Ocean acidification is a biologically consequential process driven by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) by seawater, which lowers pH and alters carbonate chemistry, thereby affecting marine organisms and ecosystems. Increased dissolved CO₂ forms carbonic acid, shifting equilibria among CO₂, bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), and carbonate ions (CO₃²⁻), reducing carbonate availability needed for biogenic calcification in corals, mollusks, echinoderms, and some plankton. This can impair shell and skeleton formation, disrupt acid–base regulation, metabolism, sensory functions, and reproductive success in diverse taxa, and modify species interactions, community structure, and biogeochemical cycles, including primary production and trophic dynamics.
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