The ocean is a realm of profound mystery and endless fascination for humankind. Since ancient times, we have looked out upon its vast waters with a sense of awe and reverence, knowing that its depths hold secrets far beyond our comprehension. The roiling waves and rushing tides reflect the rhythms of nature, eternal and unceasing in their movement. When we peer into the ocean’s churning waters, we are glimpsing into the very heart of being itself.
And yet, for all its splendor and magnificence, the ocean is also a fragile ecosystem, remarkably sensitive to disturbances that ripple outward from the smallest scales to the largest. The intricate webs of life that inhabit the sea are dependent on specific conditions and chemical balances that have held steady for eons, allowing coral cities to slowly grow, fish communities to migrate, and currents to circulate nutrients around the globe. But human activity has begun disrupting these ancient patterns and processes in ways we are only just beginning to understand.
Chief among these disruptions is the phenomenon of ocean acidification, which threatens to unravel marine food webs and change the very chemistry of the seas. Ocean acidification occurs when excessive amounts of carbon dioxide are absorbed from the atmosphere, altering the pH balance of the water. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have been spewing prodigious amounts of carbon pollution into the air through the burning of fossil fuels. The ocean surface acts as a great global sponge, soaking up some of this CO2 and preventing it from warming the planet even further. But in the process, the essential chemical structure of the seawater is transformed, setting off a cascading series of effects through the marine ecosystems.
While the ocean has experienced fluctuations in acidity levels over geological history, the rapid pace of current acidification is unprecedented. Global pH levels have already dropped by about 0.1 points since pre-industrial times, representing a 30% increase in ocean acidity. At first glance, this shift may seem trivial, but remember that the pH scale is exponential — these numbers signify a dramatic chemical alteration of the environment. Models predict we could see another 0.2 to 0.3 drop by 2100, which would result in ocean acidity levels not experienced for more than 20 million years. We are conducting a risky planetary experiment without a full understanding of the consequences.
The most visible impacts of ocean acidification are found among the coral reefs, whose stony communities of cnidarians form some of the most diverse and colorful ecosystems on Earth. The corals build their communal limestone homes by secreting calcium carbonate skeletons; the living polyps then embed within this intricate structure forged of their ancestors’ remains. But for these corals to construct their architecture, the saturation state of carbonate ions in the surrounding water must remain within a suitable range. Ocean acidification is shifting carbonate chemistry so that these ions become less abundant, which hinders the ability of corals to maintain their rigid scaffolding. Even worse, the declining pH levels begin to dissolve the existing reef structure that supports the coral colonies. Without the foundation of the reef, the entire ecosystem unravels.
Indeed, scientists have already observed alarming declines in coral populations in recent decades. Coral cover in the Great Barrier Reef has decreased by more than 50% since the mid-1980s. Surveys throughout the tropics show that reef ecosystems are increasingly dominated by seaweed rather than corals, signaling a drastic shift in community structure. Adding insult to injury, the loss of structural integrity combined with the physiological stress of elevated acidity leaves corals much more susceptible to deadly bleaching events when ocean temperatures rise. Experts warn that more than 90% of global reefs will experience severe bleaching by mid-century if current trends continue.
The loss of these vibrant coral environments would impoverish the diversity of ocean life. Reefs provide critical nursery habitats for the juveniles of many species of fish, offering protection and abundant food sources as they mature. As coral architecture crumbles, it scrambles the landscape these fish rely on, potentially displacing entire populations. In addition, the failure of reef systems will undermine a major source of food and income for millions of people who live along tropical coastlines. Coral degradation threatens both natural ecosystems and human livelihoods.
Yet the impacts of ocean acidification extend far beyond coral reef environments. Many marine organisms across the food web, from microscopic plankton to shellfish to fish, may face challenges in a more acidic sea. Plankton forms the base of ocean food webs and produces more than half the oxygen we breathe on this planet. But these simple floating creatures construct calcium carbonate shells that are vulnerable to eroding in lower pH conditions. Laboratory studies suggest the changing chemistry could interfere with metabolic processes in plankton, potentially reducing their growth rates and threatening their abundance.
Changes further up the food chain amplify the risks. Shellfish like oysters, mussels, and clams rely on ongoing calcification to produce their shells but find this process hampered in more acidic waters. Aquaculture operations may face serious threats if they can no longer breed these mollusks at sufficient rates to replace harvested stocks. Even the early life stages of finfish can experience impaired development, from impacts on their behavior to reduced survival rates. One experiment found that only 45% of juvenile clownfish raised in acidified water survived the first week after hatching, compared to over 90% in ambient conditions. Such failures in recruitment inevitably translate into declining adult populations.
Ocean acidification has the potential to reshape entire marine ecosystems, unraveling food webs from the bottom up. But does this matter for human affairs, beyond those who rely directly on fishing or tourism? Here, we must reflect deeply on the critical services the ocean provides to all people everywhere. The sea regulates climate, cleans water, stores carbon, and generates oxygen. Marine fisheries provide protein for billions and livelihoods for hundreds of millions. Ocean resources support industries worth trillions of dollars each year. All of these ecosystem services depend on maintaining the fundamental integrity of marine food webs.
Therefore, ocean acidification poses risks at scales both local and global, threatening coastal developing regions and affluent post-industrial societies alike. We tamper with the chemistry of the sea at our peril. While individuals and communities must adapt, the root problem can only be addressed by reducing the massive CO2 emissions destabilizing the climate system. This will require transforming both personal habits and economic systems so that humanity lives in balance with nature, not at nature’s expense.
Here we face profound choices about how we relate to the world around us. Ocean acidification presents an opportunity to confront our excessive material appetites which we have too long indulged without care for consequences. Perhaps the dissolving reefs and struggling shells are a warning from the depths, calling us back into alignment with ecological limits and long-term thinking. For centuries, the sea has inspired human imagination with its sublime beauty and unfathomable mysteries. We would do well to rekindle that ancestral sense of awe and remember the wisdom held in the rhythms of the waves. Our future may depend on learning to heed the truths spoken by the ocean’s rolling waters before we become another cautionary tale of civilizations sunk into surging seas.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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