MIAMI – This weekend, thousands of people will enjoy Florida’s beaches, but many may not realize the saltwater they’re swimming in is becoming increasingly acidic.
Another unpleasant side effect of global warming, ocean acidification is a steady decrease in the pH levels of ocean water, and scientists say it’s caused by an increase of carbon dioxide.
While greater acidity has minimal direct impact on human health, Derek Manzello, research oceanographer for the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, says the state’s coral reefs are suffering the most.
“We’re concerned that as we move forward into a high-CO2 world, we’re going to see coral reefs becoming erosional features and basically, degrading over time,” he says.
Weakened reefs affect the organisms that depend on them. And Manzello and other scientists also point out that with less healthy growth, coral reefs off the Florida coast and around the world will offer less protection to coastlines in the event of severe weather.
Manzello says the increased acidity has potential to weaken the state’s fishing economy, with many types of high-value marine life found in and around the state’s coral reefs.
“Reef structures are home to a lot of economically important species, like spiny lobsters, stone crabs, many fishes,” he points out.
According to numerous scientific studies around the world, shells of some marine animals are becoming thinner because of acidification, making them more vulnerable to predators.
In June, the Obama administration announced increased funding to research ocean biochemistry, including the problem of acidification.
Stephanie Carson, Public News Service, 18 July 2014. Article.
It is unfortunate that the terminology used in the title and text of this press release is misleading. The definition of “acidic” in the Oxford English dictionary is “having the properties of an acid; having a pH of less than 7″. Despite the process of ocean acidification, the oceans are alkaline (pH higher than 7) and will not become acidic in the foreseeable future. Hence, the “acid” or “acidic” should not be used when referring to seawater. Note that there are few exceptions, seawater can be acidic in the immediate vicinity of CO2 vents or in purposeful perturbation experiments.