Ocean acidification or “osteoporosis of the sea” is becoming an increasingly alarming occurrence that has NOAA research scientists concerned.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the ocean are the highest they have ever been in nearly 800,000 years, according to a [link url=”http://www.noaa.gov/ocean-acidification-high-co2-world-dangerous-waters-ahead” title=”recent NOAA report”]. As CO2 outputs persist, levels are continuing to rise, threatening fragile marine life and ecosystems upon which the world depends for food, among other things.
Affecting chemical balances in oceans
NOAA scientists indicate that when CO2 is absorbed into the ocean, it becomes carbonic acid. The current changes caused by this carbonic acid or ocean acidification, are affecting chemical balances in oceans and coastal waters throughout the entire earth.
The most damaging effects are seen in the inability of fragile marine life to build their protective outer shells and skeletons. The species most affected include salmon and other types of commercial fish that are important food sources in nations across the globe.
Compound effect
This affect is being compounded by global warming and climate change, which is raising the temperature of ocean waters and reducing oxygen levels that are crucial to sustaining marine life.
Potential impacts of these issues are vast; global food supply and security, local economies, consumer goods and services, and jobs are all affected. It is safe to assume that many local economies and people exist because of the available ocean food supply and the jobs that are provided by this valuable resource.
Threats to human health
Other concerns include threats to human health. Laboratory studies have shown that increased ocean acidification may cause increased toxins and blooms from harmful algal species, posing contamination risks to shellfish and possibly sickening other fish and marine mammals.
If this does occur in the wild, people eating these contaminated fish could be harmed.
Alaskan fisheries
Possibly the greatest threat is to Alaskan fisheries, which support over 100,000 jobs and supply nearly 60 percent of the U.S. commercial fish catch.
Fish and shellfish are not the only species at risk. Coral reefs are living breathing ocean organisms that provide shelter and food for many varieties of sea life.
Ocean acidification has already led to the decline of living corals in the Great Barrier Reef, by more than half over the last thirty years. Other coral structures and reefs are being weakened, especially in the Caribbean, along with those off Scotland and Norway.
The report suggests that monitoring and observing, coupled with “robust forecasting capabilities and public/private partnerships,” are needed to raise both local and global awareness of these emerging conditions.
Comments are closed.