Due to the ocean’s continued absorption of carbon dioxide, it continues to acidify. This acidification is having a notable effect on the oceanic ecosystem, most notably in the phytoplankton. In fact, the continued acidification is a direct result of the drop in plankton population.
Ocean Acidification
A study published in the Nature Climate Change journal done by researchers at MIT is bringing about a new outlook on the ocean. The researchers developed several models to predict global warming and the effects it would have on the planet. One of the models looked at the acidification of the ocean in particular. The model and further research has shown that the ocean has absorbed up to 30 percent of the carbon dioxide that humans have released into the atmosphere.
Why Ocean Acidification is Bad
The ocean constantly absorbing carbon dioxide slowly–though consistently–raises its pH levels. This conflicts with the survival of many microorganisms. The organisms are not accustomed to the higher pH levels, and they will suffer from the increase.
Many phytoplankton species will be over-saturated with the carbon dioxide and will begin to die out, leading to a massive drop in plankton population. Studies show that there are actually a few species of plankton that would flourish in high levels of pH, but that would also be bad, as those particular species play a different role in the ecosystem, and would invade certain habitats if their numbers grew.
The Drop in Plankton Population – How it Affects Everything
A drop in plankton population is significantly worse than it sounds. One of the largest parts that plankton play in the ecosystem is to be a food source for various creatures. Obviously, they are at the bottom of the food chain, so they essentially feed everything in the ocean. Everything in the ocean would suffer from the drop in plankton.
New studies also show that plankton actually release aerosols that naturally help cool the earth, so if they died out, the earth would warm at an even greater rate than it is right now. As creatures so small, it is often hard to see their significance, but even the smallest species play a large part on this earth.
Maybe big things come in small packages. MUSIO is proof:
