New research has found that our oceans will become more acidic, which could damage shark teeth and change the balance of some of our aquatic ecosystems.
What’s happening?
The research, published in August by a team of German researchers and reported on by Mongabay, focused on the impacts of future ocean acidification.
In particular, researchers focused on projections that suggest the oceans’ pH level, currently at 8.1, could drop to 7.3 by 2300. The lower the number, the more acidic a substance is.
“Such changes will have profound implications for marine organisms, particularly affecting their physiology and morphology,” researchers wrote.
Perhaps no change would be more drastic than what would happen to sharks. The feared ocean predators are known for shedding and regrowing razor-sharp teeth throughout their lives. When researchers tested the effects of 7.3 pH water on various ocean objects, shark teeth became the most damaged.
“We were surprised by how clearly the acidified teeth showed damage even after relatively short exposure times,” lead author Maximilian Baum told Mongabay.
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That damage could make it more difficult for sharks to keep and replace their teeth as well as for them to successfully hunt prey. That, in turn, could make it more difficult for some sharks to survive and disrupt our oceans’ ecological balance.
Why is ocean acidification important?
While the effects are concerning if our oceans become more acidic, so are the reasons why it could occur in the first place.
That shift would be one of the many effects of air pollution, particularly carbon dioxide. As more carbon dioxide gets released into our atmosphere, more of it gets absorbed by ocean water, which eventually changes the water’s makeup.
Oceans are already undergoing massive changes, and that’s even before they become more acidic. The release of toxic gases into our atmosphere has caused the entire planet to become warmer, including our oceans.
Those warmer temperatures have caused sea levels to rise for two key reasons. First, glaciers and ice caps melt more rapidly, increasing the water in our oceans. However, as ocean water becomes warmer, it also undergoes thermal expansion, causing the same amount of water to take up more space.
How can I help protect the oceans?
Our oceans are also home to trillions of pieces of plastic waste, so one simple step to help keep them healthy is to use less plastic.
To reverse the warming and acidification trends that are taking place, even bigger action is needed. Switching from a gas-powered car to an electric vehicle or installing solar panels on your rooftop can drastically lower your reliance on planet- and ocean-warming fossil fuels.
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