Title: The Dangers of Ocean Acidification Author/Source: Scott C.

Doney Scientific America Major Ideas: Most of CO2 comes from the burning of fossil fuels Air bubbles in ice cores have showed that the atmospheric concentration of CO2 was constant for several thousand years but began to grow rapidly with industrialization in the 1800s. 40% of CO2 from fossil fuels are in the atmosphere. Ocean has absorbed fully half of fossil carbon released to the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. It is predicted that ocean pH several centuries from now will be lower than at any time in past 300 million years. CO2 rates have been higher than they are now in the past, those rates rose over millions of years not in a lifetime. Authors Main Point: The authors main point would be that Today one thirds of the carbon dioxide given off in that process enters the ocean, reducing its naturally pH level. Scientists have been measuring air bubble trapped in the ice cores, by doing that they have learned that the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was approximately constant for several thousands of years. The carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere is most likely to remain there. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the ocean has absorbed fully half of the fossil carbon released into the atmosphere. As the oceans get more and more acidic, the upper, shell friendly portion will become thinner. My thoughts on The Topic: I think that its good to be learning about these kinds of things because it just goes to show how our actions can not only affect us but affects our ocean and the animal living in that environment. As we use more things that go through the process of burning fossil fuels, more CO2 will be released into the atmosphere and in our ocean affecting everyone. Burning fossil fuels can allow up to 40% of CO2 to enter into our atmosphere. So What? When CO2 enters the ocean it becomes carbonic acid. If too much carbonic acid is made, it starts to affect our sea animals with shells, by dissolving the shells of phytoplankton which makes them vulnerable to predators, this helps our oxygen and the oxygen of these animals to decrease. Says who? Roger Revelle and different scientist who study the ocean.

What if? If we change the way we live and stop burning fossil fuels this will cause the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere and in the ocean will decrease.

What does this remind me of? This reminds me of the lab we did in class when we had to measure the amount of pH in fresh water and ocean water, Or when we put a shell into acidic ocean water, and regular sea water we saw how acidic ocean water can easily affect the shells of these sea animals.