Acidification Of Beaufort Sea Moving Faster Than Anyplace Else On Earth

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Research suggests Canada’s Beaufort Sea is becoming acidic more quickly than any other ocean in the world, offering a window into what a major side effect of climate change will do to waters around the globe. “As goes the Arctic, so go the rest of the oceans,” said Jeremy Mathis of the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, lead author of the new paper published in the journal Oceanography.

In about 10 years, he predicts the Arctic waters off the Northwest Territories will be more acidic for most of the year than they have ever been before. The consequences for sea life are unknown, although organisms that have shells are likely to have trouble.

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First, the team took a series of water samples in 2011 and 2012 from the Chukchi Sea between Russia and Alaska to the western edge of the Canadian High Arctic islands. They then compared that data to what mathematical models predicted they should be. With the exception of areas just off the mouths of the Mackenzie and Yukon Rivers, Mathis said the models proved accurate.

They then plugged that data into the model to predict how the acidification would unfold. Their calculations suggest that by 2025, the acidity of the Beaufort Sea will be outside its normal range for most of the year. By 2054, the Beaufort’s acidity will average permanently higher than even the highest current level.

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http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadas-beaufort-sea-is-becoming-acidic-more-quickly-than-any-other-ocean-in-the-world-research-suggests

[Jim__]

1. The World Atlas on the Beaufort Sea

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From the world atlas:

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It extends from Barrow, Alaska, to the southwestern edge of Prince Patrick Island, then south along the western edges of Banks Island to the coast of Canada's Northwest Territories.

It has an estimated surface area of about 184,000 sq mi (476,000 sq km), and an average depth is 3,239 ft (1,004 m). The greatest depth measured is 15,360 ft.

Dozens of rivers empty into the sea, including the massive Mackenzie, Canada's longest river. That river extends to (2,635 miles) (4,240 km), and becomes the second longest river in North America, next to the Mississippi/Missouri river system combination.

Though frozen solid in its central and northern areas for the entire year, the Beaufort Sea's coastal icepack opens briefly in August and September. This hard to reach, isolated body of water (mostly untouched by man) is home to whales, sea birds and numerous arctic animals.

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