Oceans absorbing CO2: good thing or bad?
The British government has announced plans to fund research into ocean 'acidification'. Ideally, the oceans should be slightly alkaline, with a pH of 8.2, but they are apparently becoming gradually more acidic thanks to our old friend carbon dioxide.
Acidity impairs the ability of various sea-dwelling critters to make shells and other calcium-based exoskeletons. Some scientists fear that even minor acidification could trigger major extinctions, so £11m is being pumped into a five-year research programme, co-funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc).
BBC News: How ocean acidification works: Source: University of Maryland
Oceans are natural 'carbon sinks' that are reckoned to have absorbed as much as 50% of the fossil-fuel CO2 released by human activity over the last 200 years. This may have raised acidity by as much as 0.1 pH, which doesn't sound much but could constitute the biggest shift in ocean biochemistry for more than 60 million years.
The impact of acidification is improperly understood. We already know that parts of the biosphere - Earth's other great natural carbon sink - may actually be benefitting from increased carbon dioxide levels.
And only two years ago, fears were that the oceans were going to stop absorbing CO2 altogether, thereby depriving us of an invaluable carbon sink. Hopefully this new research boost will provide some valuable answers.
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