Ocean Acidification Lab Report

“Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed some 525 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, presently around 22 million tons per day” (Ocean Portal, n.d). This number is expected to increase forevermore as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels increase and the effects of Climate Change worsen. At first, the idea of our oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere may sound great, however, scientists have been quick to learn otherwise. High concentrations of carbon dioxide in oceans can have detrimental effects on the ocean chemistry and marine ecosystems (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Marine ecosystems are greatly complex and depend on every marine organism to function properly, any change can put the whole ecosystem at risk. For example, the increase of carbon dioxide in our oceans is responsible for the dissolving of “brittle star” skeletal parts, which has in effect caused food scarcity for many fish, crabs, shrimp, and other starfish (Leu, 2013). Furthermore, these marine ecosystems are very important to humans- being the primary food source for millions around the world and having an economic market worth trillions of dollars (Hardt; Safina, 2008). Part of keeping these ecosystems safe is to understand how they work and how projected changes can harm marine organisms.

Not all phytoplankton taxa are expected to respond the same to ocean acidification. Some taxa respond negatively to ocean acidification. The coupling of atmospheric CO2 with ocean carbonate affects carbonate secreting and calcifying marine organisms (Hannisdal 2012). The haptophyta and myzozoa

The map above shows a depiction of aragonite saturation, a form of calcium carbonate that many marine species also rely on to build their protective shells. It is anticipated that a high volume of species relying on carbonate ions to form outer layers and exoskeletons will be negatively affected by the changing chemistry of seawater. Even a slight drop in pH levels will mean higher concentrations of hydrogen ions will be available to bond with carbonate ions, forming more bicarbonate than normal. Marine calcifying species are this put at a higher risk for predation. Ocean researchers and marine biologists are hopeful that some marine species that calcify for survival will be able to adapt to the changing pH levels in the oceans. Others are not so optimistic, and expect that an acidic oceanic environment may result in mass extinction and serious disruptions to aquatic food chains.

Since industrialization, the pH of ocean surface water has decreased 0.1 units, resulting to a 30 percent increase in acidity. Under the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) emission scenarios, the pH of seawater will approximately decline by 0.3-0.4 units in the year 2100, reaching a pH in the range of 7.76-7.86 units, therefore the oceans and any other source of water are on the verge of becoming slightly acidic which could result to many biological complications. Ocean acidification occurs in multiple steps but revolves around hydro carbons and their process of life in the ocean. For instance increasing the amount of carbon dioxide concentrations in oceans accelerates the diffusion of terrestrial rocks. As a result, calcium and carbonate are released into the ocean and, in recent studies, these conditions release counteracted

Introduction Ocean acidification, the process by which the pH of seawater decreases from the current state. This process can be potentially dangerous as if the pH decrease to far it can negatively affect a number of ocean-based species. The effects of ocean acidification on a number of different species have been studies with some emphasis on mussels and other species that grow shells. For as Fitzer et al. discovered with the Mytilus edulis or blue mussel, increasing the carbon dioxide content in the water and thus the pH led to the Mytilus edulis developing a rounder and thinner shell which makes the mussel more likely to experience breaking in the shell as a result of the weakening of the shell structure (Fitzer et al.).

Background Information – I decided to conduct this laboratory experiment, because I lived in Beaufort, SC. There is a beach in Beaufort and as a child I would pick up shells on the seashore. My family always went to the beach growing up, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a good vacation spot and a place for people to have fun. Seeing the sea life is a part of the experience when going to the beach. The increasing ocean acidification is worrying, because it harms sea life that have calcium carbonate shells. One day the shells will be dull in color and brittle, because the calcium carbonate has been eroded by acidic water. Anthropogenic emissions that are released into

Even though this experiment may sound insignificant, it can be used for a real world application. When carbon dioxide is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that reduce seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals. This is called ocean acidification, OA for short. Carbon pollution is warming the climate, but it is also making oceans more acidic. Oceans absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide, humans produce this by burning fossil fuels each year, that is changing their basic chemistry. This can be bad for creatures in the ocean that have calcium carbonate in their shells or skeletons, this includes mollusks, crabs, and corals. Those creatures are having a hard time living as the sea is changing because of the acidic water, it makes it harder for them to grow their shells. It's not just creatures with shells, if you live in the ocean bad things could still

Currently, ocean acidification affects the world’s oceans. Today, many people worldwide rely on food from the ocean. Also, many jobs around the world depend on the fish industry. One question asked was “How are marine plants affected by ocean acidification?” Dr. Cigliano responded that plants and seagrasses thrive under acidic conditions because of the higher CO2 conditions in the ocean.

The article of “ocean acidification” has been written by Elizabeth Kolbert for the magazine of National Geographic. In this magazine article, the author has expressed grave concerns regarding the increasing problem of acidification of oceans. The author is of the view that the issue of ocean acidification should be taken very seriously as this problem is irreversible and, if it occurs, it cannot be controlled.

The issue on ocean acidification is popularizing but what exactly is ocean acidification? It occurs when carbon dioxide is absorbed in the ocean’s waters from then on a series of chemical reactions take place which lowers the ocean’s water pH, carbonate ion concentration, as well as the saturation states of the calcium carbonate minerals ( “What is Ocean Acidification?”). Since we are addressing the issue on ocean acidification we will touch on the marine creatures that are harmed and will possibly be harmed due to the acidification of the seawater. A background of the chemicals involved as well the beneficial usage of the chemicals will be described in order to address the solution to this environmental problem.

Ocean acidification is a big problem in society but hasn’t been given the recognition needed. Before the industrial era began, the average pH at the ocean surface was estimated at 8.2 (slightly basic; 7.0 is neutral). In 2013 the average pH level was 8.1. Although the change may seem insignificant, similar natural shifts have taken 5,000 to 10,000 years but because of societal development this change occurred between 50 to 80 years. It was hypothesised that by the lowering the PH level of the experiment water it will have a decomposing effect on the organisms (shells).Three shells were placed in separate beakers with different levels of pH and were tested for the changes of mass (intervals of 2 to 3 days). Sample 2 of the experiment showed

A more acidic ocean negatively affects the health of many marine species, as well as plankton, mollusks, and other shellfish. Specifically, corals can be very sensitive to rising acidity. Iit is difficult for them to create and maintain the skeletal structures needed for their support and protection. Corals in the Florida Keys, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories are likely to experience extensive losses if carbon dioxide continues to rise in the atmosphere at their current rate. With higher sea surface temperatures, it increases the risks of coral bleaching.

Both climate change and ocean acidification, consequences of changes in water lifer cycle due to the absorption of anthropogenic CO2 in our atmosphere. The carbonic acid that gets formed decreases the PH and concentration of carbonate ion, building blocks of the shells and skeletons for many marine organisms. This is tipping the balance of biodiversity and ecosystems. Time-series records of ocean carbon chemistry over the past 25 years show clear trends of increasing ocean carbon and decreasing pH in lockstep with

When carbon dioxide is being absorbed by seawater, the pH levels decrease along with carbonate ion concentration and critically important calcium

coral survival, growth and reproduction leaving corals bright white. Furthermore, climate change alters the carbon dioxide concertation within the ocean causing variation of pH level through which ocean become more acidic. This event is referred to as ocean acidification. When this occurs, the corals are unable to absorb calcium carbonate needed for skeletal maintenance (Freiwald, et al., 2004). In addition, human population dynamics have increased through the 21th