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:
).
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.
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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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...
(full context)
Ocean acidification is dangerous for many reasons. It deprives large animals of nutrition, interferes with photosynthesis, and...
(full context)
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....
(full context)
