Oceanography Media Reports

Posted by Winnie Melda on November 16th, 2018

Marine Pollution through Ocean Acidification

            According to the Huffpost Green reports, more than 97 % of the climate scientists state that the addition of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere has an effect on the climate. The gases trap heat from the sun and raise the average temperatures on the planet. The result is a plethora of inhospitable weather that distracts the living creatures. The process of global warming has a significant effect on the ocean and makes it more corrosive. The ocean absorbs an approximate of 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. According to the World Meteorological Organization, countries emitted about 40 billion tons of carbon in 2013 which is the highest concentration since 1984 (Nahigyan, 2016).

            It’s a bad revelation for the climate, and even worse to the ocean. The information relates to the class discussion on ocean pollution. Oceans absorb the carbon dioxide and convert it to carbonic acid. The industrial revolution led to increased carbon emission that unbalanced the ecosystem. The PH level of the surface waters has dropped from 8.18 to 8.07 which is a significant shift for the last 300 million years. The increased acid in the ocean means inadequate calcium. Calcium is a major ingredient in the shells of many marine species, and the lack of it makes fewer shellfish to survive to adulthood. A report by one of the Oyster farms in Washington State showed that oyster production declined by 42 % within ten years (Nahigyan, 2016). Carbonic acid also dissolves limestone making it difficult for coral to grow (Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, et al., 2007). It reduces the production of the pteropods and other zooplankton at the bottom of the food chain that affects the marine life. The outlined effects are a few of the many negative impacts of acidification on the marine environment and the related systems. 

            An oceanographer would find the article to be of interest in the assessment of the effect of ocean pollution to the marine life and other life forms depending on the ocean. It would be of interest to understand the impact of the uncontrolled ocean acidification to the entire ecosystem. A scientist would want to know the effect of increased ocean acidification to the life above sea level. According to scientific reports, lower ocean PH strains some phytoplankton to absorb nutrients and render them vulnerable to disease and toxins. As such, it becomes a problem since they help to produce about 60 percent of the oxygen on Earth.

As a scientist in oceanography and the related issues, the article poses certain questions for research:

1. What are the effect of increased carbon emission to the ocean waters and the Coral reefs?
2. Does the changing trend of ocean acidification have an impact on human life and the related ecosystem? 
3. What measures can scientists put in place to address the problem of decreased PH levels of surface waters due to acidification?

            Further research should focus on the effects of ocean acidification to phytoplankton due to their contribution to the production of the world’s oxygen that supports life. The main emphasis of ocean pollution through increased acidification lies in the impacts to both marine and human life. A good hypothesis for the research would be: The effects of ocean acidification on the marine life and some phytoplankton as well as coastal economies are very significant to human life and the ecosystem.  

Work Cited

Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove, et al. "Coral reefs under rapid climate change and ocean acidification"      science 318.5857 (2007): 1737-1742.

Nahigyan P. (2016) Ocean Acidification Is Bad, and It’s getting worse, The Huffpost Green         Report, 

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in research paper services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for professional research proposal writing services.