Seriously acid oceans of carbon emissions, reports warn

Scientists have warned of greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels into the acidity of the world after a safe threshold, and threatens their ability to preserve oysters and coral reefs and help us fight climate change.

A new report says that ocean gel is the latest “limits of planets” that will be crossed, referring to a set of warning signs related to the main planetary systems that keep the Earth safe for human civilization.

The other planetary boundaries that have already crossed – including dangerous levels of chemical pollution, the atmosphere of warming and changes in the nutrient cycle – have already indicated threats to people.

“Go abroad from these borders and enter first in a dangerous area, with an increased risk of causing changes that would undermine this ability to support human life and human development,” said Johan Roxterom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research, which was released on Wednesday.

“As soon as you are at the upper end of the scope of uncertainty … the red area, and the high -risk region, where most of the flag agrees that we are very likely to press the buttons that will lead to irreversible changes, and ourselves mainly remain in the tree away from the conditions that can live on the ground.”

Adding oceans to the planetary border list is a great concern due to the billions of people who depend on them. Not only could the ocean acidification destroy the fisheries of fish on which people depend for food, but also reduces the ability of the ocean to absorb carbon dioxide and mild greenhouse.

The costs of materials rise

When humans burn fossil fuels and pump carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it is estimated that the ocean is absorbed More than a quarter This is carbon dioxide.

“Just as we add carbon dioxide to the coke or soda, this makes the gas drink more acidic,” said Christopher Harley, a professor who studies climate change and surrounding the British University of Colombia.

But when carbon dioxide is absorbed, the chemical process effectively reduces the availability of minerals that some marine life needs – from oysters to coral – to the development of their bodies.

“It is difficult to build shells – and you need to add a shell if you want to grow larger,” Harley explained, and compared to building a house.

“Suddenly, building materials become more expensive. Either you will build smaller homes or not.”

Food for our food

The specific “building materials” measures the planetary border report are Aragonite – a form of calcium carbonate.

The report says that Aragonite saturation in the ocean decreases, after a safe point. Experts have witnessed negative effects – from the development of dwarf larvae to weaker shells – in a group of species, including plankton, mussels, cancer and shellfish.

“If you are an oyster farmer, you care about it, because you want the oysters to grow quickly to the market size,” Harley told CBC News from Vancouver.

Cosima Porteus, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Scarboro, lesson Oceanal effect on crabsA type of more than $ 250 million in exports to British Colombia.

“In particular, they have a very bad vision, so they rely on other senses such as (scent) for their daily life,” Porteus said. The research found that at high levels of acidification, the country’s crab in the country has a low capacity to find food, which may affect future growth.

“We are likely to see smaller animals, and they may have less energy to have children, so they can produce fewer eggs and offspring,” Porteus told CBC News from Toronto.

Canadian water damaged

Experts note that there is a regional contrast in the extent of the ocean intense, and Canadian waters – on higher latitude – at greater danger.

“The global environment does not change equally or at an equal rate,” said Matt Miller, a researcher at the Earth and Science College at Victoria University. “The polar areas, the Arctic, for example, witness the most radical changes.”

Eria Jiminies, research scientist at the Hakai Institute in British Columbia, says cold water absorbs more carbon dioxide and the melting of glaciers contributes to this problem, which puts us in a “higher basic line”.

She said: “I think the ocean acidification may have been seen on such slow burning, and that it does not contain the immediate effects of an intense and extreme thing as it was, such as, Hit Dome in 2021 for ecosystems near the marine.”

Jiminiz is conducting research off the coast of the island of Kyadara, at the northern end of the Georgia Strait in BC, which allows it to see closely how ocean acidification affected local species.

She said: “If you are talking to the industry and societies that are closely related to the mussels and the shellfish … they will be able to tell you that they are worried” because they see these species under pressure.

Global problem

All experts CBC News spoke that these variable local effects are still part of a global problem.

“In the end, the main solution to this problem is a significant decrease in carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere,” said Gamenies.

When the carbon ocean – and 90 percent of the extra heat resulting from the effect of greenhouse gases – absorbs its ability to Continue to absorb carbon will be affected, which puts a huge Blueck against climate change.

Miller said: “Imagine if 30 percent of the carbon dioxide … was still in the atmosphere. And imagine whether all this heat is still in the air. Our life on Earth will be much worse at the present time,” Miller said.

It indicates that the oceans have seen acidification before – such as 65 million years, when the volcanic activity was directed by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

“But until then, the change rate was slowed about 10 times than we see today … whether these animals could adapt to this faster or not – we are not sure.”