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Catastrophism
A process in which the Earth’s oceans absorb carbon dioxide and quickly becomes more acidic, endangering the survival of many marine species, including coral. Because it is caused by the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean, it is directly impacted by the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that is a result of humanity’s consumption of fossil fuels.
Acidification Quotes in The Sixth Extinction
The The Sixth Extinction quotes below are all either spoken by Acidification or refer to Acidification. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 6 Quotes
Ocean acidification increases the cost of calcification by reducing the number of carbonate ions available to begin with. To extend the construction metaphor, imagine trying to build a house while someone keeps stealing your bricks.
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In Chapter Six, Kolbert explores one specific aspect of the environment in which humans have played a major role: the acidity of the oceans. By emitting billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, humans have caused the oceans to absorb larges quantities of carbon dioxide; as a result, the oceans have become considerably more acidic since the dawn of the industrial Revolution, when humans began burning large amounts of fossil fuels, such as coal and gasoline. Because the oceans are becoming more acidic, certain creatures, known as calcifiers—i.e., marine creatures such as barnacles, clams, or oysters, who have Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum
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Acidification Term Timeline in The Sixth Extinction
The timeline below shows where the term Acidification appears in The Sixth Extinction. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6: The Sea Around Us
In 2008, Hall-Spencer wrote an influential paper on the acidification of the oceans; since that year, there’s been considerable interest in the topic. Other scientists...
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Ocean acidification is dangerous for many reasons. It deprives large animals of nutrition, interferes with photosynthesis, and...
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Chapter 7: Dropping Acid
...sperm. Scientists have studied samples of Acropora millepora in order to test the impact of acidification on coral. So far, their findings have been discouraging—acidification can wipe out coral egg-sperm bundles....
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