The authenticity of global warming
is a heated topic with many believing that we can never conclusively prove that
climate change is caused by humans or it’s not happening at all. Skeptics
argue that there is no proof or that the science is not accurate. However the
acidification of the oceans disproves their main arguments. Acidification is a
decrease in the pH level of the ocean; this creates complications for many of
the creatures living there.
The
acidification of the oceans is a very simple chemical reaction that is natural
and generally without negative consequences in small
quantities. However when excessive amounts of carbon dioxide are in
contact with water, they react to create carbonic acid in this chemical
reaction CO2 + H2O ⬄H2CO3. The arrow between the reactants and the products (facing the
left and right) means that some of the products will convert back to reactants,
so not all of the water turns to acid. Then the carbonic acid (the product of
the reaction) disassociates into H+ ions (acid)
and HCO3- (base). The acid is neutralized when it reacts with a base,
usually carbonate that naturally occurs in the ocean (CO32-). While the
neutralization of the acid may sound like a good thing, by taking out the
carbonate from the environment, this prevents tiny creatures from using the
carbonate to make their shells. Without the necessary minerals to protect
themselves, many of these organisms die off. (Raven) Unfortunately this causes a
devastating chain reaction, as these creatures are the base organism for many
food chains, meaning many organisms survive off eating them or eating something
that eats them.
One
of the main arguments presented against global warming, is that in the last
twenty to thirty years, the climate has not changed a significant amount. (Ferrara) Carbon
dioxide is a heat trapping gas so by that definition, the disbelievers claim it
should heat up the earth more than it has been. However, according to the
experts at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, half of
the carbon dioxide produced by cars and coal is dissolved in the ocean. This
reduces the amount of heating carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. This
in turn could possibly reduce the temperature of the global climate and
possibly skew predictions. Since the generally increasing global temperature
has caused melting of ice at the poles, the volume of the oceans have also
risen, creating more water for the carbon dioxide to be absorbed. This becomes
a vicious cycle. source?
Another
claim made by skeptics is that humans do not cause global warming; in fact that
it is just a natural increase in the earth’s levels of carbon dioxide.(Nuccitelli) However,
according to NOAA, over the past two hundred years, the pH of the ocean has
decreased by .1, which converts to approximately a thirty percent decrease. (NOAA) The
pH scale is a measure of acidity from one to fourteen, closer to one is acidic,
closer to fourteen is basic, and seven is neutral. The pH of the oceans has
actually been decreasing steadily since the industrial
revolution. This correlates directly with humans first starting to
produce chemicals and materials on a larger scale and using coal and carbon
based fuels to run their machines. The burning of these carbon-based fuels
created more carbon dioxide than had ever been produced naturally or
unnaturally before.
Ocean
acidification also indicates the detrimental effects increased carbon dioxide
can have one the environment. It has an effect on everything from the tiny
plankton to the larger organisms such as fish or marine mammals. These larger
fish might have a harder time breathing and reproducing because of increased
carbon dioxide. Even worse, if this species was a keystone species,
a species that without it the ecosystem would be very different or not exist at
all, and starts to die off, it could have drastic consequences to the
ecosystem. For example, sea otters are a keystone species, and when they became
endangered, the sea urchin population skyrocketed. Due to this loss of a
predator, the sea urchin’s competitors were greatly out-numbered, could not get
enough food, and began to die off. Then the sea urchin began eating all the
kelp and became one of the only surviving species in the ecosystem. (National Geographic) This
example proves that a change in the pH could cause a chain reaction that
affects many ecosystems. The beautiful diverse ecosystem of the ocean could
become a habitat overrun by a single specie.
I
have lived less than half a mile from the ocean my whole life. Watching the
ocean is something that brings me clarity. At night hearing the
seals barking soothes me. Right now, at the rate humans are going in polluting
the earth, the acidity of the ocean will continue to destroy the habitat. I
feel I have an obligation to the next generation and more generations after
that to keep in good condition something that brings me so much joy.
Works Cited
Ferrara, Peter. "Sorry Global Warming Alarmists, The Earth Is
Cooling." Forbes. Forbes
Magazine, 31 May 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
Nuccitelli, Dana. "The Top Ten Global Warming 'skeptic'
Arguments Answered." The
Guardian, 6 May 2014. Web. 15 Feb. 2015
Raven, John. Ocean Acidification Due to Increasing
Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide. London:
Royal Society, 2005. NOAA, June 2005. Eprint. Web. 16 Feb. 2015
NOAA. "Ocean
Acidification." Ocean Acidification. NOAA, Web. 14 Feb. 2015.
National Geographic "Keystone
Species." National Geographic Education. National Geographic, Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
