Ocean acidification is a huge topic that all of my marine science classes discuss. Acidification affects the physical processes, biology of the oceans, the chemical makeup of the oceans, and the geology of the seafloor. I first learned about this in high school in my marine science class where the topic peaked my interest. As a marine science major, I have been taught that we need to find a way to take care of our oceans because one day the effects are going to be irreversible. I am interested in this research question because this is ultimately what I want to study and do research on when I graduate from college and have earned my degrees in Marine science and Chemistry. This research question affects me in several ways. For instance, with the acidification of the oceans, there will be less fish, and shrimp, and they are some of my absolute favorite foods. Along with this, when I go to graduate school I want to do research on ocean acidification and see how it affects hydrothermal events. I am qualified to write about this because I am a young scientist who has taken several marine science classes where I have learned about the oceans and their issues. As such, I have learned the basics about the acidification of the oceans and how it impacts us and the environment, and I am very interested in conducting research on this topic. Acidification is a big problem that needs to be solved. 

I will be analyzing three different sources in this paper, the first of the three articles is "The Socioeconomic Costs of Ocean Acidification," by Cherie Winner. In this article, Winner talks about the effects of the decreasing the pH of the oceans sea water. This decrease in pH is from the increase in water temperature and an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide being added to the ocean. Due to this, the amount of organisms in the ocean will greatly decrease especially if they have a calcium carbonate skeleton or shells because the carbon dioxide destroys it (Winner 74). The major values and interests at stake here are the impacts that the issue will have on the economy if organisms die. There is bias in both the article and the source, and there is not a counter argument in this essay. This article is more of an informative piece that is used to educate the population about the outcomes of ocean acidification, how it will affect organisms living in it, and how in turn it will affect us. The bias comes in the fact that this article blames humans for the problems that are affecting the oceans while not taking into consideration other natural occurrences such as volcano eruptions that also affect the amount of carbon dioxide that ends up in the oceans as well. This article is credible because it uses sources from one of the most well-known research institutions in marine science and credited researchers. 

The second source that I found to use in my argumentative research paper is "Claims About Ocean Acidification Are Overblown and Scientifically Baseless," written by Christopher Monckton. In this article Monckton argues that the decrease in pH is not because of an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide produced by humans but instead is just a natural cycle. His argument is that there is no evidence to suggest that the oceans are becoming more acidic over time. He notes that acidification is not due to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide being transferred between the ocean and the atmosphere. Instead, he argues that the water runs over rocks, which keeps the water at its more basic and neutral state (Monckton 2). The major value of this article is to inform people that it is not their wrong doing for the acidification, but that it is just a natural occurrence. Monckton's major interest at stake in this article is educating people to look beyond the headlines and really research before assuming that there is an issue with acidification at all. This article, like the first one has bias but on the opposite side of the spectrum. This article suggests that ocean acidification does not exist because the ocean pH is alkaline heading to neutral not acidic. This article also notes that there are additional nutrients available in the environment, which can lead to more animals in some areas (Monckton 3). His argument is solely based on the idea that there is no problem, and that if there was a problem, humans are not at fault for any extra carbon dioxide in the oceans. Monckton is a credible author because he relies on research and findings conducted by noted scientists, and uses reliable sources from books and periodicals. 

The third article I found for the argumentative essay discusses the dangerous effects of the acidification argument. The title of this article is "Carbon emissions cause dangerous ocean acidification," written by Carl Zimmer. It like the first article looks at the negative effects of acidification. Unlike the second article, which states that ocean acidification is not real, this article says it is real, and is quickly becoming a huge environmental issue for the world today. The major piece of evidence that explains the negative impacts ocean acidification on the environment is that it is killing the oceans and animals. For example, the coral reefs are being bleached and killing the animals that live there. This could lead to a complete wipeout of an ecosystem or species of organisms. This is supported in the argument by detailing research of fossil records that conclusively shows that this has happened before (Zimmer 4). The major values and interests at stake for this article is that humans and organisms are going to be affected by this, whether its they lose their shelter due to heating waters, their skeletons are eaten or if this will lead to a decrease in the number of organisms available for consumption (human and animal).  This article is the most credible because it uses research to show past and present effects of ocean acidification. Along with this, many of the sources used by Zimmer are from different researchers at universities and well-known companies. 

Ocean acidification is definitely an arguable topic because there is solid research as well as numerous opinions on the topic. I discovered that one of the biggest arguments regarding acidification is whether or not it is a human caused problem or a natural cycle. On the whole, my sources agree that the oceans pH is currently around 8.2 (Winner 75). The pH scale runs from 1 to 14. 1-6 represent an acidic solution and solutions 8-14 are considered to be basic. A neutral solution is 7 which is the pH of pure water. However, two of the three articles, believe that the pH is going to decrease and become more acidic whereas the second article states that a change will not occur, that the oceans will balance themselves out (Monckton 4). The perspectives of the sources did affect my own. I have always been taught that humans are the cause of ocean acidification, I did not think that it could be a natural cause. It was interesting to read about and I think it will help me write a paper that looks at both factors. While ocean acidification may be a natural cycle, I wonder if humans have sped the process up? That might be a question that I include in my research question and find out more about.  

