Ocean Becoming More Acidic, Potentially Threatening Marine Life

ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2009) A dramatic increase in carbon dioxide levels is making the world's ocean more acidic, which may adversely affect the survival of marine life and organisms that depend on them, such as humans. The article "Off Balance Ocean" is scheduled for the Feb. 23 issue of Chemical & Engineering News.
In the article, C&EN Associate Editor Rachel Petkewich notes that the increased use of fossil fuels has caused levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to nearly double since the Industrial Revolution. The ocean absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide about 22 million tons a day causing the water's pH to decrease or acidify. The pH scale measures how acidic or alkaline substances are. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic. A pH greater than 7 is alkaline. The ocean's pH is currently about 8.1, down from 8.2 in the 18th century, the article notes. Scientists project that the ocean's pH will fall by about 0.3 more units in the next 50 to 100 years. Researchers worldwide are now reporting that these lower pH levels could affect many aspects of the biochemistry, development, and reproduction of marine organisms, including jellyfish, sea anemones, plankton, and coral. Lower pH levels may even affect the ability of the ocean to transmit sound, which could affect the way some mammals communicate by sonar, the article notes. "To what extent the oceans will continue to acidify is uncertain and whether marine organisms can adapt to the changes in store also remains to be seen," the article notes.

First Ocean Acidification Buoy Installed in Alaska Waters

ScienceDaily (May 12, 2011) A new set of buoys in Alaska waters will help scientists understand how climate change may be affecting the pH level of northern seas. Researchers placed the first buoy last month.
"This is the first dedicated ocean acidification mooring to be deployed in a high latitude coastal sea," said Jeremy Mathis, principal investigator for the project and an assistant professor of chemical oceanography at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. "Other moorings have been deployed with ocean acidification sensors, but this is the first complete package in Alaska." The first buoy is at the mouth of Resurrection Bay, near Seward. It was assembled at UAF's Seward Marine Center with the help of Chris Sabine, a senior scientist and co-principal investigator at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. A second buoy will be deployed in the Bering Sea this month, and a third in the Chukchi Sea in October. The data collected by the buoys will be sent to scientists in real time via satellite. The top of each buoy floats at the ocean's surface and the bottom is anchored to the seafloor. Each buoy contains two sets of instruments. The first set, at the water's surface, measures the water's acidity or alkalinity, or pH, as well as water temperature, carbon dioxide levels and other data. The second set of instruments, near the bottom, collects data on pH, carbon dioxide, temperature, salinity and other information. Ocean acidification is the term used to describe increasing acidity in the world's oceans. As carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere, the ocean absorbs it like a sponge, making seawater more acidic. Scientists estimate that the ocean is 25 percent more acidic today than it was 300 years ago. According to Mathis, the coastal seas around Alaska are more susceptible to ocean acidification because of unique circulation patterns and colder temperatures. These factors increase the transport of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into surface waters. Mathis adds that the buoy will also help scientists determine how seawater pH changes throughout the seasons. "We know that there is quite a bit of variability in the water throughout the year and right now all we have are snapshots from our cruises. Sometimes we find water that is acidic enough to potentially be harmful to certain organisms, but we don't know how long it persists or how extensive it is," he said. With support from the North Pacific Research Board and NOAA, Mathis and Sabine have built systems that can begin to close the information gap on ocean acidification in Alaska's commercially important coastal regions. "These buoys are really going to provide some new insights and understanding for ocean acidification in the Pacific-Arctic region," said Mathis. "We know that these areas are going to experience a dramatic change in pH over the coming decades and, given the importance of the fisheries, we have to stay out in front of any potential disruptions that could be caused by rising carbon dioxide levels."

The first buoy is at the mouth of Resurrection Bay, near Seward. It was assembled at UAF's Seward Marine Center with the help of Chris Sabine, a senior scientist and co-principal investigator at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Alaska Fairbanks)