Ugh, Ocean Acidification

Quote of TRUTH: “How inappropriate to this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean.” – Arthur C. Clarke

ugh.

 Our Ocean   

Under the beautiful glistening ocean, marine life silently suffers from the effects of overabundant carbon dioxide (a.k.a CO₂) that has been dumped (and is still continuously being dumped until today) into our atmosphere. You may be wondering how a percent of the excessive amount of CO₂ we produce ends up in the ocean damaging the structure, life flow, and ancient paradise underwater. Well, let me tell you that it wasn’t just a one time job and the effects from it will only get way worse if we don’t take action. Today you shall learn about ocean acidification and what it does to our oceans. 

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 Industrial Revolution   

It was during the 1800s when the human industry and advancements were booming. Fossil-fuel powered machines and different inventions (like the steam engine, construction, oil-slick roads, mining & dump sites, livestock waste, and more) were the root cause of the CO₂ entering the atmosphere. This was known as the industrial revolution. This gist of this revolution will come into play later on.

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 Ph Balance

Essentially, the pH scale is a scale used to measure the acidity of something. The scale goes from numbers 0 to 14. Lower numbers, ranging from 0-6, are more acidic. 7 is neutral. Higher numbers, ranging from 8-14, are basic. To give some examples:

• Lemon has an acidity level of 2
• Lye has an acidity level of 13

Putting it into more technical terms:

The acidity of a solution one is measuring describes the Hydrogen ions (H⁺) the solution contains. An acid, on the other hand, is a substance that releases hydrogen ions. Going back to the pH scale, this is the measure of the concentration of H⁺ ions. Since the pH scale is logarithmic, a slight change in measure makes a big difference.

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Industrial Revolution + Ocean pH

Since the industrial revolution, the ocean’s pH has dropped from 8.2 to 8.1. Although this might seem like a small change in number, this is a 30% increase in acidity! That’s right, I’m talking about the whole ocean out there changing 30% in acidity (THAT’S A LOT, SHALL I ADD!). It is even estimated that more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide that gets released by burning coal, oil, and gas gets absorbed. I SAID MORE THAN A QUARTER INTO OUR BEAUTIFUL OCEAN. okay, I gotta chill. Proceeding….. At the moment, 22 MILLION tons of CO₂ gets dissolved into the ocean PER DAY. When this was first discovered, it was seen as a positive thing (as scientists saw that is lessened the carbon dioxide warming up the atmosphere). However, further studies showed that the ocean’s chemistry was changing.

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Natural Buffering

There is this stabilizing effect that scientists call buffering. This process is when rivers carry dissolved chemicals from rocks to the ocean. This helps to stabilize the ocean’s pH. However, since there is too much carbon dioxide entering and all at such speed, this natural buffering hasn’t been able to keep in pace. There is a possibility that the ocean’s capacity to function as a carbon storehouse will begin to falter.

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Adapting

Although there are some species that are finding ways to adapt and be even stronger (such as crustaceans), many marine organisms are being negatively impacted by the increasing CO₂ levels. We’ll get more into this in a bit.

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CO₂ + Ocean

The reaction that happens when our ocean absorbs CO₂ can be broken down simply. When water and carbon dioxide get mixed, they form carbonic acid. This kind of acid, just like hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, breaks down solids and releases hydrogen ions. It is weaker compared to the others, nevertheless, it still accomplishes the same in breaking down solids.

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Shelled Organisms

A key component of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) shells is carbonate (CO²⁻ ₃). Shell-building marine animals combine calcium ions (Ca⁺²) with carbonate (CO²⁻ ₃), which they get from surrounding seawater, to make calcium carbonate.

Here’s the thing, hydrogen ions (which is released as carbon dioxide and ocean combine) usually bond and get attracted to carbonate. When hydrogen ions combine, bicarbonate ions (HCO₃-) is the result. Shell-building organisms are able to get the carbonate they require from bicarbonate. 

In conclusion to this, the ions that corals, mussels, clams, starfish, oysters, and any other shelled organisms become less abundant with the chemistry changes caused by ocean acidification. And, although these sea creatures may find a way to adapt in more acidic water, their resources, and energy (that normally goes to reproduction and other important activities) will be exhausted.

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A Global Problem

This is truly a global problem. There are millions of people who depend on the ocean for livelihood and as a source of food and protein. Imagine, with the corals being affected like this, the results with the food chain won’t be good. And, on top of ocean acidification, there are already so many existing threats our oceans, the reefs, and the sea creatures face. To name some: pollution, plastic, garbage dumping into the sea, overfishing, and coral bleaching. To be aware of these problems is truly great, but, without any action, the consequences we get, give us too much unnecessary lose. We must take action, spread the word, find solutions, and take action my peeps.

 

 

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H

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© Elizabeth Anne Villoria

 

Mexico and the Dead Zone *DUN DUN DUN*

The situation occurring in Mexico’s dead zone hasn’t improved, in fact, it has gotten worse. 

What is a dead zone? It’s an area in an ocean or big lake, found in lots of places around the world, with hypoxia, in other words, oxygen depletion. When there is oxygen depletion, the area affected by this problem causes the instability to support marine life. When there are too much growth and bloom of algae it chokes the water and makes it not possible for marine like to survive with the inadequate amount of oxygen. But, how does nature suddenly start blooming and getting all these nutrients enough to keep spreading this hypoxia? Well, it doesn’t work alone. It’s also our fault because one way or another the nitrates and phosphorus that our farmers use in farming eventually seeps into our water systems and into the ocean which makes the algae flourish and grow and bloom and other things that shouldn’t happen because it (LITERALLY) chokes the ocean and the marine life below it.

Since we covered the basics and everything you will probably need to know about hypoxia and dead zones, we can now focus on a specific ‘dead zone’ and that is in the Gulf of Mexico.

On April 20, 2010, one of the biggest oil spills in the BP (British Petroleum) and American records and history occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. It happened just a day after they sealed the 70-kilometer deep hole with concrete followed by a metal valve used to stop the flow of oil entering the ocean. While the men were doing their inspection of the day old concrete, they noticed that oil and gas have actually been spilling out into the water through the faulty concrete and failed valve.

87 days past before they finally sealed the oil spill which already gave out 5,000 gallons of oil per day! Let’s do the math here: It would be an estimate of 5,000 x 57 which equals to 435, 000 gallons. HOLY MACARONI. Imagine how much has spread already? Especially since the oil spill was close to the dead zone, which made a few people worry things would get much worse. Honestly, a LARGE oil spill next to a DEAD ZONE. Nah-uh not a good combination nor timing. Won’t it affect the surviving animals living in the area? Think about it. The people in the restaurants were worried about the food they’ve been serving thinking it might affect the people, but they trusted it was all in good hands.

The oil soon mixed and glued itself to the plankton and other bacteria i

n the ocean which caused marine snow to sink to the bottom. What if small creatures and animals start eating this. These are some of the worries fishermen had when catching the food. But, fortunately, due to the natural oil seeps, the flora and fauna of the ocean have adapted to the oily marine snow. Yes, there are actually natural oils that seep from the earth. Th- WAIT, what is marine snow you wonder? It looks like the picture below —>

How dangerous it would have been to be the person underwater checking out the valves and the fear of it not properly functioning. There have been many oil spills through history. One after another there has news flashes saying “Now this one is the biggest oil spill..” It just keeps getting bigger. Luckily, they got to shut out the rest of the oil spill, even though it was after 87 days. 

According to National Wildlife Federation, below are the lists of affected animals near the Gulf of Mexico:

Dolphins and Whales

• Nearly all of the 21 species of dolphins and whales that live in the northern Gulf have demonstrable, quantifiable injuries.
• The number of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay and the Mississippi Sound – two places particularly affected by oil – are projected to decline by half. Multiple studies have determined that the injuries to bottlenose dolphins were caused by oil from the disaster.
• It is estimated that it will take approximately one hundred years for the spinner dolphin population to recover.
• There are only a few dozen Bryde’s whales in the Gulf. Nearly half this population was exposed to oil, and nearly a quarter of these whales were likely killed. The long-term survival of this population is in doubt.

Sea Turtles

• Scientists estimate that as many as 167,000 sea turtles of all ages were killed during the disaster.
• In 2010, the once-remarkable recovery of the endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle halted abruptly. Scientists remain concerned about this species of sea turtle, which is known to congregate and feed in areas that were oiled off the Louisiana coast.
• Heavy oil affected nearly a quarter of the Sargassum – a type of floating seaweed – in the northern Gulf. Sargassum is an important habitat for juvenile sea turtles.

Fish

• Studies have determined that oil is particularly toxic for many species of larval fish, causing deformation and death. The federal study estimates that the disaster directly killed between two and five million larval fish.
• At this time, the data does not indicate that the oil spill caused significant decreases in populations of commercially harvested fish species.
• However, a number of species of fish have documented oil spill injuries. For example in 2011, some red snapper and other fish caught in oiled areas had unusual lesions, rotting fins, or oil in their livers. Oil spill impacts have been documented in fish species such as southern flounder, redfish, and kill fish.

Birds

• At least 93 species of bird were exposed to oil. The resulting loss of birds is expected to have meaningful effects on food webs of the northern Gulf of Mexico.
• Species particularly affected include brown and white pelicans, laughing gulls, Audubon’s shearwaters, northern gannets, clapper rails, black skimmers, white ibis, double-crested cormorants, common loons, and several species of tern.

The Gulf Floor

• Scientists estimate the habitats on the bottom of the Gulf could take anywhere from multiple decades to hundreds of years to fully recover.
• A significant portion of the Gulf floor was affected by oil. The federal study confirmed that at least 770 square miles around the wellhead were affected, while a separate analysis determined that at least 1,200 square miles were affected. Both studies suggested that a significant amount of oil was likely deposited on the ocean floor outside the areas of known damage.
• Coral colonies in five separate locations in the Gulf – three in deep sea and two in shallower waters – show signs of oil damage.

 

Dolphins, whales, turtles, fish and birds are getting affect by this and they already have lots of other things to worry about such as plastic. Now, here’s the most shocking truth. This 2017 they found out that the dead zone at the Gulf of Mexico is the size of New Jersey! NEW JERSEY. The size is about 8776 square miles.

 

We can stop this. Start gathering solutions people you can do it! Some ways are to stop utilizing the products that help in causing the blooming, like nitrate. Keep thinking creative my awesome readers.

Yours truly,

L.O.A.S.H