Oceans are reaching a critical limit due to acidification, a study warns

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom and the United States detected an aggravation of this problem, caused by the increased presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

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Scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom revealed that the oceans are dangerously close to a critical limit due to acidification. The problem occurs because there is more carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere as a result of emissions generated by human activities. That gas dissolves in seawater, which becomes more acidic and harmful to many marine organisms, especially those that need certain minerals to form their shells and skeletons, such as corals and some mollusks. Acidification not only affects life at sea but also the people who depend on the oceans for their livelihoods and tourism. “Time is running out,” the researchers wrote. The researchers found that 60% of deep water and 40% of surface water are very close to or have exceeded a critical limit. They published the results in the journal Global Change Biology. Exceeding that limit means that ocean waters have reached a level of acidity that can cause significant damage to marine life and, by extension, negatively affect biodiversity, tourism, and economies that depend on ocean resources. Noting the results of the work, Steve Widdicombe, a marine ecologist at the UK’s Plymouth Marine Laboratory, who was not involved in the work, warned that acidification underway is “an environmental crisis and an economic ticking time bomb”.

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