U.S. researchers say acid rain’s impact on the world’s oceans is greatest along the coastlines.
The report, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said ocean acidification hampers the ability of marine organisms to harness calcium carbonate for making hard outer shells or exoskeletons, which provide essential food and habitat to other organisms.
Ocean acidification occurs when chemical compounds such as carbon dioxide, sulfur or nitrogen mix with seawater, a process which lowers the pH and reduces the storage of carbon.
The Post Chronicle, 8 September 2007. Article.
