STUDY: Skyrocketing Carbon Levels In The Atmosphere Are Destroying Our Oceans

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/increasing-carbon-emissions-ocean-acidification-2014-9



Carbon emissions are bad for the atmosphere, but they aren't good for the ocean either — and a new report says the forecast may be even worse that we thought.
The ocean is the world's largest carbon sink, absorbing about a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year. But a new report from the World Meteorological Organization says the ocean's capacity to keep taking in carbon may be shrinking. And that could have devastating impacts.

The WMO reports that the ocean has already dropped to 70% of its pre-industrial ability to absorb CO2, and if conditions don't change it could be as low as 20% by the end of the century. Carbon dioxide that goes into the ocean stays out of the atmosphere, an important role to slow against global warming — but as the oceans take in more CO2, the ecosystems within them face more problems.

When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it undergoes a chemical reaction with the water, which causes the ocean's pH to drop toward the acidic end of the pH spectrum. Small organisms, such as coral and shellfish, have been known to suffer under acidic conditions, and their demise could impact other animals all the way up the food chain.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/increasing-carbon-emissions-ocean-acidification-2014-9#ixzz3CtzBsNEs

[caraher]

1. Which is why every "geoengineering" scheme is a non-starter for me

Obsessive focus on temperature ignores every other effect of our abrupt intervention in the global carbon cycle. Geoengineering schemes are akin to a doctor recommending ice bags to patients with fevers rather than addressing the underlying condition causing the fever...