As a result of human activities, six of nine “planetary boundaries” have already been breached, and ocean acidification could be the seventh. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the pH of seawater continues to decline.
The growing ocean acidifications leads to the Land to cross a new alert threshold that will affect the stability of the planet, its resilience and its habitability, according to a report by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
15 years ago, scientists defined nine “planetary boundaries“physical thresholds that humanity should not exceed if it wishes to remain in a “safe operating zone”. As a result of human activities, six of these “limits” have already been surpassed in recent years and, according to a new report published on Monday, a seventh, ocean acidification, is about to be surpassed “inIn the near future“.
The Six limits widely exceeded They relate to climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, the proliferation of synthetic chemicals (including plastics), freshwater scarcity and the balance of the nitrogen cycle (agricultural inputs).
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The situation continues getting worsehighlighted the Planetary Health Check on Monday, a report on the health of the planet that will now be updated annually. Acidification is linked to the carbon dioxide absorption (CO2) from the oceans: As emissions of this greenhouse gas continue to increase, the pH of seawater decreases.
This difference and decrease that occurs makes it harmful to many. organisms (corals, shells, plankton, among others) and, ultimately, for the entire marine food chain. A phenomenon that also has to do with the reduction of the oceans’ capacity to absorb the CO2 present in the atmosphere.
“Even if emissions are rapidly reduced, a certain level of continued acidification may be inevitable due to the CO2 already emitted and the response time of the ocean system,” he explains. Boris Sakschewskione of the lead authors of the Planetary Health Check. Therefore, “exceeding the ‘limit’ of ocean acidification seems inevitable in the coming years,” added the researcher.
Consequences of ocean acidification
According to the International Atomic Energy Agencythe oceans provide economic support to more than 3 billion peopleabsorb gases from greenhouse effect and generate a large part of the air that we breathe, as well as being essential for the planet’s climate and weather systems.
Their acidification generates an impact and consequences harmful for marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them for food or economic sustenance. At the same time, because marine organisms expend energy in coping with a more acidic environment, they may not have enough strength to cope. physiological processessuch as reproduction and growth, which affects the chains and alters environmental balances.
Source: Ambito
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