SUMMARY:
There is no
scientific evidence
to support the claim
that most calcifying
marine species
will become extinct,
due to higher levels
of CO2 in the air, and
lower pH levels
in the oceans.
Human emissions of CO2
may result in a slight reduction
of ocean pH, but a small reduction
that is well within historical levels,
during which calcifying species
survived, and flourished.
DETAILS:
Ocean acidification
is said to be caused
by rising man-made
CO2 levels in the
atmosphere, and
global warming,
affecting the oceans.
Starting about
15 years ago,
some people
began to predict
rising CO2 levels
will result in
mass extinction
of marine species
that calcify
such as corals,
shellfish and
also many species
of plankton,
which would then result
in the extinction of
other marine species.
The ocean
acidification
hypothesis claims
atmospheric
CO2 increases
will make oceans
more acidic,
as they absorb
more CO2,
some of which
reacts in the sea
to become
carbonic acid.
The resulting
lowering of pH
is predicted
to result in
“catastrophic”
impact on
shellfish, corals
and plankton.
These are species
that build their
protective shells
of calcium carbonate,
from calcium and CO2
dissolved in seawater.
The projected
reduction
of ocean pH
is supposed to
make it difficult
for these species
to construct
their shells,
and some people
claim they will
become extinct.
But early shellfish,
such as clams,
arose more than
500 million years ago,
when atmospheric CO2
was 10 to 15 times
higher than it is today !
The pH
of the oceans
did not cause
the extinction
of corals
or shellfish,
or they would not
be here today.
So why are we told
that today’s
much lower
level of CO2,
is already
causing damage
to calcifying species?
Because we are
being lied to,
as usual,
by climate change
scaremongers !
The hypothesis
of ocean acidification
does not require
any surface warming,
or any change in climate,
or any increase
in extreme weather
events to occur.
It's a great boogeyman
for leftists environmental
scaremongers !
Seawater has
a large buffering
capacity that prevents
large shifts in pH
when weak acids,
such as carbonic acid,
are added to it
And if the forecasts
of continued
global warming
are correct,
then the oceans
will become warmer
and outgas CO2,
just like a soda
pop outdoors
on a warm day
gradually goes 'flat'.
The scale of pH
runs from 0 to 14
where 7 is neutral,
below 7 is acidic
and above 7 is basic,
or alkaline.
The pH of the
world’s oceans
varies from
7.5 to 8.3,
well into the
alkaline scale.
The term
‘acidification’
only has
legitimate meaning
when describing
a drop of pH
to below pH 7.0,
which is neutral,
and the point where
the term ‘acidification’
has meaning
in the real world.
It is wrong to claim
the oceans are acidic,
or that they will
become acidic
under any
conceivable
scenario.
The term “acidification”
is a propaganda term
to falsely imply
that the oceans
will actually
become acidic.
There is direct evidence
trees and plants are taking up
a percentage of human CO2
emissions, as atmospheric
CO2 levels increase.
The “CO2 fertilization effect”
is well documented.
Greenhouse growers
around the world
purposely increase
the level of CO2
in their greenhouses
to increase yields
of their crops
by up to 50%.
The optimum growth
of most plants
occurs at
1,000 to 2,000 ppm
of CO2,
compared with
the 410 ppm
ambient CO2 level
( currently in the air ).
The salt content
of seawater
provides it with
a powerful
buffering capacity,
which is the ability
to resist change in pH,
when an acidic
or basic compound
is added to the water.
One micromole
of hydrochloric acid
added to one kilo
of distilled water
at pH 7.0 (neutral)
causes the pH
to drop to nearly 6.0.
If the same amount
of hydrochloric acid
is added to seawater
at pH 7, the resulting
pH is 6.997, a change of
only 0.003 of a pH unit.
Seawater has
approximately
330 times the
buffering capacity
of fresh water.
The assertion
that more than
250 years ago
ocean pH was 8.2
is a wild guess,
not a measurement.
No one measured the pH
of ocean water in 1750.
The concept of pH was not
even invented until 1909,
and an accurate pH meter
was not available until 1924.
The predictions of a change
in ocean pH due to CO2
are based on wild guesses,
from the same people who claim
a pH 8.2 in 1750, when we had
no accurate pH measurements
before 1924 !