Facts about Ocean Acidification
- 09
Antarctic waters surrounding the Southern Ocean reached saturation levels below 1.0 for aragonite by 2016, making it impossible for pteropods and other shelled creatures to build or maintain their skeletons.
- 08
Dissolved oxygen levels in coastal waters drop faster when ocean acidification occurs, creating hypoxic dead zones where fish cannot survive in regions like the Gulf of Mexico and Baltic Sea.
- 07
Kelp forests along the California coast have shifted from kelp to urchin barrens partly due to ocean acidification weakening sea urchin predators like sea otters and starfish.
- 06
Carbonate saturation states in deep waters have declined by 0.15 units since 1750, reducing the ability of benthic organisms like sea stars and brittle stars to maintain skeletal structures in abyssal zones.
- 05
Calcifying organisms like coccolithophores and foraminifera require 15 to 25 percent more energy to build shells in acidified seawater, reducing their growth rates and competitive fitness.
- 04
Shellfish larvae in acidified waters cannot develop proper shells, reducing survival rates by up to 50 percent in laboratory experiments conducted between 2008 and 2012.
- 03
Coralline algae, which cement coral reefs together, lose structural integrity when ocean pH drops below 8.1, destabilizing reef frameworks across 284,300 square kilometers globally.
- 02
Pteropod shells dissolve in waters already experiencing ocean acidification, threatening a primary food source for salmon, whales, and seabirds across the Pacific Ocean.
- 01
The pH of ocean surface waters has decreased by 0.1 units since preindustrial times due to ocean acidification, representing a 30 percent increase in acidity.