Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in ocean pH caused primarily by uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ from the atmosphere, leading to shifts in the seawater carbonate system. Dissolved CO₂ forms carbonic acid, which dissociates to release hydrogen ions and convert carbonate ions to bicarbonate, reducing carbonate saturation states critical for calcifying organisms (e.g., corals, coccolithophores, mollusks). Research focuses on quantifying pH and aragonite/calcite saturation changes, organismal and ecosystem responses, biogeochemical feedbacks, and interactions with other stressors such as warming and deoxygenation, using observations, laboratory experiments, mesocosms, and Earth system models.
Rivers deliver freshwater, nutrients, and carbon to Earth's oceans, influencing the chemistry of coastal seawater worldwide. Notably, a river's alkalinity and the levels of dissolved inorganic carbon it brings to the sea ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 12, 2026
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Seaweeds are versatile algae. They are sources of food, medicine, and many other products, and they have the added benefit of being extremely efficient at removing CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow.
Environment
Jan 9, 2026
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234
Earth's ocean, the planet's life-support system, is experiencing rapid and widespread transformations that extend far below its surface. A promising international study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that vast ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 25, 2025
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By 2100, Australian and global coral reef communities will be slow to recover, less complex, and dominated by fleshy algae, as high carbon dioxide changes ocean chemistry.
Ecology
Nov 24, 2025
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87
New research from the University of St Andrews has found that some coastal areas will become much more acidic than previously anticipated. With added atmospheric CO2, these areas are acidifying more quickly than thought, ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 13, 2025
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This summer, it was all over the media. Driven by the climate crisis, the oceans have now also passed a critical point: The absorption of CO2 is making the oceans increasingly acidic.
Plants & Animals
Nov 12, 2025
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28
The consequences of a warming climate are known to be dangerous for marine ecosystems, with environmental changes like ocean acidification and warming, disrupted nutrient supplies, and rising sea levels. For mollusks, important ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 28, 2025
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Since the Industrial Revolution, scientists estimate that the ocean has become around 30% more acidic from the uptake of additional anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Ocean acidification has widespread effects, including loss ...
Climate models suggest that climate change could reduce the Southern Ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2). However, observational data actually shows that this ability has seen no significant decline in recent decades.
Earth Sciences
Oct 17, 2025
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191
New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on a crucial mechanism of lowering atmospheric CO2 during Earth's past ice ages.
Earth Sciences
Oct 10, 2025
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