CSB #1: The Other Carbon Dioxide Problem

Definitions:

• Ocean Acidification: The process through which the ocean becomes more acidic because of the reaction between carbon dioxide and water, which creates carbonic acid.

• Copepod: A copepod is a small crustacean found in almost every freshwater system and many saltwater systems. They are food for salmon.

• Paleontology: The study of organisms from the distant past, based in geology, i.e. the study of fossilized bones or imprints of plants in layers of sediment.

Summary:

The ocean is undergoing a process of acidification because the CO2 in the air is reacting with the ocean water and creating carbonic acid. The ocean is taking in about 1/3 of total CO2 emissions, decreasing global warming, but it comes at a high price. Many of the ocean's animals cannot survive the rapid changes in pH that the ocean is undergoing, and reproduction rates are being harmed, possibly resulting in extinction. Experiments performed on copepods, snails, sea urchins, and brittlestar show that the struggle to match changing pH inside the organisms' bodies diminishes their capacity to grow and to reproduce. Below: a copepod.

Because the pH change is occurring so quickly, with a 30% increase in acidity since the industrial revolution, many species will not be able to adapt quickly enough and may not survive. Extinction of marine species would disrupt marine food chains, and this disruption would eventually reach humans. Action must be taken to decrease carbon emission levels, not only for global warming, but to decrease ocean acidification as well.

Discussion:

Disruption of the marine food chains could hurt humans in many ways. Certain species of copepods are food for salmon and other common eating fish. Extinction of salmon would severely hurt the economy through ending salmon companies and would hurt the human population, since food levels would go down. Unfortunately, salmon is not alone; oyster farmers are also having difficulty finding enough young oysters to stay in business. Additionally, the ocean is taking in less CO2 as it becomes saturated, meaning that the rate of global warming will increase. Some consequences of global warming are worldwide flooding, loss of many species, and enlarging the hole in the ozone layer, exposing the earth to harmful radiation. Clearly, ocean acidification and human wellbeing are interlocked, and I think that people need to pay more attention to this problem.

Questions:

1) Why does increase in pH cause the parts of the reproduction system to slow?

2) How long, on average, do most smaller marine animals take to adapt to changes in their environment?

3) Would slowing the process of acidification prevent losing some species?

Resources:

http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=104&sid=06b4381b-afb4-4b29-a9a9-86ca74570f32%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sch&AN=52112093

Hardt, Marah J., and Carl Safina. "Threatening Ocean Life from the Inside Out." Scientific American 

     Aug. 2010: 66-73. Scientific Research Center. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. 

     ehost/
detail?vid=3&hid=104&sid=06b4381b-afb4-4b29-a9a9-86ca74570f32%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Qtb 

     Gl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=sch&AN=52112093>. 

"Hudson County Mosquito Control." Hudson Regional Health Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. 
     . CITING IMAGE OF COPEPOD.