Acidifying seas

Credit: NOAA

As described before, the oceans are warming as a result of climate change. This brings up another problem, an increase in atmospheric CO2. Seawater absorb CO2 from the atmosphere which causes a decrease in the PH of the ocean. This acidifying process is making a shift from a little bit basic towards more PH neutral conditions. The surface layers of the ocean absorb about 30% of the CO2 emitted by human activities. Due to the high amount of CO2 in the ocean, it forms carbonic acid after reacting with H2O. This chemic process indirectly increases the acidity of the ocean. Those chemical reactions, also known as acidification, has profound effects on the chemical composition of seawater, especially on the availability of mineral compounds, needed by corals to build their skeletons. Those biochemical changes disrupt the ecosystem and will slow the growth and influences the structural complexity of corals.