I chat about the latest science on Ocean Acidification exceeding the safe planetary boundary in 2020. As global industry continues to accelerate the burning of fossil fuels pumping ever increasing amounts of Greenhouse Gases into the atmosphere, the oceans attempt to absorb more and more of the CO2, greatly increasing the ocean acidity.
Here is all the latest, and not so greatest on global ocean acidification. Since colder water can dissolve more GHGs, the polar oceans are the region facing the greatest ocean acidification threat. However, ocean acidification is still increasing enough in the lower latitude regions posing increasing risk to global coral reefs.
ABSTRACT
Ocean acidification has been identified in the Planetary Boundary Framework as a planetary process approaching a boundary that could lead to unacceptable environmental change. Using revised estimates of pre-industrial aragonite saturation state, state-of-the-art data-model products, including uncertainties and assessing impact on ecological indicators, we improve upon the ocean acidification planetary boundary assessment and demonstrate that by 2020, the average global ocean conditions had already crossed into the uncertainty range of the ocean acidification boundary. This analysis was further extended to the subsurface ocean, revealing that up to 60% of the global subsurface ocean (down to 200 m) had crossed that boundary, compared to over40% of the global surface ocean. These changes result in significant declines in suitable habitats for important calcifying species, including 43% reduction in habitat for tropical and subtropical coral reefs, up to 61% for polar pteropods, and 13% for coastal bivalves. By including these additional considerations, we suggest a revised boundary of 10% reduction from pre-industrial conditions more adequately prevents risk to marine ecosystems and their services; a benchmark which was surpassed by year 2000 across the entire surface ocean.
YouTube, 22 July 2025. Video.
