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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'It's a ticking time bomb': Acid levels in Earth's oceans have already breached 'danger zone', study suggests
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Earth's oceans are in worse condition than scientists thought, with acidity levels so high that our seas may have entered a "danger zone" five years ago, according to a new study. Humans are inadvertently making the oceans more acidic by releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) through industrial activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. This ocean acidification damages marine ecosystems and threatens human coastal communities that depend on healthy waters for their livelihoods. Previous research suggested that Earth's oceans were approaching a planetary boundary, or "danger zone," for ocean acidification. Now, in a new study published Monday (June 9) in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers have found that the acidification is even more advanced than previously thought and that our oceans may have entered the danger zone in 2020. The researchers concluded that by 2020, the average condition of our global oceans was in an uncertainty range of the ocean acidification boundary, so the safety limit may have already been breached. Conditions also appear to be worsening faster in deeper waters than at the surface, according to the study. "Ocean acidification isn't just an environmental crisis — it's a ticking time bomb for marine ecosystems and coastal economies," Steve Widdicombe, director of science and deputy chief executive at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, a marine research organization involved in the new study, said in a statement. "As our seas increase in acidity, we're witnessing the loss of critical habitats that countless marine species depend on and this, in turn, has major societal and economic implications." Related: Atlantic ocean currents are weakening — and it could make the climate in some regions unrecognizable In 2009, researchers proposed nine planetary boundaries that we must avoid breaching to keep Earth healthy. These boundaries set limits for large-scale processes that affect the stability and resilience of our planet. For example, there are boundaries for dangerous levels of climate change, chemical pollution and ocean acidification, among others. A 2023 study found that we had crossed six of the nine boundaries. The authors of that study didn't think the ocean acidification boundary had been breached at the time, but they noted it was at the margin of its boundary and worsening. Katherine Richardson, a professor at the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark who led the 2023 study and was not involved in the new study, told Live Science that she was "not at all surprised" by the new findings. "We said it was on the edge in our last assessment and, as atmospheric CO2 concentrations have risen since then, it is hardly surprising that it should be transgressed now," Richardson said in an email. Ocean acidification is mostly caused by the ocean absorbing CO2. The ocean takes up around 30% of CO2 in the atmosphere, so as human activities pump out CO2, they are forcing more of it into the oceans. CO2 dissolves in the ocean, creating carbonic acid and releasing hydrogen ions. Acidity levels are based on the number of hydrogen ions dissolved in water, so as the ocean absorbs more CO2, it becomes more acidic. The hydrogen ions bond with carbonate ions in the ocean to form bicarbonate, which reduces the carbonate available to marine life like corals, clams and plankton. These animals need carbonate for their bones, shells and other natural structures, which they make out of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Researchers measure aragonite — one of the soluble forms of CaCO3 — to track ocean acidity levels. The ocean acidification boundary would be breached when the oceans see a 20% reduction of aragonite compared with preindustrial levels (estimated ocean acidification for 1750 and 1850). The 2023 study estimated that ocean acidification was at 19%, just below the boundary. The authors of the new study used physical and chemical measurements in the upper ocean and computer models to update and refine previous ocean acidification estimates. They also introduced a margin of error, including uncertainties in both the boundary and the present-day acidification value. RELATED STORIES —Record-breaking piles of sargassum seaweed wash up on Caribbean beaches, with more on the way —The Earth's oceans used to be green — and could one day turn purple, scientists say —There's an acidic zone 13,000 feet beneath the ocean surface — and it's getting bigger With the new data, the researchers found that at the ocean's surface, the global average acidification level is 17.3% (with a 5% margin of uncertainty) less than preindustrial levels. That estimate is lower than the 2023 estimate but well within the new study's wider boundary region (20% but with a 5.3% margin of uncertainty). The newly estimated acidification levels increased at greater depths, though the margin for error also increased below 330 feet (100 meters), according to the study's data. Not all of the ocean is acidifying at the same rate. For example, the researchers determined that about 40% of the water at the surface had crossed the boundary, but that estimate rose to 60% for the waters below, down to about 650 feet (200 m). "Most ocean life doesn't just live at the surface — the waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals," study lead author Helen Findlay, a biological oceanographer at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, said in the statement. "Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought."
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'Silent' crisis that threatens to wipe out $300 billion coastal industry
Scientists have warned of an environmental crisis threatening to destroy a $300billion global industry critical to coastal communities worldwide. A new study revealed that ocean acidification has already crossed a global tipping point. This occurs when the ocean absorbs excessive carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it more acidic and corrosive to marine organisms. Since the Industrial Revolution, burning fossil fuels has sent massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the air, increasing the ocean's acidity. Scientists revealed that oceans crossed a critical limit for acidification as early as 2000, with 60 percent of deeper waters now beyond the danger zone. The study found that the damage has already led to the loss of 43 percent of coral reef habitat, 61 percent of sea butterfly habitat, and 13 percent of suitable environment for shellfish like oysters and mussels. When the ocean becomes more acidic, it eats away at the building blocks these animals need to grow their shells. This change could push the global seafood industry, worth multi billions toward collapse. The US, with an $11 billion seafood market, is the world's second biggest market and could face serious consequences. 'It is not just an environmental issue anymore,' said Professor Steve Widdicombe, director of science at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and a leading global voice on ocean acidification. 'We are gambling with biodiversity and with billions in economic value every day that action is delayed.' Researchers say ocean acidification is undermining the survival of 'calcifying species' marine organisms that depend on calcium carbonate to form their shells and skeleton. 'Ocean acidification can severely affect marine organisms through its direct impact on physiology, growth, survival and reproduction,' researchers said in the study published in Global Change Biology. Shellfish farming alone contributes billions annually, supporting over 600 million people in coastal communities. Researchers said that by 2020, the ocean's water had already changed enough to go past the safe limit, scientists set to protect sea life from harm caused by too much acidity. In other words, the ocean became too acidic for many marine animals to stay healthy. That line was drawn at a 20 percent reduction in calcium carbonate compared to pre-industrial levels and US West Coast is among the worst affected. But this study suggests that even 10 percent deviation from pre-industrial conditions is enough to push marine ecosystems into danger. The maps highlight areas where conditions are just barely okay for corals, marked by a line called the 3.5 contour. Purple dots show where coral reefs are found. The maps compare four different times: (a) before big human impacts, (b) in 2020, (c) after a 10 percent drop from the old healthy level, and (d) after a 20 percent drop from the old healthy level. The Pacific oyster, a key part of US seafood farming, struggles to survive when ocean water gets too acidic. In the early 2010s, oyster hatcheries in the US Pacific Northwest almost shut down because the seawater became too acidic. To fix this, hatcheries started using sensors to monitor the water and added chemicals to keep it safe for oysters. However, many smaller or remote hatcheries often can not afford these fixes, and the same problem is now showing up along the Gulf and East coasts. However, many coastal areas around the world still do not have the tools or government help to deal with this problem. The damage is not limited to oysters. Tiny sea creatures called pteropods, a major food source for fish like salmon and mackerel, are already being hit hard by acidifying waters. By 2020, more than half of their polar habitat was damaged, with marine life struggling to survive. If they disappear, it could shake the entire ocean food chain. Coral reefs, though less common in US waters, are also at risk, putting coastal protection and young fish habitats in danger. As the ocean condition worsen, the sector is impacting both livelihoods and economy of US seafood industry. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US marine industry supported 2.3 million jobs and generated $321 billion in sales in 2022. In addition to this, a report funded by the National Sea Grant Program found that US aquaculture, adds about $4 billion to the economy each year and supports over 22,000 employment. In the Pacific Northwest, where commercial shellfish farms thrive, corrosive seawater has already crossed the danger threshold. Despite growing evidence, the crisis remains largely unseen. 'There's no smoking gun,' said Professor Steve Widdicombe of Plymouth Marine Laboratory to The Guardians. 'It is tough to convince policymakers when the water looks fine from the beach.' International goals exist, like the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the Global Biodiversity Framework, but few governments, including the US, have laid out aggressive national plans specifically targeting acidification. 'Ocean acidification is a crisis we cannot see,' said Professor Helen Findlay, the lead author of the study. 'But its fingerprints are all over our coastlines, hatcheries and ecosystems. And unless we act now, the losses will keep mounting.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Ticking time bomb': Ocean acidity crosses vital threshold, study finds
The deep oceans have crossed a crucial boundary that threatens their ability to provide the surface with food and oxygen, a new study finds. Nearly two-thirds of the ocean below 200 meters, or 656 feet, as well as nearly half of that above, have breached 'safe' levels of acidity, according to findings published on Monday in Global Change Biology. The fall in ocean pH is 'a ticking time bomb for marine ecosystems and coastal economies,' Steve Widdicombe, director of science at the United Kingdom's Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), said in a statement. The study was funded in part by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency that has been targeted for steep cuts by the Trump White House, in large part because of its role in investigating climate change. Some of the biggest changes in deep water are happening off the coast of western North America, home to extensive crab and salmon fisheries, the study found. The core problem is one scientists have warned about for a long time: the continued global burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide — an acid when dissolved in water — is making the seas and oceans more acidic. Or, technically, it's making them less basic, which is to say: Less hospitable to species such as corals and clams that form the foundation of the ocean's ecosystem. 'Most ocean life doesn't just live at the surface — the waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals,' lead author Helen Findlay of PML. 'Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought.' As of five years ago, Findlay's study noted, the oceans may have crossed a critical threshold in which oceanic levels of calcium carbonate — the main ingredient in limestones, and also the shells of those animals — fell to more than 20 percent below pre-industrial levels. If true, that shift would mean the Earth has passed seven out of nine of the critical 'planetary boundaries' needed to maintain its ecosystem, as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found last year. That shift, Widdicombe of the Marine Lab said, means 'we're witnessing the loss of critical habitats that countless marine species depend on.' 'From the coral reefs that support tourism to the shellfish industries that sustain coastal communities,' he added, 'we're gambling with both biodiversity and billions in economic value every day that action is delayed.' The further implications are even more serious. The reasons for the ocean's rise in acid, or fall in base, is that its waters have absorbed about one-third of all the carbon dioxide released by surface burning of coal, oil and gas. But the more carbon dioxide it absorbs, the lower its ability to absorb more — meaning faster warming on the surface. Making that dynamic even more dramatic, seas and oceans have also absorbed 90 percent of the global heating that the Earth's surface would have otherwise experienced, according to NASA. In addition to absorbing heat and carbon dioxide, the ocean also provides 50 percent of the Earth's oxygen — which comes from the very marine ecosystems that warming and acidification are threatening. Ecosystem loss and fossil fuel burning mean that levels of oxygen below the surface are decreasing, as, more slowly, is oxygen above the surface. —Updated at 12:37 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How the ‘evil twin' of the climate crisis is threatening our oceans
On a clear day at Plymouth marina you can see across the harbour out past Drake's Island – named after the city's most famous son, Francis Drake – to the Channel. It's quite often possible to see an abundance of marine vessels, from navy ships and passenger ferries to small fishing boats and yachts. What you might not spot from this distance is a large yellow buoy bobbing up and down in the water about six miles off the coast. This data buoy – L4 – is one of a number belonging to Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), a research centre in Devon dedicated to marine science. On a pleasantly calm May morning, Prof James Fishwick, PML's head of marine technology and autonomy, is on top of the buoy checking it for weather and other damage. 'This particular buoy is one of the most sophisticated in the world,' he says as he climbs the ladder to the top. 'It's decked out with instruments and sensors able to measure everything from temperature, to salinity, dissolved oxygen, light and acidity levels.' It's the hourly recordings of this last measurement, the pH of the water, that are adding to a picture locally and globally that is increasingly concerning scientists. The results show that ocean acidification is rising – and it is doing so at an alarming rate. Ocean acidification, often called the 'evil twin' of the climate crisis, is caused when carbon dioxide is rapidly absorbed into the ocean, where it then reacts with water molecules leading to a fall in the pH of the seawater. A paper out on Monday from scientists at PML, the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and Cimers (Oregon State University), shows ocean acidification is happening more rapidly than previously thought. Part of the problem for scientists in bringing it to the world's attention is that you can't see the pH levels in the sea at the beach near you, so how do you know it is happening? It's difficult to see the biological effects because they're going to take a long time to happen Prof Steve Widdicombe, PML 'It's tough because there is no real smoking gun,' says Prof Steve Widdicombe, director of science at PML and a leading global voice on ocean acidification. 'It's difficult to see the biological effects because they're going to take a long time to happen and differentiating the impacts of ocean acidification from things like temperature, fishing pressures and pollution makes it really hard to generate impetus and momentum in decision-makers and policymakers to really tackle it hard.' For anyone who wants an immediate idea of its impact, there is a very effective video from the Noaa that shows a pteropod swimming in water with a normal pH level, alongside one where the pteropod has been subject to elevated CO2 levels for two weeks. In the first video the marine creature has a clear shell and is actively swimming, in the second it shows a partially dissolved and fissured shell and the pterapod having difficulty moving in the water. Images such as this help scientists raise awareness of the issue, but on their own they will never be enough. This lack of visibility and understanding of the impacts of acidification has led scientists to focus on building a body of work that clearly shows the statistical correlations between increasing levels of acidity in the oceans and the changes in biological processes to flora and fauna in the sea in different areas around the world. A good example can be seen in the north-west of the US. In about 2010, the oyster farming industry there – worth millions of dollars – nearly collapsed after oyster production seemed to drop off a cliff. Prof Helen Findlay from PML explains the science of what was going on: 'On the west coast you get an upwelling of deep waters, and that deep water has naturally got more CO2 in it. But on top of that, you have the acidification effect from the atmosphere, and that amplified the upwelling effect. It turned out, after some investigation, that the intake pipes connected to the hatcheries were bringing in this acidified water, which had been amplified over the years.' The level of acidity in the water had reached a point that meant the oysters were trapped in their larval state and unable to grow the shells they needed to develop. The hatcheries then installed sensors to measure the pH of the water and added chemicals to hatchery tanks to neutralise the water when necessary. Scientists hope that education about initiatives such as in the oyster hatcheries of the north-west US, combined with government funding, will help encourage other countries to take action suited to their particular acidification problem. But large parts of the world do not have access to the information they need to begin planning what to do. There are obligations for countries to tackle ocean acidification enshrined in international agreements including, most recently, the Global Biodiversity Framework, that aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. However, while decision-makers either lack the resources to tackle the issue, or simply twiddle their thumbs over implementing a plan, commercial operators are stepping in to offer alternative solutions. Geoengineering the ocean is becoming big business. Companies are focusing on different human-made ways to remove carbon from the seas, with perhaps the most developed of these being ocean alkalinity enhancement. This is where an alkaline solution is added to seawater to raise the pH level. Done at a controlled, very local level, such as in the tanks in the oyster hatcheries, this can be effective. But many scientists are concerned that the ocean geoengineering industry is growing far too rapidly. At the end of the day, CO2 is going up, pH is going down, and that's an urgent issue people are not talking about Jessie Turner, Ocean Acidification Alliance 'We shouldn't proceed further along this road without the evidence,' says Widdicombe. 'Can you imagine going to your doctor and they say 'I've got a drug here that will fix you.' If the doctor then says we haven't really tested it and we're not sure about the side effects, would you still be happy to take it?' Jessie Turner, executive director of the Ocean Acidification Alliance, worries that geoengineering may also cause people to lose sight of the obvious. 'While exploring a research agenda around geoengineering interventions is important, the number one manmade solution to ocean acidification is reducing our CO2 emissions,' she says. 'I hope that we're not losing the urgency for that. Without governments paying more attention to ocean acidification, there is this opportunity for the private sector to steer the course.' Related: Carbon released by bottom trawling 'too big to ignore', says study Aside from the primary objective of reducing CO2, there are other things that can be done to tackle ocean acidification, including limiting organic pollution in the water, often relatively easy to do at a local level, and creating more resilient marine habitats around our shores. It is clear, however, that scientists working in this field are getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of urgency around it. Many are hoping that this week's UN ocean conference in France will provide a vital opportunity to discuss the problem with heads of state and get it more firmly on government agendas. 'At the end of the day, we know CO2 is going up, pH is going down, and that's an urgent issue that people are not talking about,' says Turner. 'It's an overlooked consequence of carbon in our ocean that governments can no longer afford to overlook in mainstream policy agendas, and the time to address it is running out.'
The Hill
09-06-2025
- Science
- The Hill
Ocean acidity crosses vital threshold, study finds
The deep oceans have crossed a crucial boundary that threatens their ability to provide the surface with food and oxygen, a new study finds. Nearly two-thirds of the ocean below 200 meters, or 656 feet, as well as nearly half of that above, have breached 'safe' levels of acidity, according to findings published on Monday in Global Change Biology. The fall in ocean pH is 'a ticking time bomb for marine ecosystems and coastal economies,' Steve Widdicombe, director of science at the United Kingdom's Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), said in a statement. The study was funded in part by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), a federal agency that has been targeted for steep cuts by the Trump White House, in large part because of its role in investigating climate change. Some of the biggest changes in deep water are happening off the coast of western North America, home to extensive crab and salmon fisheries, the study found. The core problem is one scientists have warned about for a long time: the continued global burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide — an acid when dissolved in water — is making the seas and oceans more acidic. Or, technically, it's making them less basic, which is to say: Less hospitable to species such as corals and clams that form the foundation of the ocean's ecosystem. 'Most ocean life doesn't just live at the surface — the waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals,' lead author Helen Findlay of PML. 'Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought.' As of five years ago, Findlay's study noted, the oceans may have crossed a critical threshold in which oceanic levels of calcium carbonate — the main ingredient in limestones, and also the shells of those animals — fell to more than 20 percent below pre-industrial levels. If true, that shift would mean the Earth has passed seven out of nine of the critical 'planetary boundaries' needed to maintain its ecosystem, as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found last year. That shift, Widdicombe of the Marine Lab said, means 'we're witnessing the loss of critical habitats that countless marine species depend on.' 'From the coral reefs that support tourism to the shellfish industries that sustain coastal communities,' he added, 'we're gambling with both biodiversity and billions in economic value every day that action is delayed.' The further implications are even more serious. The reasons for the ocean's rise in acid, or fall in base, is that its waters have absorbed about one-third of all the carbon dioxide released by surface burning of coal, oil and gas. But the more carbon dioxide it absorbs, the lower its ability to absorb more — meaning faster warming on the surface. Making that dynamic even more dramatic, seas and oceans have also absorbed 90 percent of the global heating that the Earth's surface would have otherwise experienced, according to NASA. In addition to absorbing heat and carbon dioxide, the ocean also provides 50 percent of the Earth's oxygen — which comes from the very marine ecosystems that warming and acidification are threatening. Ecosystem loss and fossil fuel burning mean that levels of oxygen below the surface are decreasing, as, more slowly, is oxygen above the surface.
