# Oceans in trouble as acid levels rise



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

*Oceans in trouble as acid levels rise*

Michael Hopkin

















_© SPL_ Corals and plankton are at risk of being destroyed by the rising acidity of the world's oceans as the waters absorb carbon dioxide from the air, British scientists have warned. The only solution, they say, is drastic cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, far beyond those called for by the Kyoto treaty.

Without such measures, dissolved carbon dioxide could increase the acidity of sea water by as much as 0.5 pH units by the end of this century, from 8.2 to around 7.7, they say. Such a change would upset the oceans' chemical balance and kill off some marine life.

"There is no way for us to remove this CO2 from the ocean. It will take many thousands of years for natural processes to remove it," said lead author John Raven of the University of Dundee, at the report's launch in London. As long as we keep putting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, he added, it will keep finding its way into the ocean. As carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms weak carbonic acid, which can dissolve materials such as shells and coral. 

University of Dundee, UK














Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have pumped an estimated total of 450 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, around half of which has ended up in the oceans, Raven said. He and his colleagues are calling for no more than 900 billion tonnes to be added during this century - a tall order given the burgeoning industrial development of China and India.

This target would call for huge cuts, with emissions by 2100 reaching half their present levels. This is far in excess of the more modest targets set by the Kyoto treaty, which calls for developed nations to cut their emissions, relative to 1990 levels, by an average of 5% by 2012.
_

From _[email protected]_
Oiginal HTML document
_


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well I wonder that if the pH rises gradually, can the living blend theselves to such environment? Will the damage be as serious as the scientists predict? What do you think?


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Not really. 
If the drop is that much, that fast, then the world is doomed. The corals can't calcify efficiently under those conditions, which means the reefs will die, and then the oceans, and then the world.


----------



## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

hmm well there goes my day


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Cheer up! The good news is that you got to live your life near the pinnacle of human civilization. By the time the whole world goes down the crapper, you'll be dead. Your grandchildren are screwed, of course, but that that's their problem. We could of course save the planet by killing half the people on it, but somehow I doubt that anyone will think of that in time.


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Yup poor little children  I'd better live a single life. lol jk...
Well whatever will be, will be.


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

lol well until I find a nice, fish-loving girl... Hmmm that should take me a while.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

maxpayne_lhp said:


> lol well until I find a nice, fish-loving girl... Hmmm that should take me a while.


yep you and me both what is it with all the girls that like fish don't seem to like us guys its wierd


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well some "oldies" (Ouch fish_doc is about to reply) told that many girls don't like fish and the ones that like are all taken 
Hmm off-topic lol


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> you guys think its just the fact that you like fish? ha ha ha JK


she is making fun of us max I say we get her.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> I say: BRING IT ON!!!! :argue:


being how you have forgotten I am 6,7" and I am 210 pounds I am not a little boy anymore. I work out to so bring it on.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> being you forgot that i'm a girl and that already makes me better than you i say:BRING IT ON, BUBBA!


ya you would win cause I will never hit a girl so I lose right aways.
So now I will go hide in my corner and wimper and hope you don't beat me.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> ha ha! save the drama for your mama!!! ha ha


you may think I am kidding but I will never hit a girl I just think its wrong.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> Ha. Thats A Good Thing.


I have to much respect for women and yes its a good thing.


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

The old man is about to speak about the story on pH rising.


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Oh wait, Thats me... Sorry its that darn alzheimer's I get side-tracked to eaisly.

Anyway, I don't think the rise in pH would hurt the existing fish to much if it was slow enough. But it would hurt the breeding of the fish because conditions would not be optiomal for certian species.


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Topic? Whats a topic?


----------



## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

It's a drop in pH, not a rise.


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Who droped the pH? Darn alzheimer's.


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well_Ya drop of pH, rise of acidity... Hmmm so bad in Chemistry 
_Topic is about human's irresponsibility... and responsibility for the drop of pH of the ocean; the predicted consequneces are loss of marine lives.

Off topic: Hey fish_doc, I gotta love that alzheimer's, without it, I can't make an excuse such as I forgot to do my homework...  jk


----------



## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

kyoto protocol.... haha, we laugh in the rest of the worlds faces. biggest co2 producer and we didnt sign it.

Sure putting out more co2 is a huge problem, but its not the main reason for the high co2 levels in the atmosphere. its the damage to the phytoplankton that hurts. Too bad we already destroyed a lot of the ozone layer. phytoplankton removes more co2 than anything on earth, but unfortunately are sensitive to UV light, which the ozone layer protected against. where holes developed in the ozone layer phytoplankton in that area was damaged so there is higher concentrations of co2 in the atmosphere there.

I think the ocean has a pretty high KH so it'll be harder to change the PH.


----------



## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

"Without such measures, dissolved carbon dioxide could increase the acidity of sea water by as much as 0.5 pH units by the end of this century,"

thats pretty funny because by the end of the century the cfc's should be pretty well dwindled out, so then the ozone layer can start rebuilding itself. but it'd be too late anyways. that is if we completely stop destroying it right now.


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

I regret for the next generations! They gotta pay for what we're doing.


----------



## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

I still have to wonder about global warming and the whole bit. 

I will agree that we and our nice little chemicals don't help any. But the truth of the matter is that the mother nature will destroy us long before we destroy it. The sun has been consistently warming since we've had the technology to track those fluctuations. That warming does a lot of damage as well, and we're not polluting the sun...yet. 

Another issue is the amount of pollutants that a single volcano will put out compared to our puny attempt at creating noxious gases with fossil fuels. 

Mankind should be taking a lot more serious look at protecting nature, and doing what we can to slow down the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion.

However, we are not solely to blame. The earth goes through natural cycles that kills off species, and allows others to thrive.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

ooh now I understand.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> can i borrow your brain for a minute? lol


I would let you if I had one mine is only good for basketball.


----------



## guppyart (Jan 22, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> hmmmmm.........darn. I love basketball, but I love football just a little bit more. lol


football is awsome


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

maxpayne_lhp said:


> Off topic: Hey fish_doc, I gotta love that alzheimer's, without it, I can't make an excuse such as I forgot to do my homework...  jk


homework? whats homework?


----------



## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

volcanoes? our puny attempt? most of it settles on the ground anway. we produce 150 times the amount of CO2 emitted by volcanoes. less than 10 percent of sulfar dioxide emissions come from volcanoes.


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

Baby_Baby said:


> WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE


Let me introduce myself. I am Dave (aka fish_doc) 
I come from a place that many try their whole life to leave but others find very secure and call home. I have worked at the same place for 17+ years through 3 owners. I have 16 aquariums up and running and another 16 or so in storage. But enough about me now. Who are you? LOL


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz! snort. HUH! Sorry at my age I doze off easily. 
You can call this place home if you want. That way no matter where you are you can always stop off at home. The scary thing is I have worked at one place longer than you have been alive. AAArrrrhhhhhh. Thanks, Im feeling old again.


----------



## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

wow, this thread lost me. no wonder, I was reading alzeimers as alka seltzers. lol, I forgot its not spelled or prounounced "all timers" or "old timers". geeze im dumb.


----------



## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

[email protected]


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

I wish it was alka seltzers. This thread has given me a upset stomach and head-ach.. LOL


----------

