The effects of ocean acidification on marine life and environment. Learn about the scientific causes and consequences of biodiversity and the Environment. Ocean acidification poses a major environmental problem. The sea absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, Marine eat absorbs the plastics causes chemicals and changing its pH (Potential of Hydrogen) balance. This threatens sea creatures and ecosystems.
What Causes Ocean Acidification?
Ocean acidification happens when plastics and CO2 dissolve in sea-water to form carbonic acid. This lowers the ocean’s pH level means (Potential of Hydrogen) making it more acidic, and toxic as time passes. Human activities like throwing waste plastics, oils, burning fossil fuels, and cutting down forests pump more CO2 into the air. This speeds up the whole process.
How It Affects Sea Life
Sea creatures like corals, shellfish, and plankton react to pH changes. Corals and shellfish find it hard to make their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons when water gets more acidic. This makes their protective parts weaker, so predators and other threats can harm them more.
Variety of Life and Nature’s Systems
Acidic oceans have an impact on sea life variety by messing up food chains and homes. When there are fewer shell-making creatures, it hurts species that eat them or use them for shelter. This affects whole ecosystems. Coral reefs, which people call “sea rainforests,” face big risks. If they die off, it could hurt millions of people who need reefs for food and tourism jobs.
Ecosystem, Mitigating the Effects
Ocean acidification needs worldwide action to cut CO2 and boost eco-friendly habits. We must back marine reserves and push for more study and protection to lessen the harm to sea life.
Conclusion
Ocean acidification and plastics put sea creatures and ecosystems at risk all over. If we get why it happens and what it does, we can act now to slash carbon output. This way, we’ll need to keep our oceans healthy and full of life for years to come.
