OCEAN ACIDIFICATION: THE SILENT CRISIS THREATENING MARINE LIFE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Ocean acidification is often dubbed as the evil twin of climate change, and rightly so. The ocean is the planet's biggest carbon sink. Since we have started burning fossil fuels and started producing CO2, half of it has been absorbed by the ocean.

- SHREYAS GOWDA

Carbon dioxide combines with seawater to produce carbonic acid. The reaction also leads to increased concentration of hydrogen ions in the water. These hydrogen ions increase the pH level of water, making it more acidic.

The average seawater is 30% more acidic than it was at the start of the industrial age. By the end of the century, the ocean's pH levels could reach 7.8. At the start of the industrial revolution, the pH was 8.2.

RAMIFICATIONS

There are several ill effects entailing such a disastrous calamity. Ocean acidity, first and foremost, threatens the biodiversity of the sea. Marine ecosystems such as coral reefs protect shorelines from storms and hurricanes, preventing possible property damage and loss of human life.

Acidification leads to the formation of corrosive habitats for sea creatures. Calcifying organisms like the oysters, mussels, shellfish, and coral in the sea need carbonates to build and strengthen their shells.