Monckton Chronicles Part III – Acid Reflux?

Posted by Jimalakirti in Climate Change,Critical Thinking
at 1:58 pm on Monday, 7 June 2010

(Skeptical Science, June 7, 2010)

Guest post by John Abraham

This time, we are turning our attention to a problem that is rapidly gaining attention in the public arena. That problem, commonly termed “ocean acidification” refers to the lowering of the ocean’s pH by the dissolution of carbon dioxide in seawater. It should be noted that the ocean is basic (It’s pH is greater than 7). Ocean “acidification” does not refer to the ocean becoming an acid. It means the ocean is becoming less basic.

Scientists believe that the pH of the ocean has decreased by about 0.1 point since pre-industrial times. This may not sound like a large change, but it must be recognized that the pH scale is logarithmic. On a log scale, a change in pH of 0.1 means that the concentrations of hydrogen ions in the water has changed by about 30%.

So, why does the decrease in pH concern us? In saltwater, living creatures that make calcium carbonate shells or skeletons (oysters, clams, sea urchins, corals, etc) require a pH around 8.2. When pH falls too low, these creatures have difficulty making and maintaining their shells.
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