Chart of the Day: More acidic oceans
Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 12:01AM 
From The Economist.
Basic chemistry:
As carbon dioxide levels go up, pH levels come down. Acidity depends on the presence of hydrogen ions (the H in pH) and more hydrogen ions mean, counterintuitively, a lower pH. Expose the surface of the ocean to an atmosphere with ever more carbon dioxide, and the gas and waters will produce carbonic acid, lowering pH on a planetary scale. The declining pH does not actually make the waters acidic (they started off mildly alkaline). But it makes them more acidic, just as turning up the light makes a dark room brighter.
Additionally, more hydrogen ions mean more bicarbonate ions and fewer carbonate ions, the latter of which is used by corals and shellfish. So fewer carbonate ions means slower coral growth and thinner shells.
The increasing acidification of the world’s oceans is referred to as global warming’s evil twin, because the rapid change is expected to wreak all sort of havoc with sea life.
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Reader Comments (1)
Its interesting to see how the environment and its deterioration is seen as an opportunity for back door re-distributionist socialism by a suspicious Right.( in the US primarily )
Its a leftie religion and therefore has to be discredited.
But if we do fall down a slippery slope..it might be like wondering whether the deck chairs on the Titanic float or not ....but it would be fascinating to see how extreme right wingers would rationalize any catastrophe.
I imagine right-wing values would increase during hard times...so we would get a loud and clear narrative.