https://www.savecoastalwildlife.org/ocean-acidification
"Ocean acidification is a term used to describe a reduction of the average pH
in the ocean. pH stands for potential or power of hydrogen with the “p” meaning
potential or power and the “H” standing for hydrogen. The pH scale is a common
and worldwide scale that is used to rank how basic or acidic a solution may be
based on the amount of hydrogen ion activity in the solution.
The pH scale usually measures a substance from 1 to 14. The scale, however, is
logarithmic. Each whole pH value below 7 (the pH of pure water) is ten times
more acidic than the higher value and each whole pH value above 7 is ten times
less acidic than the one below it. For example, a pH of 3 is ten times more
acidic than a pH of 4 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than a pH value
of 5. A pH near 7 is considered to be neutral.
As concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increase, a majority of
this CO2 is being absorbed by the ocean, as over 70 percent of Plant Earth is
blue and made up of water. This triggers a series of chemical reactions that
ultimately will lead to lower pH in seawater.
When carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed from the atmosphere into the ocean, it
reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, making the ocean more acidic. The
excess CO2 humans emit from the burning of fossil fuels and other activities
not only leads to warming temperatures, it produces an ocean that is more
acidic.
According to NOAA, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the pH of
surface ocean waters has fallen by 0.1 pH units. Since the pH scale, like the
Richter scale, is logarithmic, this change represents approximately a 30
percent increase in acidity (see our
pH primer web page for more
information). Future predictions indicate that the oceans will continue to
absorb carbon dioxide, further increasing ocean acidity. Estimates of future
carbon dioxide levels, based on business as usual emission scenarios, indicate
that by the end of this century the surface waters of the ocean could have
acidity levels nearly 150 percent higher, resulting in a pH that the oceans
haven’t experienced for more than 20 million years."
Via Diane A.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
