A study published in the prestigious journal Science finds that oceans are already 30% more acidic than they were at the start of the industrial revolution and are growing more acidic. Why?
Massive amounts of carbon dioxide are being released into the environment from the burning of fossil fuels and the oceans have absorbed about 67% of the released carbon dioxide, making them more acidic. The pace of acidification is greater than anytime in planetary history and could lead to the oceans being 150% more acidic by the end of this century.
Why should we care? The growing acidification of the ocean makes it harder for corals, shellfish, and plankton to build shells, and the loss of those marine organisms could disrupt entire marine ecosystems and fish populations.
The study can be found at: http://m.sciencemag.org/content/335/6072/1058.abstract. Also see:
This study confirms once more that denying global warming and the changes that it has already caused to the environment is deeply irresponsible.