Washington — Air pollution doesn’t just pollute the air we breathe; it fouls the oceans as well.
Burning fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide, which in addition to contributing to climate change, is absorbed by the oceans. This makes seawater more acidic, and the change in ocean chemistry affects marine life and animals on land.
Here’s what we are reading online about the problem:
• Over the last 250 years, oceans have absorbed 530 billion tons of carbon dioxide, triggering a 30 percent increase in ocean acidity. From Natural Resources Defense Council.
• Higher seawater acidity hurts marine life — especially species that build shells or skeletons, such as oysters, mussels and coral. These creatures need calcium carbonate to grow and repair their shells and skeletons. Acidic water softens or destroys these structures. From Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean (2010), National Academy of Sciences.
• Coral reefs provide potential medicines for many human diseases, are tourist attractions and thus support jobs, provide homes to fish and shellfish humans like to eat, and prevent erosion of beaches. From Corals and Ocean Acidification Fact Sheet (PDF, 268KB), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Greater awareness is critical if the world is to deal effectively with this challenge to ocean health. From Climate Blog, World Wildlife Fund.