Ocean Acidification: When carbon dioxide dissolves in this ocean, carbonic acid is formed. Since oceans absorb a lot of the carbon released by fossil fuel burning, carbonic acid is increasing in the ocean. This leads to higher acidity, mainly near the surface. Acidification harms shell-forming plants and animals including surface and deep-water corals, many plankton, pteropods (marine snails), mollusks (clams, oysters), and lobsters (Orr et al., 2005). Many of these organisms provide critical habitat and/or food sources for other organisms. Disturbing these organisms can thus have important ripple effects throughout the marine food chain.

Sources: National Geographic. <http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/>.

Woods Hole Ocean Oceanographic Institution. <http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=7342&tid=282&cid=27206>.