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Essay / The effects of ocean acidification - 623
Did you know that the ocean absorbs 30 percent of carbon dioxide? Which we, as humanity, release into the air by burning fossil fuels. Which triggers a chemical reaction to occur. The oceans are alkaline, with a pH of 8.06. We use the term ocean acidification to refer to the shift toward the acidic end of the scale as carbon dioxide is dissolved, resulting in an increase in [h+] and a decrease in seawater pH . So, what is ocean acidification? Ocean acidification is the mixture of carbon dioxide, water, carbonate ions, and bicarbonate ions. This is essentially the continued decrease in the pH of Earth's oceans, caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. “Ocean acidification is destined to be one of the greatest problems humanity has ever faced. » Did you know that by 2050, all coral reefs could be destroyed? This means it could soon potentially disrupt other ocean habitats, ecosystem food chains and fisheries. So why is ocean acidification happening? Well, it's because of too much carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere by humans. W...