Ocean Acidification

Ocean Acidification is the increase in the oceans acidity due to the CO2 released in the burning of fossil fuels. Ocean acidification affects the platonic organisms in the ocean becasue it makes it harder for them to form their shells which makes them live shorter lives becasue the ocean is eating away at them. The reduction of the population of platonic organisms affects the benthic organisms because there is less food to fall down to the sea floor which causes many benthic organisms to die. Three important things I learned from this topic are that we rely on the ocean for many things, we need to switch to alternative energy sources to stop acidification, and we need to do more to protect marine life.