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Week 3 Assignment Template Sustainable Living Guide Contributions, Part Three of Four: Sustaining our Water Resources

Your Term: Ocean Acidification

The term that I have selected from the list provided in the classroom is Ocean Acidification. Ocean Acidification occurs when carbon dioxide comes into contact with seawater, which causes a chemical reaction and results in lower pH of seawater. According to Carbon Program, “When carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that reduce seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals. These chemical reactions are termed "ocean acidification “or "OA" for short.” (para. 1). Union of Concerned Scientists (2019) also states “Ocean acidification results from an increased concentration of hydrogen ions and a reduction in carbonate ions due to the absorption of increased amounts of CO2.” (para. 2). This term is important to know because it affects many things such as marine life, economy, people’s livelihoods, communities, and much more. Ocean Acidification can affect living beings such as marine life in many ways. According to Natural History Museum (n/d). “Ocean acidification can negatively affect marine life, causing organisms' shells and skeletons made from calcium carbonate to dissolve. The more acidic the ocean, the faster the shells dissolve. Animals that produce calcium carbonate structures have to spend extra

energy either repairing their damaged shells or thickening them to survive. Using energy for this could impact the animals' abilities to grow and reproduce. Animals able to survive and reproduce in more acidic waters are likely to become smaller, potentially affecting the food chain that relies on them.” (p. 1). In other words, ocean acidification can cause marine life’s shells to dissolve, can impact animal’s abilities to grow and reproduce, and can cause the animals to become smaller. Ocean Acidification can affect living beings such as humans in many ways such as our food and medicines. According to Climate Interpreter (2020) “Ocean acidification will affect humans too! It will affect the food we eat since most of our shellfish requires calcium carbonate to form or to fortify their shells. Many of the fish we eat are also dependent on shelled animals for their food source, so the entire food chain is in jeopardy! The uncertain future of coral reefs due to ocean acidification is also a major concern. The presence of healthy coral reefs is imperative to our survival because we rely on them for food, coastal protection, medicines and tourism dollars.” (para. 4). One specific action that I and other students might take to promote environmental sustainability in relation to Ocean Acidification is using and creating energy more efficiently so that there is less CO2 being put into the atmosphere. This would help because the less CO2 being put into the atmosphere, the less carbon dioxide entering the oceans. Another action that I and other students might take to promote environmental sustainability in relation to Ocean Acidification is to protect marine wildlife and habitats so that the ocean is able to recover quickly and bounce back quickly from damages already caused.

References Carbon Program. (n/d). What is Ocean Acidification? Retrieved from https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F#:~:text=The %20Chemistry,or%20%22OA%22%20for%20short. Climate Interpreter. (2020). Ocean Acidification – Effects on Humans. Retrieved from https://climateinterpreter.org/content/ocean-acidification-effects-humans#:~:text=Ocean %20acidification%20will%20affect%20humans,or%20to%20fortify%20their %20shells.&text=The%20presence%20of%20healthy%20coral,protection%2C %20medicines%20and%20tourism%20dollars. Natural History Museum. (n/d). How does ocean acidification affect marine life? Retrieved from https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/quick-questions/how-does-ocean-acidification-affectmarine-life.html#:~:text=Ocean%20acidification%20can%20negatively%20affect,from %20calcium%20carbonate%20to%20dissolve.&text=Animals%20that%20produce %20calcium%20carbonate,or%20thickening%20them%20to%20survive. Union of Concerned Scientists. (2019). CO2 and Ocean Acidification: Causes, Impacts, Solutions. Retrieved from

https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/co2-and-ocean-acidification#:~:text=Ocean%20acidification %20affects%20marine%20life&text=Acidification%20reduces%20the%20availability %20of,for%20their%20offspring%20to%20survive....