The 800 lb. Gorilla in the Ocean

When most of us think of climate change and global warming we think of the atmosphere –  warmest decades on record recently, atmospheric CO₂ at record levels and climbing, increased floods, droughts, hurricanes, melting glaciers, etc.  When we do speak about the oceans, it is typically about heat content, Arctic ice melt, and sea level rise. However, the 800 lb. gorilla in the room just might be ocean acidification.

The ocean has absorbed about half of all the anthropogenic (human) carbon emissions since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (Doney, 2006).  The CO₂ that the oceans absorb is causing a lower pH which means the oceans are moving toward more acidic conditions.  The consequences could be dire.