CO2
CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) can affect the pH in water. The pH level measures how acidic or how much of a base a liquid is. Higher acidity means a lower pH balance, while a lower acidity level means a higher pH balance. CO2 can affect the pH of water in many ways, however those effects may be good or bad. The acidity of the ocean has been …show more content…
Since humans are releasing more carbon dioxide the pH of the water in the ocean is decreasing, or “becoming more acidic” (USEPA). Although the pH has gone down 0.1 pH units the water became “more acidic this change represents approximately a 30 percent increase” (NOAA 2015). The CO2 dissolves in the water, when the CO2 dissolves in the water the pH level decreases, however when the pH level decreases it means that the water is more acidic than it was before. Due to the higher acidic level ocean acidification is starting to take place. Ocean acidification occurs when “chemical reactions that reduce the seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals” (NOAA