The Effect Of Global Warming On The Ocean ' Essay

Over the years Carbon Dioxide has been significantly increasing from human activity. CO2 has a concentration of about 400 ppmv (parts per million volume). Its concentration in the atmosphere was about 280 ppmv before the Industrial Revolution, now it has increased immensely to about 380 ppmv in 2006. Many have said Carbon Dioxide has been the main reason or cause of global warming; saying that if we produce too much of this greenhouse gas it can create a global climate change. Even though carbon dioxide affects the temperature of the atmosphere it also affects the acidity of water specifically in the ocean.

This increase in oceanic inorganic carbon has offset the seawater carbonate chemistry by causing increasing concentrations of CO2 and bicarbonate, while causing decreasing concentrations of carbonate and pH levels (Dedmer 2013). Rost and colleagues (2008) express that emissions of fossil fuel have caused an immense increase in the levels of atmospheric CO2, which are then deposited into the surface water of oceans. This increase in carbonic acid is in turn decreasing the pH balance, which poses a threat to marine organisms.

Climate change is affecting oceans tremendously. Threats faced by the ocean planet seem uncontrollable. In the face of overfishing, pollution, and climate change it may seem like a drop in the bucket. With the amount of light reaching onto the shore, plants should be reduced in order for the rising sea levels to fall. Oceans have also absorbed tons of carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere causing ocean acidification. Coral bleaching is caused by high water temperatures leading to coral death, and can turn into a negative impact on the entire coral ecosystem. We intend to provide options a single person can take in order to help the cause and make a difference. Our mission is to conserve the Earth’s living heritage, our global

Approximately 3.9% of excess carbon is produced outside of the natural carbon cycle, this is largely due to deforestation and human activities. As CO2 is able to strongly absorb infrared radiation it prevents the radiation from leaving the troposphere which results in an increase in the planetary temperature. Furthermore, only 30-35% of chemical energy from carbon is transformed into the required forms of energy, the remaining energy is lost as heat1. It is currently estimated that by 2050 the rise in CO2 and other greenhouse gases will result in a global temperature rise of 0.7-1.5˚C2, although this does not seem like much

Most of the CO2 that enters the atmosphere dissolves into the ocean, as close to a third of the CO2 produced from human activities since 1800 and approximately half produced by burning fossil fuels are consumed into the ocean (Sabine et al. 2004). Increased CO2 in the atmosphere is one of the main causes of our changing climate change (NOAA, 2011). Global ocean temperatures have risen by 0.74oC (1.3oF) since the late 19th century. With the increasing rate of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions have been predicted to rise to approximately 4.0oC (7.2oF) this century (NOAA, 2016). Just the tropical upper oceans alone have warmed more than 0.01oC per year over the past 50 years and the warming rate is still increasing (NOAA, 2010).

The Earth is a very miniscule piece in a much grander puzzle called the universe. Within that tiny rock in space are complicated systems that help to sustain life. The atmosphere surrounding us is a mixture of many different components. It is composed of roughly 78% nitrogen, about 21% oxygen, and about 1% other, which includes carbon, the most fundamental element on Earth (Hopkins 2010). Carbon is present in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (Hopkins 2010). Carbon dioxide may have a small presence in the earth 's atmosphere but it plays an important role in the processes within the ocean, having a huge influence over the chemistry of seawater carbonate and its equilibrium process (Hopkins 2010). One way it impacts the ocean is via a process called ocean acidification. Carbon dioxide is a compound that can be found in nature, but the elevated carbon dioxide levels caused by humans can have a lot of unintended consequences, particularly to the seawater carbonate chemistry (Hopkins 2010).

When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, reacts with seawater, producing carbonic acid, which increases the acidity of water.  Increasing carbon dioxide emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels for energy, have made ocean acidification 30% increase compared to pre-industrial levels. This has caused the pH of surface waters of the oceans has fallen 0.1 units.  If carbon emissions continue to increase at the current

“In 2013, CO2 accounted for about 82% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. Carbon dioxide is naturally present in the atmosphere as part of the Earth's carbon cycle the natural circulation of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals” (Worldwatch Institute). Scientists are very concerned about this environmental crisis because they think that this can lead up to a massive problem in the upcoming years. We need to act quickly for the following reasons, it is a threat not just humans but also animals on land and also the sea life and plants. It is a threat to animals because C02 emissions lead to global warming, which leads to the rising of sea level and the animals that live on the ice lose their place to live. It heavily affects sea life because

This threatens coral ecosystems, mussels, clams, and dozens of other species just on the ocean acidification side by weakening their protective barriers and altering the pH of the water. Polar bears, sea turtles, right whales, African elephants, and frogs are just some of the few animals being driven to extinction right now because of climate change. Obviously, these species are not dying off for no reason: the big bad guy is the results of rising levels of c02 due to human’s mass consumption of it for transportation, electricity, and industry. And scientists agree – “99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities,” says the Center for Biological Diversity, adding that global warming is one of the three main abusers. Ocean acidification is global warming’s “equally evil twin”, as Elizabeth Kolbert writes in her novel The Sixth Extinction. Clearly, human’s c02 waste is causing environmental issues that threaten and eventually extinguish plant and animal

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, when humans began burning fossil fuel in large quantities, the world’s ocean water has gradually become more acidic even though this problem have only been noticed in the last decade. “Enough fossil fuels have been burned to emit more than 500 billion tons of Carbon Dioxide.” (National Geographic 2014) Of those 500 billion tons, 30% of the carbon dioxide dissolved into the oceans based on a research project that collected more than 77,000 seawater samples around the world. While this process might be beneficial for slowing down climate change, it can lead to ocean acidification, which is another global issue that’s threatening our world.

3) Due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the world's oceans are 30% more acidic now than before the industrial revolution. Cold oceans, like those in the Arctic, are acidifying twice as fast as average impacting coral reefs, shellfish and plankton to name a few.

Studies show that even small changes in carbon dioxide levels cause significant shifts in global temperature (2). Since the beginning of the twentieth century, human activity has added 925 billion tons of CO2 to the atmosphere (Goldfarb 341). The slow removal of CO2 from the atmosphere is largely accomplished through biological and chemical processes in the ocean, which can take up to centuries (Schneider 102).

Without the regulation of carbon dioxide the excess CO2 that is emitted by civilians and companies, disrupts mother nature’s carbon cycle. The carbon cycle, in simple words, is the process in which carbon and CO2 is recycled through earth’s environment, so it is no surprise that we pollute the ocean as much as we pollute the sky because they are both part of the environment we live on. Global Warming has enormous effects on the ocean, up to 30-40% of the carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere gets dissolved into oceans, rivers, and lakes (Millero, Frank J. (1995)). The new intake of CO2 into the bodies of water reacts with the water to form carbonic acid, which starts a process called ocean

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a type of odorless and colorless gas that can be either manmade or naturally made. Carbon dioxide is a vital greenhouse gas; in moderation. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased significantly. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is leading to global warming, ocean acidification and a multitude of many problems. In a report released from NASA, the scientist state that “that human-made carbon dioxide (CO2) continues to increase above levels not seen in hundreds of thousands of years: currently, about half of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels remains in the atmosphere and is not absorbed by vegetation and the oceans”. The current assessment of carbon dioxide in the air is 402 parts per million (ppm). One PPM is equivalent to one microgram/one kilogram (0.6 of a mile). Scientist claims that it needs to be brought down to 350 ppm to even start

Water takes up a larger percentage of the surface of our Earth than does land. The earth’s oceans are vital aspects to our environment and it is necessary that we take care of them. On another note, global warming is an issue that is having effects on almost all aspects of our environment. Global warming itself means a gradual increase in the temperature of our Earth’s atmosphere over large periods of time. There is evidence that global warming has occurred in the atmosphere, however, now we are beginning to see its effects in the world’s oceans, as well. Though some may not see the connection that it has with the oceans, it has had quite a profound effect on our Earth’s oceans. As I mentioned before, oceans are environments that must