Cool Water Collapse

Cool Water Collapse

by Francisco Karmelic

Planetary Boundary #1: Ocean acidification

“An even less well-known planetary boundary is ocean acidification, which is largely driven by the same main process as climate change. When the levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere, a substantial part of it dissolves in our oceans, lakes and rivers and transforms into carbonic acid that increases the acidity of the water. This, in turn, inhibits the calcifying processes so important for the creation of shells and skeletons for myriads of marine organisms, such as corals and planktons, which are the start of most marine and coastal food chains.
In short, ocean acidification over the planetary boundary would destroy entire ecosystems on which we depend for our survival.”

Becker, P. Sustainability Science: Managing Risk and Resilience for Sustainable Development. (Elsevier: Amsterdam and Oxford, 2014) p. 52

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