The current rate of acidification is a concern to scientists because there are a lot of organisms of marine life that are very vulnerable to this acidification due to their shells. Also coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to ocean acidification, and since reefs are a vital part to the marine life’s food chain this could cause marine life to begin to die off. It is said that the Australian coral reef has been cut in half since 1985.

Acidification inhibits shell growth in marine animals and is thought to be a cause of reproductive disorders in some fish.

“The oceans currently absorb about a third of human-created CO2 emissions, roughly 22 million tons a day. Projections based on these numbers show that by the end of this century, continued emissions could reduce ocean pH by another 0.5 units. Shell-forming animals including corals, oysters, shrimp, lobster, many planktonic organisms, and even some fish species could be gravely affected.”