Acid Ocean - The Water Brothers - Season 3

As we burn fossil fuels, carbon dioxide is seeping into the oceans and creating an alarming, science-fiction scenario. It’s called ocean acidification. It could lead to a mass extinction of marine life, yet it is largely unknown to the public. In the Pacific Northwest, the Brothers meet scallop & mussel farmers who are already experiencing the impacts of this recent phenomenon and losing millions of dollars. Diving near a volcano in Italy that causes nearby waters to be naturally higher in acidity, the Brothers see first-hand what the rest of the ocean might look like in the future if the trend continues. Can we stop the problem of ocean acidification before it’s too late?

[@OldScientist]

As regards ocean acidification, it is estimated that the ocean’s global mean surface pH may have declined (i.e., become less alkaline and thus more “acidic”) by -0.07 to -0.08 in the last 200 years - from pH8.12 during pre-industrial times to 8.04 to 8.05 today (Wei et al, 2015). N.B. The decline in pH occurred before 1930.
However, and very importantly when you look the data after CO2 emissions began rising precipitously in the 1930s, the oceans have become less “acidic”!!!
By way of comparison, from one season to the next, or over the course of less than 6 months, pH levels naturally change by ±0.15 pH units, or twice the overall rate of the last 200 years. On a per-decade scale, the changes are even more pronounced. Oceanic pH values naturally fluctuate up and down by up to 0.6 U within a span of a decade, with an overall range between 7.66 and 8.40. This is decadal rate of pH change is larger than the overall 200-year span (0.07-0.08) by a factor of 8.

[@JorjaHeather]

hey