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This isn't a new thing and there are heaps of evidence. Google "ocean acidification" for lots more studies and reports. Here's 1: http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/f

This isn't a new thing and there are heaps of evidence. Google "ocean acidification" for lots more studies and reports. Here's 1: http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/ocean-acidification--a-risky-shell-game http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/ocean-acidification--a-r... "In tanks filled with seawater, they raised 18 species of marine organisms that build calcium carbonate shells or skeletons. The scientists exposed the tanks to air containing CO2 at today’s level (400 parts per million, or ppm), at levels that climate models forecast for 100 years from now (600 ppm) and 200 years from now (900 ppm), and at a level (2,850 ppm) that should cause the types of calcium carbonate in shells (aragonite and high-magnesium calcite) to dissolve in seawater. The test tanks’ miniature atmospheres produced elevated CO2 in the tiny captive oceans, generating higher acidity. The researchers measured the rate of shell growth for the diverse species ranging from crabs to algae, from both temperate and tropical waters. They included organisms such as corals and coralline algae, which form foundations for critical habitats, and organisms that support seafood industries (clams, oysters, scallops, conchs, urchins, crabs, lobsters, and prawns)."

001sky 12y ago
So-called ocean "Acidification" appears to be 100% propoganda. "scientists do not think the seas will become truly acidic (with a pH less than 7.0), but rather less alkaline" So, it is not "acid" that is eating away anything. If these shells were in "pure water" with ph 7.0, the deterioration woud be worse.
- peddamat 12y ago
  I understand your point, but it's very "glass half-full/half-empty". Conversely, acid doesn't "eat away" at anything, it's that things happily dissolve themselves into acid. The problem is the same, regardless of the language used to describe it.
  - 001sky 12y ago
    Conversely, acid doesn't "eat away" at anything, it's that things happily dissolve themselves into acid. These things don't disolve into acid--because they disolve into dilute alkaline solutions. This is unlike acid rain--which is actually acidic: Pure water has a pH of 7.0. However, normal rain is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into it forming weak carbonic acid, giving the resulting mixture a pH of approximately 5.6 at typical atmospheric concentrations of CO2. As of 2000, the most acidic rain falling in the U.S. has a pH of about 4.3. The Ph of seawater is never acidic, and is by itself actually complex. See, eg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH#Seawater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH#Seawater Compare Wikipedia's Entry on "Ocean Acidification", Which no-where mentions that the work "alkaline": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification Yet states, for clarity, "A National Research Council study released in April 2010 likewise concluded that "the <level of acid> in the oceans is increasing at an unprecedented rate." The "level of acid" in the ocean? Surely a scientist would say "the ph is declining..." or "alkalinity is being reduced" or the maybe "solution's alkalinity is being neutralized"?
- alchemism 12y ago
  "Less alkaline" is the same as saying "more acid" as you move in a specific direction along the scale. Srsly can't believe you tried to make that point
  - 001sky 12y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutralization_%28chemistry%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutralization_%28chemistry%29 There seems to be an established name for what you call mixing an acid and a base: Neutralization Chemistry. Even freshwater lakes like lake erie ar pH 8.4, yet for some reason when articles are published about pH variance, it is never referred to as "neutralization" but rather "acidification"--with no mention of the net-alkalinity of the solution. The latter would paint the former phrasing as self-evidently awkward, of course. eg> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-16/news/ct-met-great-lakes-acidification-20100816_1_carbon-dioxide-zebra-and-quagga-mussels-acidification http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-16/news/ct-met-gr...

001sky 12y ago

So-called ocean "Acidification" appears to be 100% propoganda. "scientists do not think the seas will become truly acidic (with a pH less than 7.0), but rather less alkaline" So, it is not "acid" that is eating away anything. If these shells were in "pure water" with ph 7.0, the deterioration woud be worse.

peddamat 12y ago
I understand your point, but it's very "glass half-full/half-empty". Conversely, acid doesn't "eat away" at anything, it's that things happily dissolve themselves into acid. The problem is the same, regardless of the language used to describe it.
- 001sky 12y ago
  Conversely, acid doesn't "eat away" at anything, it's that things happily dissolve themselves into acid. These things don't disolve into acid--because they disolve into dilute alkaline solutions. This is unlike acid rain--which is actually acidic: Pure water has a pH of 7.0. However, normal rain is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into it forming weak carbonic acid, giving the resulting mixture a pH of approximately 5.6 at typical atmospheric concentrations of CO2. As of 2000, the most acidic rain falling in the U.S. has a pH of about 4.3. The Ph of seawater is never acidic, and is by itself actually complex. See, eg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH#Seawater https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH#Seawater Compare Wikipedia's Entry on "Ocean Acidification", Which no-where mentions that the work "alkaline": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification Yet states, for clarity, "A National Research Council study released in April 2010 likewise concluded that "the <level of acid> in the oceans is increasing at an unprecedented rate." The "level of acid" in the ocean? Surely a scientist would say "the ph is declining..." or "alkalinity is being reduced" or the maybe "solution's alkalinity is being neutralized"?
alchemism 12y ago
"Less alkaline" is the same as saying "more acid" as you move in a specific direction along the scale. Srsly can't believe you tried to make that point
- 001sky 12y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutralization_%28chemistry%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutralization_%28chemistry%29 There seems to be an established name for what you call mixing an acid and a base: Neutralization Chemistry. Even freshwater lakes like lake erie ar pH 8.4, yet for some reason when articles are published about pH variance, it is never referred to as "neutralization" but rather "acidification"--with no mention of the net-alkalinity of the solution. The latter would paint the former phrasing as self-evidently awkward, of course. eg> http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-16/news/ct-met-great-lakes-acidification-20100816_1_carbon-dioxide-zebra-and-quagga-mussels-acidification http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-08-16/news/ct-met-gr...