Ocean Acidification
· Since
industrial revolution, CO2 concentrations have increased due to burning of
fossil fuels and land use change
· Ocean
absorbs 30% of carbon dioxide that is released into atmosphere
o
As atmospheric levels increase so do the
levels in the ocean
· A
lot happens when CO2 is absorbed by seawater
o
Chain of chemical reactions
o
Higher level of hydrogen ions
o
Becomes more acidic and carbonate ions
become less abundant
· Carbonate
ions
o
Building blocks of structures
§ Sea
shells and coral
o
Less of these makes it harder for the
building and maintaining of shells
§ Oysters,
clams, sea urchins, shallow and deep corals, and calcareous plankton
o
Also affects fish
§ Ability
to detect predators decreases in more acidic waters
· Affecting
the world’s oceans
o
Whole food chain may be at risk
o
Many places depend of fish and shellfish
as primary source of protein
Dylan, this is an important issue of the day and a strong topic. Looking forward to learning more about how you plan to visualize this in your two Photoshop images. Are you thinking about one image related to how sea life is effected and a second related to the effects on communities and cultures?
ReplyDeleteYes, i plan to show how the sea life would be affected and how communities who focus primarily on the ocean as a way of life would be affected.
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