39 Steps to understanding Ocean Acidification

Plymouth marine scientists have joined with international colleagues to help educate the public about "ocean acidification," the scientific details of which are intricate and sometimes counterintuitive. Twenty-seven scientists from five countries worked together to produce and distribute a document to provide accessible and accurate answers to the most commonly asked questions about this growing problem. Four of those scientists are engaged in ocean acidification research in Plymouth, UK. "Ocean acidification is caused by ocean uptake of anthropogenic CO2; it is a global issue and is happening now, it is measurable, and it will continue as more CO2 is emitted," says Carol Turley of Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the knowledge transfer co-ordinator of the UK Ocean Acidification Research Programme. " Already ocean acidity has increased by 30% and by 2100, if we continue emitting CO2 at the same rate, ocean acidity would have increased by 150%. Such a monumental alteration in basic ocean chemistry is likely to have wide implications for ocean life, especially for those organisms that require calcium carbonate to build shells or skeletons." University of Plymouth researcher Jason Hall-Spencer's studies have provided a glimpse of what the future might look like for the marine environment if ocean acidification continues to increase: "By investigating how life copes around submarine volcanic vents emitting CO2, we have seen that some seaweed species actually thrive, but over the longer term the environment is degraded, alien algae move in and coastal habitats are disrupted.