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In the ocean, wave and wind movement allows carbon dioxide (CO 2) to mixes with water (H 2 O) forming carbonic acid (H 2 CO 3). Through wave motion this chemical bond is mixed up, allowing for the further break of the bond, eventually becoming carbonate (CO 3 ) which is basic and helps form shells for ocean creatures, and two hydron molecules.
A lower ocean pH has a range of potentially harmful effects for marine organisms. Scientists have observed for example reduced calcification, lowered immune responses, and reduced energy for basic functions such as reproduction. [8] Ocean acidification can impact marine ecosystems that provide food and livelihoods for many people.
Example Bjerrum plot: Change in carbonate system of seawater from ocean acidification.. A Bjerrum plot (named after Niels Bjerrum), sometimes also known as a Sillén diagram (after Lars Gunnar Sillén), or a Hägg diagram (after Gunnar Hägg) [1] is a graph of the concentrations of the different species of a polyprotic acid in a solution, as a function of pH, [2] when the solution is at ...
When the pH is high (basic) the buffering effect is greatest, causing much of the DIC to exist as HCO 3 or CO 3, and not CO 2. So, the greater the buffering effect (low Revelle Factor) the more DIC occurs as CO 3 or HCO 3 , effectively lowering the pCO 2 levels in both the atmosphere and ocean.
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere equilibrates and dissolves into the ocean. During this reaction, carbon dioxide reacts with water to form carbonic acid. The carbonic acid then dissociates into bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions. [3] This reaction causes the pH of the water to lower, effectively acidifying it. [3]
Between 1950 and 2020, the average pH of the ocean surface fell from approximately 8.15 to 8.05. [21] Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are the primary cause of ocean acidification, with atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2) levels exceeding 422 ppm (as of 2024). [22] CO 2 from the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans.
Ocean acidification is the increasing acidification of the oceans, caused mainly by the uptake of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. [88] The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide due to the burning of fossil fuels leads to more carbon dioxide dissolving in the ocean. When carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms hydrogen and carbonate ions.
The balance of these carbonate species (which ultimately affects the solubility of carbon dioxide), is dependent on factors such as pH, as shown in a Bjerrum plot.In seawater this is regulated by the charge balance of a number of positive (e.g. Na +, K +, Mg 2+, Ca 2+) and negative (e.g. CO 3 2− itself, Cl −, SO 4 2−, Br −) ions.