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The researchers found that if carbon emissions continued at the rate at which they are moving, the world's oceans will reach the highest acid levels in 14 million years. It poses a serious threat to coral reefs, shells and other marine species. ( Pixabay )
The world's oceans are likely to reach the highest levels of acid in 14 million years if the rate of emission of carbon dioxide carbon does not slow down.
Researchers at the University of Cardiff in Wales found that, if power stations producing energy continue to pump the same amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the oceans of the world will reach levels of acidification that have not occurred since the Middle Miocene.
Researchers believe that the world's oceans are already at their peak in the last two million years, as evidenced by the rapid degradation of marine life.
Highest Levels of Acid Since the Middle Miocene
In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters the researchers say that the acid levels of the The ocean will reach unprecedented highs by the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions from human activity are not reduced.
The geological record of ocean acidification shows us that on our current emission trajectory, ocean conditions will be different from the marine ecosystems we have known for 14 million years, "Sindia explains. Sosdian, senior author of the School of Earth Sciences and the Ocean. Cardiff
By badyzing fossils of sea creatures, Sosdian and his team were able to determine levels of acidity and atmospheric carbon dioxide over the last 22 million years. They have specifically examined the shells of these creatures to find out the acidity levels in the seawater.
If carbon dioxide emissions continue at the current rate, atmospheric carbon dioxide will reach 930 parts per million in 2100. Currently, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are at 400 parts per million.
Similarly, the pH level of the world's oceans will fall to 7.8 at the end of the century, compared to the pH level of 8.1 today. This is a huge leap down the pH scale as a decrease of 0.1 means a 25% increase in acidity
Implications for Marine Life
Levels Acid increase in the oceans. When the ocean interacts with carbon dioxide, a chemical reaction occurs which produces carbonic acid
. The result is more acidic water that corrodes coral reefs and threatens shells and other marine life. An earlier study in the Great Barrier Reef shows that if carbon dioxide emissions continue at the rate at which they are going, ocean acidification will severely hamper the growth of coral reefs before the beginning of the next century.
Reefs and molluscs are vulnerable to rising levels of acid because their skeletons and shells are made from calcium. As seawater becomes more acidic, calcification becomes more difficult.
Since the beginning of the industrial era in the 18th century, the world's oceans have absorbed up to 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide. This equates to about 22 million tonnes per day.
It has long been established that emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas are the main contributors to the rise in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. As much as a third of these emissions are absorbed by the world's oceans.
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