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DeliciousWashington (global-adventures.us): The chemistry of oceans around the globe is changing rapidly. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) absorbed from the atmosphere makes the water more acidic, a new study called "Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean" published by the National Research Council (NRC) concludes.
"Like climate change, ocean acidification is a growing global problem that will intensify with continued CO2 emissions and has the potential to change marine ecosystems and affect benefits to society," the study says. "The average pH of ocean surface waters has decreased by about 0.1 unit - from about 8.2 to 8.1 - since the beginning of the industrial revolution, with model projections showing an additional 0.2 - 0.3 drop by the end of the century, even under optimistic scenarios."
The current rate of change exceeds any known change in ocean chemistry over the last 800,000 years. However, the long term consequences these changes may have are not fully understood. Researchers have sounded alarms about the potential impact the increased ocean acidity may have on the marine life and "…changes in many ecosystems and the services they provide to society appear likely based on current understanding," the study says.
Scientists believe that increased acidity may affect physiological processes in organisms such as photosynthesis, growth, and reproduction. The study warns that "some of the strongest evidence of the potential impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems comes from experiments on calcifying organisms; acidifying seawater to various extents has been shown to affect the formation and dissolution of calcium carbonate shells and skeletons in a range of marine organisms including reef-building corals, commercially-important mollusks such as oysters and mussels, and many phytoplankton and zooplankton species that form the base of marine food webs."
The NRC recommends creating an ocean acidification program to monitor conditions and coordinate international, national and regional efforts to counter the changes. Standards should be developed to ensure data-consistency. All data should be processed in a data management office to ensure consistent quality, access and archiving of research and observational findings.
