3 ms·
"A 30 percent increase in the average acidity of seawater" sounds scary but it's just deceptive language. pH is a decimal logarithmic scale - fresh water is abo
by leereeves 3y ago
"A 30 percent increase in the average acidity of seawater" sounds scary but it's just deceptive language. pH is a decimal logarithmic scale - fresh water is about 1000% "more acidic" than sea water (referring to the concentration of hydrogen ions). Battery acid is around 10000000000% more acidic than sea water.
At the rate mentioned in that link, 30% over 200 years, in about 2000 years the oceans will be as "acidic" as fresh water.
And if temperatures rose by 1C over that same time, is Earth slowly becoming as hot as the sun?
- DarknessFalls 3y agoMy second point was that the ocean doesn't literally have to become acidic in order to be catastrophic. Even a subtle change in the pH has already proven to be highly destructive to coral reef skeletons. https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/scientists-identify-how-ocean-acidification-weakens-coral-skeletons/ https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/scientists-iden... Going back to the original topic, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that if temperature and pH changes can affect coral reefs, then they can alter the behaviors of warm-blooded mammals such as killer whales.
- leereeves 3y ago> then they can alter the behaviors of warm-blooded mammals such as killer whales. Is that pure speculation or is there some research backing it?
- DarknessFalls 3y agoQuote the whole thing: >it is certainly within the realm of possibility that if temperature and pH changes can affect coral reefs, then they can alter the behaviors of warm-blooded mammals such as killer whales. it is certainly within the realm of possibility It's speculation based on reason. I don't have the ability to mind meld with the whale and have it explain to me that it's pissed off at our species and we should all listen to Greta Thunberg.