5. What is acidification and how does it affect the oceans?

Ocean acidification is the sustained decrease in its pH, the coefficient that indicates the degree of acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution, due to the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere. The main cause of ocean acidification is the warming of its waters due to global warming, caused mainly by fossil fuel emissions.

The consequence of acidification is the decrease of carbonate ions, necessary for the formation of skeletons and shells of species such as crabs, lobsters, clams, oysters, placing these species on the lists of danger of extinction. Scientists estimate that between 30% and 40% of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from human activity dissolves in oceans, rivers, and lakes.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is a dramatic example of what is happening as a result of warming and acidifying ocean waters. This extraordinary natural formation, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, suffers massive whitening due to high sea temperatures.

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world, stretching over 2,300 kilometers in length. It is the habitat of some 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusks. More than 200 species of birds visit the reef to spend the night, place their nests and reproduce. Thousands of fish flock to the Great Barrier to feed and spawn. Thus, if the Great Barrier Reef were to disappear, it would mean a catastrophe that would affect a large part of the biodiversity of the seas and oceans of the entire world and all of us who feed on marine fauna.