The acidification of the Earth’s oceans can be quantified in several ways, including by measuring the pH level of the water and the healthiness of reefs. The overall trend is increased acidification of the ocean and a deterioration of reefs that can be correlated through the work of several researchers and projects.
A recent article, published in Nature, outlines the effects that ocean acidification has had on the Great Barrier Reef. In this study, the growth rate of the Great Barrier Reef has significantly declined as CO2 levels increase. This was done by using an alkaline substance to alter the chemistry of the seawater at a small atoll in the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s east coast. This decreased the acidity of the water to roughly match pre-industrial levels – and resulted in a 7% increase in reef growth (nature.com)
According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, the oceans absorb about a quarter of all CO2 emissions, thus the levels of CO2 in the oceans are bound to increase as total CO2 emissions increase. In regards to marine life, an increase in CO2 and ocean acidity impedes the process of calcification, which is detrimental to the health and population of marine species (noaa.gov)
In this context, (ocean acidification as an impediment to calcification) the coral and reef-building organisms are producing 10-50% less calcium. This decline in calcium carbonate production poses countless problems: from the structure and size of the reefs themselves, the biodiversity of the environment it creates, and the breakwater applicability when a reef is located near a populated shoreline – are a few of the ways that reef environments are detrimentally suffering from ocean acidification. With the loss or shrinking of a reef comes the loss of marine life, of the ecosystem of the organisms that live there, and the overall healthiness of the oceans.
Sources:
http://www.nature.com/news/landmark-experiment-confirms-ocean-acidification-s-toll-on-great-barrier-reef-1.19410
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/Ocean+Acidification