Ocean Acidification Will the reef survive? http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov Ocean Acidification Will the reef survive?

Carbonate Shell Activity Follow the directions on the ocean acidification shell activity. Complete steps 1-4. Than sit down and await further instructions.

Ocean’s of Rootbeer Dry ice -110 degrees Factors that speed reaction What is it? CO2 What is the “smoke” Water vapor How does it get to this phase Sublimation Solid to gas without passing through liquid phase Factors that speed reaction Surface area Temperature Pressure Concentration

Safety Wear safety glasses Do NOT touch dry ice! It is so cold it will burn you. Instant frost bite can occur. Do not drink to soda you make until all of the ice has sublimated. Place your labeled cup on the front lab counter when step 6 has been completed.

11 BILLION TONS The burning of fossil fuels releases of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. The worldwide consumption of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas releases 11 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. http://www.independent.co.uk http://www.babble.com

Because of this, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing at an alarming rate. This graph shows the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 1700 to the present. Starting at about 1950 (click), when people started burning lots of fossil fuels, the slope of this line starts rising very steeply, showing that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rapidly increasing. www.physicalgeography.net

Atmospheric CO2 Today: 395.28ppm

Carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean, where it causes a potentially more serious problem  ocean acidification. Ocean acidification refers to a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period time, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere Some of this carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming. About 1/3 of it, however, gets dissolved in the ocean, causing a potentially more serious problem-ocean acidification. Hoegh-Gulderg et al. 2007

Ocean acidification poses a threat to shell-forming organisms like corals and calcifying plankton. Ocean acidification poses a threat to shell forming organisms like corals and calcifying plankton, because in a more acidic ocean, these creatures will not be able to create their shells and grow. To understand why this is the case, we need to review a bit of chemistry. www.greendiary.com http://elrid.cult.bg

The pH Scale ACIDS A small change in pH is equal to a LARGE change in acidity. First, the pH scale, which ranges from 0 to 14, is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is. Pure water is neutral with a pH of 7. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are acidic and those with a pH greater than 7 are basic. The pH scale is logarithmic, meaning a difference of one pH unit is equal to a ten-fold change in acidity, which is determined by the concentration of hydrogen ions in a substance. As seen on this scale, grapefruit (click), which has a pH of 3, is ten times more acidic than tomato juice (click), which has a pH of 4. Vinegar (click), which has a pH of 2, is 100 times more acidic than tomato juice (click). Because the pH scale is logarithmic, even small changes in the pH of the ocean can have significant effects on marine organisms. BASES www.thegardenersresource.com

Carbonic acid reduces ocean pH. CO2 + H2O H2CO3 carbonic acid CO2 + CO32- + H2O carbonate ions 2HCO3 – bicarbonate ions The concentration of carbonate ions decreases. So how does carbon dioxide affect ocean chemistry? When carbon dioxide dissolves in water (click), it forms carbonic acid (click), which lowers the pH of the water (click). The carbon dioxide also reacts with other carbon containing compounds, such as carbonate ions (click), that are naturally dissolved in seawater. Carbonate ions are important because they combine with calcium to form calcium carbonate, which is what marine organisms use to make their shells. However, in the presence of carbon dioxide, the carbonate ions react (click) and form bicarbonate ions. Thus, (click) the concentration of carbonate ions in the ocean decreases. Unfortunately, organisms cannot use bicarbonate ions to build their shells. So, to recap, an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere threatens calcifying organisms in two ways. First, a decreased pH makes the water more corrosive. This can actually cause shells to dissolve. Second, a reduction in the concentration of carbonate ions means there is not enough calcium carbonate for organisms such as corals and calcifying plankton to make new shells and grow.

As the ocean acidifies, organisms such as corals, snails, and calcifying plankton will not be able to make their shells and grow. www.divegallery.com Pteropods and coccolithophores, shown here (click), are two types of calcifying plankton that are being impacted by ocean acidification. These planktonic organisms are microorganisms-they can’t be seen without the aid of a microscope. The pteropod is a kind of zooplankton, meaning it is a planktonic animal. It is actually a tiny marine snail. The coccolithophore is a microscopic algae, and is a type of phytoplankton. All phytoplankton undergo photosynthesis and generate oxygen, but the calcium carbonate plates that surround coccolithophores make them unique. Despite their small size, these organisms are very important to the survival of our marine ecosystems, because they form the base of the marine food web. www.greendiary.com http://elrid.cult.bg www.noaanews.noaa.gov Zooplankton (Pteropod) Coral Phytoplankton (Coccolithophore )

www.travel-vancouver-island.com www.nceas.ucsb.edu www.bigmoviezone.com Zooplankton, such as pteropods, feast on the tiny coccolithophores (click). In turn, the pteropods are critical food sources for larger marine animals like fish (click) and whales (click). If coccolithophores and pteropods become less abundant due to ocean acidification, there will be less food for animals higher up the food chain (click). www.noaanews.noaa.gov http://elrid.cult.bg

Similarly, ocean acidification is predicted to dramatically alter coral reefs, as shown here. The photo on the left (click) shows a relatively healthy reef, with a carbon dioxide concentration of 375 ppm. As you move from left to right, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the water increases, meaning that the pH decreases. In the photo on the right (click), where the carbon dioxide concentration is greater than 500ppm, we can see that the reef is severely degraded, and very few corals survive. Many organisms live on coral reefs, and if corals disappear, they won’t be able to find food or shelter. Ocean acidification therefore represents a serious threat to the survival of many marine ecosystems. Because ocean acidification is so important, it’s a good idea to learn as much about it as we can. To do so, you’re going to do an experiment in which you simulate ocean acidification, using yeast to generate carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide released by the yeast will mimic the carbon dioxide humans release into the environment through the burning of fossil fuels. http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov

Factors that speed reaction Surface area Temperature Pressure Concentration