Our Oceans Are Becoming More Acidic — Here’s What That Means

Climate change is literally a hot topic around the world. As the Earth's carbon dioxide levels continue to increase, the planet will continue to see global temperatures rise, which can lead to more intense storms, widespread droughts, increased wildfires, and flooding.

Not only that, but as these temperatures rise, the polar ice caps will continue to melt, raising the ocean's water levels to dangerous extremes that can threaten coastal towns and islands.

But experts warn that we have more to worry about than rising temperatures alone. That's because ocean acidification is also poised to be a major problem for the planet.

What is ocean acidification? Keep reading to learn more about the phenomenon that is causing the oceans of the world to see an increase in certain elements that are causing the acidity levels to rise, which is a direct threat to marine life. Not only that, but experts warn that more acidic oceans could threaten humanity as well.

According to the Enel Group, ocean acidification is the name of what happens when the ocean absorbs too much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This causes the water to form carbonic acid, which can release hydrogen ions into the water, raising its acidity.

This absorption isn't anything new, but the cumulative effects of it have caused the levels to increase dramatically over the years, especially from 1750 through 2011, creating a hostile environment for marine life.

That is according to data that was collected during that time by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which says that 30 percent of the carbon dioxide that was created from human activities was absorbed by the ocean.

Acidification directly affects things like corals, mollusks, and crustaceans are put at risk, since the calcium carbonate they rely on to survive is dissolved by this acid. That can dramatically impact the entire ecosystem of the ocean, especially as the animals who rely on coral for shelter, or mollusks for food, will no longer have access to the things they need to survive.

Once that food chain is affected, humans will also begin to see the impacts as well.

That includes the world's food chain and the economies that rely on the ocean.

And while all of that sounds very scary, it doesn't have to be this way. According to Enel, there's time to reduce carbon emissions, reducing the amount of the compound absorbed by the ocean and slowing the acidification process. The organization says that this means making more sustainable choices, both on a global scale and for people at home.

Of course, nothing will happen unless we work together, so it's very important to reach out to your local politicians to share your concerns about the ocean acidification process and ask them to fight for more aggressive reform of fossil fuel industries and guidelines.

Otherwise, we run the risk of killing our planet's oceans and all of the creatures that live within them.