Ocean acidification speeds up
11 Apr 2012 by Evoluted New Media
The oceans are acidifying faster today than at any other time in the past 300 million years say researchers in Spain.
Much research into ocean acidification is based on experiments in aquariums simulating future acidification, but researchers from the Universitat Aut?noma de Barcelona (UAB) analysed geological records using paleontological and geochemical analyses and past acidification episodes to detect possible effects on marine biota.
The research detected specific moments in the last 300 million years of the Earth’s history associated with profound acidification.
“Due to volcanic emissions and the destabilisation of frozen methane hydrates on the ocean floor, large amounts of carbon were freed into the atmosphere, comparable to levels humans may achieve in emitting in the future,” said Carles Pelejero, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council.
“Large extinctions took place during that period, especially of benthic fauna. Nevertheless, CO2 injections were at least ten times slower than those occurring now, with augurs more catastrophic consequences caused by current anthropogenic changes.”
Geological records offer details on the biological changes associated with large-scale global disturbances such as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum occurring 56 million years ago, or the end of the Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago. These events are thought to be the cause of ocean acidification.
However, these events have all been associated with reduced levels of oxygen in the oceans combined with a high rise in temperature. These three environmental effects – global warming, acidification and decrease in oxygen – are the ones most globally affecting ocean presently and researchers conclude that the oceans are acidifying faster now than they ever have.
“Considering the effects we detect through fossil records, there is no doubt that we must tackle the problem at its roots as soon as possible, adopting measures, to immediately reduce of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere,” said Patrizia Ziveri, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the UAB.
