Carbon emissions have dangerously acidic, report warned

Greenhouse gas emissions due to burning of fossil fuel have extended the acidity of the world’s oceans from a safe threshold, scientists warning, their ability to maintain shellfish and coral is at risk and helped us in fighting against climate change.

A new report states that the latest “planetary range” to cross the ocean acidication, reference to a set of warnings related to major planetary systems that protect the Earth for human civilization.

Other planetary borders that have already exceeded – including dangerous levels of chemical pollution, warming environment and nutrient cycle changes – have already indicated threats to people.

Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said, “Go out of these boundaries and you first enter a danger zone, which reduces the ability to support human life and human development with high risk of change.”

“And once you are at the upper end of the uncertainty range … then you enter the red zone, high-risk area, where most of the sciences agree that we are very likely to press the button that will cause irreversible changes, originally committing ourselves to move away from habitable conditions on Earth.”

Adding the oceans to the list of planetary boundaries is a great concern because due to those billions of people who depend on them. The ongoing sea acidication can not only destroy the fish that people rely for food, but also reduce the sea’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide and moderate global warming.

The cost of the content is increasing

As humans burn fossil fuels and pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it is estimated that the ocean is absorbed More than a quarter Of that co2.

“Like when we add carbon dioxide to coke or soda, makes the soft drink more acidic,” Christopher Harley said, a professor who studies the ocean at climate change and British Columbia University.

But when the CO2 is absorbed, the chemical process effectively reduces the availability of a mineral that requires some marine life -shellfish to coral – its body needs to be developed.

Harley compared to the construction of a house, saying, “It becomes difficult to build a shell – and if you want to grow up you need to add shell,” Harley compared to the construction of a house.

“Suddenly, construction material becomes more expensive. You are either going to build small houses or not.”

Food for our food

Typical “construction materials” which are measures of planetary range reports is aragonite – a form of calcium carbonate.

The report states that the argonit saturation in the ocean is decreasing, a safe point. Experts have seen negative effects – from stunted larvae growth to weak shells – in a range of species, including plankton, muscles, crabs and oyster.

Harley told CBC News from Vancouver, “If you are a oyster, you care about this, because you want your oyster to grow in the size of the market quickly,” Harley told CBC News from Vancouver.

Assistant Professor Kosima Portius studied at Toronto Scarboro University Effect of ocean acidification on dungness crabsExports for British Columbia estimates a species of more than $ 250 million.

“Crabs, in particular, have very poor vision, so they rely on other senses such as (smell) for their day-to-day life,” Portius said. Research found that in high level of acidication, dangence crabs have low ability to find food, which can affect future development.

“We can potentially see small animals, they will probably have less energy to grow towards breeding, so they can produce less eggs and offspring,” Portius explained CBC News from Toronto.

Canadian water affected

Experts explain how intensity the ocean is acidic, and canadian water – at high latitude – at higher risk.

“The global ocean is not changing evenly or at a single rate,” said Matt Miller, a researcher at the Victoria School of Earth and Ocean Sciences. “Polar region, Arctic, for example, experience the most rigorous changes.”

Research Scientist at Hakai Institute in BC, Irrianequict, says cold water absorbs more carbon dioxide and melting glaciers contribute to this problem, putting us in the “high base line”.

“I think the acidication of the sea is probably considered a little bit like burning at this slow, that it is not as acute and extreme as some of the immediate effect, eg, in 2021, the heat dome had for the sea close ecosystem near the heat dome,” he said.

At the northern end of the Georgia Strait of the Gimenez BC, conducts research on the coast of Quadra Island, which allows him to look closely how sea acidication has affected local species.

“If you are talking to the shelfish industry and communities that are very intimately connected to muscles and oyster … then they will be able to tell you that they are worried” because they are looking at those species under stress, he said.

Global problem

All experts CBC News said that these separate local effects are still part of a global problem.

“After all, the main solution to this problem is a dramatic lack in carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere,” Jimnez said.

As the ocean absorbs carbon – and 90 percent of the additional heat generated by the greenhouse gas effect – its capacity Abjosting carbon will be affected, by largely endangering bullwark against climate change.

Miller said, “Imagine if the additional 30 percent of CO2 … was still in the atmosphere.

He explains that the oceans have seen the first acidication – such as 65 million years ago, when volcanic activity split carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“But still, the rate of change was almost 10 times slower than what we are seeing today. … These animals can adapt at this fast speed or not – we are not sure about it.”