path":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/fgBozLCGUHY","mime":"video\/YouTube","copyright":{"license":"U"}}]},"library":"H5P.Video 1.6","metadata":{"contentType":"Video","license":"U","title":"Untitled Video"},"subContentId":"6628ef12-0736-4328-9367-f3cc27fe3e9a"},"useSeparator":"auto"}]}

UNIT 3: Consequences of global warming