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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

by 001sky 13y 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 13y 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 13y 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 13y 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 13y 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...

by 001sky 13y ago

peddamat 13y 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 13y 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 13y 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 13y 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...