Pace Of Increased Ocean Acidification "Remarkable" - Now Penetrates As Far As 1,500 Meters Below The Atlantic's Surface

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It was the work of Jens Daniel Müller and his colleague, Nicolas Grube at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in Switzerland, that brought these newest findings to the scientific community’s attention earlier this month, having developed a 3D reconstruction of how carbon dioxide moves through the ocean, based on global measurements of currents and other circulation patterns. By using this model to estimate how the carbon dioxide the oceans have absorbed since 1800, the team of researchers have been able to illustrate just how greenhouse gas emissions have affected deep-water acidity since the start of the industrial revolution.

What it found was there is a clear indication of acidification down to depths as far as 1,000 metres below the surface across most of the ocean. This went deeper still in some areas, such as the North Atlantic – where the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current (AMOC) routinely carries carbon from the surface to deeper waters – where acidification has reached depths of 1,500 metres beneath the surface.

“I can’t say I’m surprised to learn about the depths at which ocean acidification is found to be occurring,” continued Professor Widdicombe. “I very much suspected that the more we learned about how ocean acidification was progressing, the more concerning it would reveal to be. The assumption that we are still largely within the planetary boundaries for ocean acidification is plainly wrong, and the ocean is now having to operate outside of a supposedly safe space.”

It’s notable that the most severe worsening of ocean acidification has taken place over the course of the last two decades, accelerating at a pace that both Müller and Grube refer to simply as “remarkable”. For scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, it’s a clear indication that efforts to mitigate the impacts of ocean acidification now need to be ramped up before it’s too late. “Time is running out and substantial carbon emissions reductions are critical,” said Widdicombe. “The longer we wait to take necessary action, the worse the impacts will be. But make sure the action we do take is based on sound evidence and we don’t make the problem worse.

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https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/ocean-acidification-negative-impact-on-sea-life-likelier-by-the-day/