Preview

Causes Of Ocean Acidification

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
201 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Causes Of Ocean Acidification
The oceans and reefs of Australia are deteriorating faster than previously thought. The corals in the reefs are becoming bleached and decaying and the population of some sea creatures is changing. The most likely causes for this are ocean acidification and overfishing. The problems that Australia faces cannot be fixed overnight and will take years. These problems aren’t just Australia’s problems. This could and does happen all around the world. Corals and certain marine animals are facing a serious problem. Ocean acidification is causing coral to become bleached and start to decay. Ocean acidification is most likely caused by the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The worlds dependency on fossil fuel has raised carbon dioxide levels
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Truth About Ocean Acidification Summary
    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Truth About Ocean Acidification Summary

    In The Truth about Ocean “Acidification”, by Patrick Moore, the term “ocean acidification” has been fabricated, and people do not see the positive effects it has on marine life. In 2003, many articles on ocean acidification were published. Moore challenges one of the article’s hypothesis that corals will cease to grow by mid-century, and ocean acidification will impact fisheries worldwide. Moore emphasizes that there are five key reasons why the ocean acidification narrative is a fabrication. First, the concentration of Co2 was much higher in the earth’s atmosphere during the Cambrian period. Next, most of the invertebrates with the ability to produce calcium carbonate armor are capable of rapid adaptation. Third, there are two distinct physiological…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Ocean Acidification Affect Jellyfish
    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Ocean Acidification Affect Jellyfish

    Climate change’s equally evil twin seems to be ocean acidification. 25 percent of the CO2 dissolves into the ocean instead of being in the air. When the industrial era started over 525 billion tons of CO2 were absorbed (22 million tons per day). Scientists at first thought that we were good because it warms the planet, but that’s not the case. The ocean is becoming more acidic than ever because of the CO2. 200 years later the water temperature increased by 30 percent. Rivers usually keep the ocean stable because they have to carry all of the chemicals, but they haven’t been able to keep up with all of this CO2. As a matter of fact some of these animals’ shells dissolve in this acidic seawater which doesn’t help at all. With…

    • 938 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coral Bleaching Research Paper
    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Coral Bleaching Research Paper

    With the global climate changing so are the coral like many other things and sadly they are dying off because of the temperature changing. Which is causing coral reef bleaching which is when the whitening of diverse invertebrate taxa it is caused by when zooxanthellae decline and or the concentration of photosynthetic pigments within the zooxanthellae…

    • 1178 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rocky Shores Issues
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rocky Shores Issues

    As this has been happening for many years now most species have learnt to adapt to this change but if it does start to increase more some may not be able to live in those conditions anymore. The rise of this chemical reaction causes the ocean to be more acidic which is a huge issue amongst the ecosystems which lie in the oceans. The carbonate ions are a key component within the ocean, these help build structures for sea shells and coral skeletons, when the carbon dioxide increases the carbonate ions become less abundant. This means that animals are then in trouble of losing their homes or shelter from surrounding predators in the ecosystem. The structures of clams, shallow water corals, plankton, sea urchins, oysters and deep sea corals could be ruined from the increase of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Some certain species of fish may lose the ability to detect predators in the more acidic ocean, with all these changes it will affect the entire food web. Ocean acidification has a major impact on the ecosystems within the rocky shores, and the rest of the ocean but with these changes it could put a huge risk on the living species in the rocky…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ocean Acidification Research Paper
    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ocean Acidification Research Paper

    The acidity of seawater is determined by the amount of hydrogen ions in solution , which is then measured on the pH scale. The higher the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution, the lower the pH of the solution. As stated in the previous paragraph, carbonic acid ( CO3-2) releases hydrogen ions ( H+) into the solution. If the sea water absorbs more carbon dioxide and then more carbonic acid will be formed as well. Which means the ocean will releases large quantities of hydrogen ions. Thus lowering the pH of the ocean. “ Ocean acidification: A greater threat than climate change or Overfishing,” reports that since the industrial revolution the pH of the ocean has dropped from 8.2 to 8.1. This change in the pH of water over the past 150 years is the greatest seen over the past several million years. ( Burner W. 2008…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic. Are You?
    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic. Are You?

    This sea is predicted as how the oceans of the planet will look like within the next century. The acidification that might happen throughout the oceans of the world is mostly caused by the carbon dioxide emitted from smokestacks and tailpipes. (527) Thirty percent of the carbon dioxide released by man has been soaked in the oceans. Many marine organisms cannot survive in these high carbon dioxide concentrated conditions. The evidence from Castello Aragonese proves that this polluted sea is missing thirty-three percent of marine organisms that live outside the vent system. Another significant organism of the chemistry of the ocean is the coral reef. Coral reefs are essential for the ecosystem of the ocean. Ocean acidification is a threat to their existence. According to Jane Lubchenco, ocean acidification is global warming’s “equally evil twin.” (qtd. in…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Climate Change Affect Coral Reefs
    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Climate Change Affect Coral Reefs

    “Some coral species lose their skeletons altogether” (Fine & Tchernov, pg 9, par 4), “and skeletal growth of recent recruits can be disrupted” (Cohen, pg 9, par 4). So the disruption of the skeletal growth can then make the reefs weaker and more vulnerable to damage and destruction. The acidity of the ocean doesn't just effect the skeletal growth of the coral reefs either. “This is damaging many ocean species that use calcium carbonate to form their skeletons and shells. Studies have shown that calcium carbonate formation is disrupted if water becomes too acidic”(Fujita, pg 2, par 8). So not only coral reefs being effected in skeletal growth, but all organisms that have an outer shell or exoskeleton have trouble developing a strong shell as the acid restricts the calcium production. Another effect that climate change brings about is rising sea levels. “The most obvious consequence of sea level rise will be an upward shift in species distributions. Most species are expected to be able to keep pace with predicted rates of sea level rise, with the exception of some slow-growing, longlived species such as many corals” (Knowlton, pg 10, par 1).” However, dramatic ecological changes could result from decreased habitat availability within a…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    work cited
    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages

    work cited

    Warmer ocean temperatures are also now understood to cause coral bleaching. Rising levels of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas emissions) are also decreasing the pH level of the ocean, known as ocean acidification. Evidence suggests that this will have a profound effect on the entire marine ecosystem.…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Climate Change: Saving Coral In The Florida Keys
    • 1989 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Climate Change: Saving Coral In The Florida Keys

    Coral reefs are home to many fishes and plants. Because of global warming, 16% of the world’s coral reefs were wiped out in one year alone (“Global Warming and Coral Reefs”). Ocean temperatures have also risen by 1.3 ° Fahrenheit since the last 19th century (Coral bleaching and ocean acidification are two climate-related impacts to coral reefs). The increasing carbon dioxide levels lead to coral bleaching. This occurs when coral responds to the stress of the temperature warming. This expels the colorful algae that live within most of the coral dies, so the entire ecosystem disappears. Warmer waters are expected to increase the chance of coral diseases such as black band disease, white plague, and white pox. All of the diseases lead to the killing of coral reefs and the entire ecosystem is supports.…

    • 1989 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ocean Acidification Effects
    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ocean Acidification Effects

    Ocean acidification impacts marine organisms to varying gradations. For example, photosynthetic algae and seagrasses may benefit from higher CO2 conditions as they require CO2 to live much like plants on land. On the contrary, studies have shown that a more acidic environment has a negative effect on calcifying species, such as oysters, clams, sea urchins, corals, calcareous plankton and many more. When shelled organisms are at risk, the entire food web is also at risk. Currently, over a billion people worldwide rely on food from the ocean as their primary source of protein. Many jobs and economies throughout the world depend on the fish and shellfish in our…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coral Reef Structure
    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Coral Reef Structure

    Over the last few years there has also been a large rise in climate causing the oceans to heat up. The oceans heating up cause the carbon dioxide in the water to rise causing a bleaching effect on the coral, which is extremely dangerous because it prevents the coral from growing and causes them to calcify. This issue has caused many conservationist to worry about the future of reefs. According to National Geographic this is becoming a large problem because of how long it takes coral to actually mature. "That spells trouble for corals, which often take 15 years to reach sexual maturity and reproduce only once a year" (As Oceans Heat Up, a Race to Save World's Coral Reefs). National Geographic along with other programs have started many conservations and programs to help slow down the dying rate of the reefs. A biological oceanographer at the University of Miami gave this quote to National Geographic, "So a lot of our efforts are to give first aid to buy time until we can fix the problem, like CO2 [levels]. We can make a difference. It's not that hard" (As Oceans Heat Up, A Race to Save World's Coral Reefs). This just shows that with everyone's help we can all change the future of these…

    • 1471 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Coral Reef Research Paper
    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Coral Reef Research Paper

    The food web is one of the quality things about a coral reef; without the shark, its food web would be off balance. Even though coral reefs are located in different areas within the ocean and they are different shapes and sizes, the food web remains the same. Among the different types of coral reefs, fringing reefs or shore reefs are the most common. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s secret treasures; without it the world wouldn’t have the underwater beauty that it holds. Unfortunately, climate change could affect the loss of coral reefs and the ocean wouldn’t be what it is today. Not only can climate change affect the life of a coral reef, but a human’s touch can damage it too. Just think of a coral reef as a house to humans; the humans would want to maintain the reef just like they maintain their houses. With that being said, protect the coral…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Effects Of Ocean Acidification
    • 224 Words
    • 1 Page

    Effects Of Ocean Acidification

    Oceans, lakes and rivers absorb 30 to 40% of the carbon dioxide produced by the human population. Ocean acidification has been a rising issue for the last three decades, and oceanographers have been studying the carbon dioxide effects on the ocean throughout that time. It is becoming increasingly problematic because the levels of carbon dioxide being emitted into the environment are greater. In the last 200 years, the ocean has become 30% more acidic because as more carbon dioxide is dissolved into the water, the more acidic the water gets. This is destroying the marine life that has had a stable pH level of ocean water for thousands of years. The oysters have been highly affected by the ocean acidification.…

    • 224 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Environmental Effects On Coral Reefs
    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Environmental Effects On Coral Reefs

    Coral reefs have been dubbed the “rainforests of the oceans”, because of the rich diversity of life they support, as more than one quarter of all marine animals depend upon coral reefs. Coral reefs are also a source of food and income for millions of people. The coral reef ecosystems benefit humans commercially, recreationally and environmentally. Without them many tourism based industries would collapse, treatments or cures for some illnesses would disappear, and the countless organisms they support would be left without food or shelter. For these reasons and numerous others, it is vital that we protect coral reefs.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Global Warming Artifact
    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Global Warming Artifact

    Ever since the beginning of time, Earth’s oceans have maintained a stable acidity. Oceans currently absorb a third of human carbon dioxide emissions at about twenty two million tons each day (Ocean). The carbon dioxide that has been consumed by oceans, slowly turns into carbonic acid which affects the lives of many aquatic life. Continuous emissions of these gases will raise the acidity by 0.5 pH levels by the end of the century; the increase in acidity causes aquatic shell growth come to a halt (Ocean). This rise in oceanic acidity affects lives of aquatic creatures…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics