The shells of calcium carbonate organisms are one of the main species affected by the acidifying ocean.3 Their diminishing presence in the ocean has an extremely large effect on the rest of the ecosystem. When these organisms die, since they are at the bottom of the food chain, many other organisms rely on them to survive. One way that the ocean is affected is: sea urchins protect coral reefs from algae, acidic oceans make them grow slower. Since they have thinner misshapen shells in acidic water, they become more vulnerable and unlikely to survive, leaving the coral reefs vulnerable and all of the organisms that inhabit it.3
The acidification of the ocean will first affect the organisms and structure of the largest ecosystem on the planet. With the rising levels of CO2 in the ocean, many animals will be hurt by calcification. Their shells will be thinned and many of the species will not be able to survive in the water. Plankton has begun to calcify, and with their species declining, there will be major effects on the rest of the ocean. Since plankton generate at least half of the oxygen we breath 8 , many other species, including us, will also be affected.
Another affected species will be the sea snails, also known as the “potato chips of the
sea” will dissolve. Since this species is a
pteropod, they will be some of the
species largely affected by this3.
One species type that is increasing are
the coccolithophores.7 These are “one
celled marine plants that live in the
upper layers of the ocean” 17 This type
of phytoplankton is stimulated by elevated pCO2 levels in the oceans. This creates more
uncertainties as to what will definitely happen in the future. Some species will die, and others will thrive in the acidifying ocean. This will create a flip in the food chain, so it is uncertain what exactly will happen to the ocean and us.
With ocean acidification, the rising CO2 levels eventually will lead to a temperature increase. It has been shown that with even a 1 degree C increase in
temperature, ocean ecosystems will be greatly affected. The limits of what the ocean can withstand and contain for us, like CO2, will be increasingly diminished 6.
effects of Ocean Acidification
At any time, coccolithophores can be surrounded by 30 scales, making one of the most volumized phytoplankton8
the environmental effects of ocean acidification