Imagine a world where it is no longer easy to breath because of an increase in the Carbon Dioxide exchange between the air and oceans. Imagine a world where seafood is so scarce that it can only be bought in five star restaurants. Imagine a world where the only place to see coral reefs and tropical fish species is behind the glass of aquariums. Well, this is becoming more and more of a reality every day. This is due to ocean acidification. It affects more than just the organisms in the sea, it affects humans, it affects you and me. Ocean acidification is a major environmental issue that is not well known or discussed a lot. An argument that is naturally talked about with this topic is whether or not there is a way to stop ocean acidification from worsening, and if there is a way, whether or not it is worth implementing these techniques to fix the problem. However, while many believe that ocean acidification is real, there are also those who think that ocean acidification is not an issue because the ocean has always been taking up Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere. What they do not realize is that the oceans and the environment around us is changing and in part is due to us.  Ocean acidification is the process in which the oceans take up more hydrogen atoms than normal; when this happens the organisms in the ocean lose the ability to make their skeletons or shells, are unable to grow to the correct size or reproduce normally, thus leading to the oblivion of underwater ecosystems, which in turn effects economy, and therefore it is important that the people on this planet fix the problem. 

The world naturally creates Carbon Dioxide through the process of photosynthesis, but in recent years, Carbon Dioxide levels have increased more than ever. The reason behind all of this is that humans are generating more Carbon Dioxide than ever before in the history of Earth. Now grant it, Carbon Dioxide levels in earth's atmosphere are always fluctuating and have been since the earth was created. The Earth goes through natural cycles of low and high Carbon Dioxide, but since the industrial revolution in the 1800's the Carbon Dioxide levels have increased. To be specific, the Carbon Dioxide levels have increased nearly 30 percent is then (US Department of Transportation).  The oceans end up taking up most of this Carbon Dioxide which leads to the problem Ocean Acidification. Richard W. Spinrad and Ian Boyd described the ocean as being a sponge, it is constantly absorbing more and more Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere (Spinrad 1).

In order to fully address the issue, it is important to clearly define what exactly ocean acidification is. Chris Mchan, author of Ocean Acidification Threatens our Economy, states that "ocean acidification is a change in the ocean chemistry that happens when carbon pollution from the atmosphere is absorbed into the ocean" (Mchan 9A). In other words, as Carbon Dioxide is released into the atmosphere it is absorbed by the ocean causing the oceans to become more acidic. The process is very complex but has been simplified in order to educate students from middle school and up about what is happening in the environment. Before going in depth into the chemical process it is important to know some basic definitions of an element, molecule and an ion. The definition of an element is that it is a pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler parts whereas a molecule is a compound that is made up of two or more elements and can be broken down into its elements. An ion is an atom or molecule that has a charge; it can be either positive making it a cation or negative making it an anion (Senese). 

The alliance for climate Education, ACE, has created videos that explain the chemical process of the ocean becoming more acidic through the depiction of smiling molecules. Basically, ocean acidification occurs when Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere interacts with the ocean and ends up being absorbed. When this happens, the water molecules, H2O, interact with the Carbon Dioxide, CO2 and forms carbonic acid H2CO3. This carbonic acid is the broken down into bicarbonate ions, HCO3-, and hydrogen ions, H+. In a perfect world, these carbonate ions react with the Ca2+ ions in the water and from calcium carbonate, which is the material that most, if not all, shells are made of. But what is happening from the ocean becoming more acidic is that Hydrogen ions are reattaching to the carbonate ions to reform carbonic acid, because of this, calcium carbonate is not able to be produced (ACE). As such, organisms such as oysters and clams (coccolithophores) are affected. These organisms are unable to produce shells because their shells are made out of calcium carbonate. 

Another major affect that ocean acidification is having on underwater ecosystems is directly related to the ability of organisms to grow and reproduce. The acidity of the water creates several problems limits this ability in numerous life forms. When the water absorbs more Carbon Dioxide the lower and more acidic the pH becomes which in turn leads to the inability of organisms to grow and reproduce. This happens when organisms such as fish are forced to become sexually mature at earlier stages and therefore are smaller when producing babies. This leads to many different problems from not being able to produce as many eggs and sperm as bigger fish in the same population, to the overall maturity size of the fish becoming smaller and smaller over time. This in turn is leading to the population sizes getting smaller and smaller because they cannot survive and adapt to the changing acidity (Kurihara). Along with this, the increase in Carbon Dioxide in the water limits the amount of oxygen in the water that the fish can breathe. When this happens the fish are forced to compensate for the loss of oxygen by using more energy to focus on breathing than on reproducing and growing. If it were not for all of the Carbon Dioxide humans are putting in the air, there would not be this problem regarding the ability of organisms to grow. Along with this, not only are some organisms having growth issues, there are also some species of fish that when born do not live more than a few hours due to the acidic conditions (Kurihara). 

While ocean acidification is killing animals, decimating ecosystems on the whole, and ruining ecosystems individually, when taken together in one big picture, it is even easier to see the terrible effects. Another impact that ocean acidification is having is on the world's oceans today, specifically within the different ecosystems, is an alteration to food webs. One of the ecosystems being hugely effected by this are the coral reefs. According to Spinard and Boyd, the number of corals in the Great Barrier Reef has decreased by half (Spinard 2). Coral reefs have become a huge industry in several areas of the world from the Caribbean and Hawaii all the way to down under in Australia. Coral reefs are a collection of thousands of species from the largest sharks and fish all the way down to the tiniest algae. They are known to be the rainforest underwater (Zimmer 3). However, because of the oceans becoming more acidic many creatures are leaving and or just dying leading to the destruction of these once bright and vibrant areas. 

One of the creatures that helped made these areas bright and beautiful are the Zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae are tiny little algae and other photosynthetic organisms that live in the corals and provide food and nutrients in return for shelter from other organisms (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation). However, as the oceans become more acidic these creatures are dying and leaving in order to find new homes. When this happens, the coral is unable to collect their own food and therefore are unable to calcify and grow so they just end up dying and becoming underwater statues. This process is also known as bleaching. According to Ashanti Johnson and Natasha White, authors of the article "Ocean acidification the other climate change issue: Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere reacts with coastal water to increase the acidity of the ocean, a trend that threatens many marine ecosystems," it is estimated that these corals and other calcifying microalgae will only be able to calcify from 10 to 50 percent of what they were able to do before the industrial revolution (Johnson 4).  

When this happens not only do the corals become bleached, but the organisms who use the corals as food are no longer able to protect themselves and leave, which in turn leads to other organism leaving the reef. As Johnson and White said, "this decrease, together with the loss of coral reef species through bleaching, disease, and overexploitation, threatens the persistence of coral reefs and fish communities and the sustenance fishers who depend on them" (Johnson 4). The increase in acidity is leading to more than just new migrations of organisms, but it is leading to the death and extinction of millions because they are unable to find new places to live. This in turn is creating problems for fishermen by causing them to change what they fish for. 

It is not just the organisms and the environments that are having problems because of ocean acidification. It is also affecting humans. Humans rely on the ocean for everything whether its transporting food and goods from across the world, or whether its taking fishing boats out to collect fish and other seafood's to sell in restaurants and stores, or taking cruises to exotic countries or spending the day on the beach playing and swimming with family and friends. If humans allow ocean acidification to continue, the oceans will reach the point where the acidic water will affect them as well. If humans swim in the acidic water it will cause a rash and do harm to them just by stepping in the water. Not only that, but it will have a negative effect on the World's economy. According to the United Nations News Services, "It is predicted that over 1 trillion dollars will be globally lost annually if there are not steps taken to fix and stop ocean acidification" (UN News Service 1).  Many cities and states across the United states alone rely on the use of oceans for foods and jobs. For example, fisheries in Alaska account for nearly 60 percent of the jobs in that state, that is nearly 100,000 jobs (Spinard 2). As noted earlier, the more acidic the water is becoming the less reproductive organisms are becoming which leads to smaller populations. However, even with smaller populations of fish, humans are fishing at the same rate. As these populations decrease the less fisheries that are needed to hold the fish so people therefore lose their jobs because of ocean acidification. Another example of this is the West Coast Shellfish Industry which supports over 3,000 jobs in local communities (Spinard 2). According to Spinard and Boyd, the West Coast Shellfish industry lost 117 million dollars from ocean acidification in 2005 (Spinard 1). 

While many argue that ocean acidification is real, and that there are ways that humans can attempt to fix and stop the effects of ocean acidification before it is too late, there are those who believe that ocean acidification is a hoax and does not exist because if global warming is really occurring then the oceans would not be taking up more Carbon Dioxide it would actually sending more Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. Christopher Monckton, author of the article "Claims about ocean acidification are overblown and scientifically baseless," explains that the basic definition of an acid is a substance that has a pH less than seven, which is not currently where the pH of the ocean is nor will it ever drop that low (Monckton).  The current pH of the ocean ranges anywhere from 7.9 to 8.2, anything above a 7 is considered to be alkaline, otherwise known as being basic, not acidic. Along with this, Monckton goes on to explain that if the oceans are really becoming warmer because of global warming the oceans should not be able to be taking up more gas due to the properties of water. The properties of water basically states that when the water is colder molecules of carbon dioxide and oxygen are moving slower so more gas can be dissolved. While Monckton makes a strong case against the existence of ocean acidification, he fails to take into account the statistics and research discussed previously that details its actual existence and the current effect it is having on the world's oceans. His argument is missing crucial pieces of evidence gathered by scientists worldwide that supports its existence.  

Ocean acidification is a problem that needs to be address by the world. It can no longer be ignored. One of the reason this problem is occurring is because it is not an issue that is talked or taught a lot about in schools. If students were more educated and taught about the problem, and how to solve this may never have occurred. Most students do not learn about this issue because marine science and the chemistry going on in the ocean is simply not a topic talked about in most science classes in highs schools. If students were just told about the issue at a younger age there would be a greater chance of change. Along with this, passing more laws that regulate the amount of Carbon Dioxide being emitted into the environment would also help resolve this issue. Some countries have already started to do this. In the United States, the government passed the Clean Water Act. The Clean Water Act became an amendment in 1972, and was created with the purpose of making sure that there was clean drinking water. In 2007, the bill was amended to add a new section that correct the requirement of the pH level of drinking water (Halloran). Along with this the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, is trying to find a way to regulate airborne emissions of Carbon Dioxide due to the increase of Carbon Dioxide humans are releasing into the ozone. According to Ashanti Johnson and Natasha White, coauthors of the paper "Ocean acidification the other climate change issue: Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere reacts with coastal water to increase the acidity of the ocean, a trend that threatens many marine ecosystems," that by "using current legislation  -- in particular, the U.S. Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act -- to enforce more stringent emissions standards may offset some of the harm caused by the rising acidity of the oceans" (Johnson 4).  As the Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere increases the Carbon Dioxide in the ocean also increases. This in turn leads to many of the issues that were discussed earlier in this paper. 

If local communities or even the global community could find ways to lower carbon emissions into the atmosphere, this would assist with the issue by keeping things from getting any worse. An easy way to do this would be to hold no drive day, this could be a day where communities do not use any motorized form of transportation and only use environmentally friendly modes such as scooters, bikes and walking. Along with this, cities could provide different modes of transportation to help workers get to jobs. By having more modes of public transportation less people would be on roads releasing pollutants. Along with decreasing the carbon emissions into the environment, creating laws that locally and globally decrease the amount of catches of fish and other organisms that companies are allowed to have could help marine organisms. With catch limits, organisms will be more easily able to bounce back from the inability to grow accustomed to growing acidity. Something even easier that can help the oceans bounce back is as simple as throwing back old oyster and clam shells into the oceans when they are done being used. This will help increase the calcium carbonate in the ocean system and help organisms be able to grow their shells by helping rebuild the disappearing calcium carbonate buffer zone. Even some of the simplest ideas can make a change and help with ocean acidification.   

Ocean acidification is the process of the oceans becoming more acidic by creating more carbonic acid which limits the amount of calcium carbonate in the oceans. Ocean acidification is a problem that is affects everything in the ocean and outside the ocean. It affects everyone and everything in some manner. For example, it makes it difficult for coccolithophores to produce its shell; it effects the ability of a fish to form its full skeleton; and it affects the economy of small towns and villages across the world that rely on fishing as income. While many people believe that ocean acidification is not a real problem, and the oceans have always been taking up Carbon Dioxide, there is much more to the issue than they realize. Ocean acidification is a real problem, one that human must address and must begin addressing now. There are many things that can be done to fix this problem such as teaching about the problem in schools, communities working together to pass laws regarding the amount of Carbon Dioxide emissions on a global and local scale, or the world agreeing to limit the number of catches of animals so that the organisms can rebound and repopulate.  There is no way to reverse the effects ocean acidification has already had on the ocean, but humans can make sure that the environment never reaches the point of no return. The sooner the human populations across the globe changes the way they emit Carbon Dioxide into the air the sooner things will get better. The only way to stop them from getting worse is to stop doing what we are currently doing to the environment. Like President Obama once said, "change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek" (Obama).  If humans do not make the first step who else will. If things are going to get better, humans need to find a way to coexists and help speak for the organisms and the animals that cannot stand up for themselves.

