Consequences Of Increasing Marine Co2

With the increase in the amount of Co2 in the atmosphere, the threat to marine life is increasing as well. The increase in marine Co2 is affecting aquatic life in a big way. A double or even a triple increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is predicted by the end of this century.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research in the US states that the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean is considered to be an environmental plus. But, the excessive increase in Co2 has made it a tough job for the oceans to absorb the carbon dioxide.

Recent studies show the negative impact of excess carbon dioxide on the oceans of the world. An increase in the level of Co2 has made the oceans more acidic. This has put the sea creatures in danger. Those organisms which secrete calcium carbonate shells are particularly in danger.

Such animals include clams, sea urchins, corals, starfish and snails. If the level of Co2 is elevated in the ocean, such marine life will not be able to secrete their shells well. This is because carbon dioxide increases the rate at which calcium carbonate formed in the oceans dissolves. The corrosive effect would further heighten if we keep dumping Co2 into the oceanic surface.

This simply means that the world's coral reefs would grow slower. These reefs are already dying and stressed due an increase in the ocean temperature. This escalation in the temperature is associated with the increase in the greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. If this rise persists, there could be an extreme damage to the coral reefs in the oceans.

The productivity and biodiversity can be altered by an increment in carbon dioxide in the sea. Coral reefs protect the coastlines. They are the habitat and nursery ground to almost twenty five percent of all marine life. The fish stocks will decline if they are damaged. Marine creatures like marine plankton, which are calcifying organisms, are also threatened by the rising Co2 levels.

Marine planktons like Pteropods are an important food for commercial species of fish like herring, salmon, cod and mackerel. A threat to the food would cause a threat to the fish. This would lead to a further imbalance in the food chain. This would altogether alter the biodiversity and productivity of the ocean.

Another consequence of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide is ocean acidification. It is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the oceans. The Co2 that gets dissolved in the seawater increases the concentration of the hydrogen ion (H+) in the ocean.

This is the root cause of the decrease in the oceans pH. This was one of the aftereffects of the Industrial Revolution. There was an approximate drop of 0.1 units in the pH level of the ocean.

Any further increase in the level of marine Co2 has to be curbed. Otherwise, the sea water will become so acidic that no life would survive in it.