Issues for the ocean's ecosystem
Acidification makes it harder for organisms to make shells or other protective structures, they essentially dissolve in the more acidic water. This change poses new risks for a vast range of ocean life, from clams and coral reefs, to crabs, shrimp, lobsters, krill, sea urchins, sea snails, and some kinds of plankton.Acidification can affect the growth of marine plants and the potency of many marine toxins. It makes it harder for animals in general to breathe. It makes fish grow oversized ear bones, called otoliths, potentially affecting their ability to orient themselves in the water[15]. It even makes the ocean noisier, by increasing the efficiency of sound transmission. It very likely does a lot of other things that haven't been discovered yet.
"Ocean acidification is happening today and it's happening on top of global warming, so we are in double trouble"[16]