Ocean Acidification and Carbon Cycle

📋 Course Outline

1. Ocean acidification and carbon cycle
2. Carbon dioxide dissolving in seawater
3. Carbonic acid and pH decline
4. Diffusion and ocean CO2 uptake
5. Oceans as a carbon sink
6. Impacts on marine organisms

📖 1. Ocean acidification and carbon cycle

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Ocean acidification : Ocean acidification is the chemical increase in seawater acidity driven by added carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• Carbon cycle exchange : Carbon cycle exchange is the natural back-and-forth movement of carbon between the atmosphere and the ocean.
• Fossil fuel burning : Fossil fuel burning is a source of rising atmospheric CO2 that overloads the natural carbon exchange with the ocean.

📝 Essential Points

• Rising atmospheric CO2 adds more carbon to seawater than the ocean can process naturally in the overloaded carbon cycle.
• Carbon cycle exchange is balanced under natural conditions but becomes unbalanced when fossil fuels increase CO2 inputs.
• Ocean acidification reduces seawater pH by increasing hydrogen ion concentration through CO2-driven chemistry.

💡 Memory Hook

More CO2 in air → more CO2 dissolves → more H+ → lower pH.

📖 2. Carbon dioxide dissolving in seawater

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions