TAHAP KEASIDAN LAUT MENINGKAT AKIBAT

PEMANASAN GLOBAL TELAH JEJASKAN HIDUPAN

LAUT

Selama beberapa puluh juta tahun, laut telah mengekalkan tahap asiditi yang stabil.
Dalam kestabilan ekosistem laut inilah yang membolehkan kepelbagaian hidupan yang terdapat dalam laut yang luas.
Namun, kajian telah menunjukkan kestabilan sejak dulu ini telah terjejas disebabkan oleh penurunan mendadak dalam pH
permukaan air laut yang boleh mendatangkan kesan buruk kepada laut seluruh dunia. 

Sejak permulaan revolusi perindustrian pada awal 1800-an, mesin-mesin yang bergantung kepada bahan api fosil telah
dicipta dan membolehkan sektor industri bertambah pesat dan maju. Walau bagaimanapun, kesan daripada pembangunan
ini telah menyebabkan pembebasan gas karbon dioksida dan gas rumah hijau yang lain yang tidak dapat dianggarkan ke
dalam atmosfera bumi.

Ahli sains mendapati bahawa separuh daripada gas karbon dioksida akan diserap oleh laut sejak dahulu lagi. Lautan yang
luas telah membantu kita melambatkan kesan pemanasan global. Namun, kajian-kajian baru menunjukkan bahawa
penyerapan gas karbon dioksida yang berlebihan telah menyebabkan keasidan air laut meningkat. Peningkatan ini akan
mendatangkan kesan yang buruk terhadap kitar hidup banyak hidupan marin, terutamanya hidupan yang berada pada tahap
rendah dalam rantai makanan.
Asid Karbonik

Apabila gas karbon dioksida larut dalam air laut, asid karbonik akan terbentuk. Ini akan menyebabkan keasidan meningkat,
terutamanya pada permukaan air laut. Kesannya telah terbukti bahawa ia akan menjejaskan pertumbuhan dan pembiakan
organisma marin seperti ikan dan batu karang. 

Dalam skala pH (0 – 14),  larutan dengan pH yang tinggi bersifat alkali, manakala yang rendah bersifat asid, iaitu 7
merupakan neutral. Dalam 300 juta tahun, pH laut adalah bersifat alkali dan puratanya ialah hampir 8.2. Pada masa ini, pH
air laut adalah 8.1, iaitu penurunan sebanyak 0.1 unit pH ini juga merupakan pertambahan sebanyak 25% keasidan dalam
tempoh dua abad sahaja. 

Tempat Simpanan Karbon

Laut sekarang menyerap hampir dua pertiga daripada gas karbon dioksida yang dihasilkan oleh manusia, iaitu hampir 22
juta ton sehari. Unjuran menunjukkan bahawa sekiranya angka ini berlarutan, pada akhir abad ini pH laut akan menurun
sebanyak 0.5 unit lagi. Hidupan laut yang membentuk kerang seperti batu karang, tiram, udang karang, plankton, dan ikan
akan teruk terjejas.

Apa yang lebih membimbangkan ialah sekiranya laut terus menyerap gas karbon dioksida pada kadar seperti ini, maka pada
suatu hari nanti, kapasiti laut untuk menyerap lagi akan lenyap. Ini bermaksud gas karbon dioksida yang kita lepaskan akan
terus berada di atmosfera bagi merancakkan lagi perubahan iklim dunia.

Kesedaran saintifik mengenai asidifikasi masih baru. Ahli sains sedang bertungkus-lumus menjalankan kajian mengenai
kesan asidifikasi ini kepada ekosistem marin. Hakikatnya, sekiranya manusia tidak mengawal dan menghentikan
pembakaran bahan api fosil, organisma laut akan hidup dalam keadaan yang amat tertekan. Tekanan ini akan
menyebabkan organisma laut ini susah untuk menyesuaikan diri kepada perubahan kimia habitat mereka dan akhirnya
pupus.

Kesimpulan

Laut merupakan sumber asli yang sangat bernilai kepada kita. Kehidupan kita jelas berkait rapat dengan kesihatan laut kita.
Sekiranya kita tidak bertindak segera dengan mengawal penggunaan bahan api fosil, kita memang sedang mengundang
padah untuk diri sendiri dan generasi akan datang.
Lime in oceans 'would reduce CO2
levels'
Adding lime to the oceans could slow down or even reverse carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, according to a new project, known as Cquestrate, unveiled at a climate
change conference.
By Chris Irvine
6:57AM BST 06 Jul 2009
About half of the CO2 released into the air by humans each year is absorbed by the oceans.
Although it helps slow the rate of global warming, it increases ocean acidity and poses a potential
problem to marine life.
Under proposals from the Cquestrate project, they aim to reduce ocean acidity while increasingly
absorbing CO2 by converting limestone into lime, thereby adding the lime to seawater.
The lime would react with CO2 dissolved in the water, converting it into bicarbonate ions, thus
decreasing the acidity of the water, allowing the oceans to absorb more CO2 from the air and reduce
global warming.

Humans can take action to slow

the process of ocean acidification
Now that we know some of the anthropogenic sources of CO2 in the atmosphere, what can we
do about it?  All of the things we have been doing since the industrial revolution to put CO2 into
the atmosphere should be examined to find more efficient uses.   There are many solutions
available, and there are things that people can do on almost any level to make an impact.  People
should understand that some of these changes need to be made on an individual basis, some on
the community level, and all the way up to corporations, governments and global organizations.

The burning of fossil fuels is the major contributor to ocean acidification.  Fossil fuels are burned
to produce energy, and to make vehicles run.  One of the easiest ways for people to have a
positive impact on an individual level is to use less energy.  Many people already think of energy
as electricity, so convince people that conserving electricity will save them money and will also
reduce the amount of energy their power plant needs to produce.  But fossil fuels are also burned
in factories to make products that we use every day.  The saying "reduce, re-use, recycle" also
applies to the ocean acidification crisis.  Using less products will lead to a decreased demand to
create new product out of new materials.  Every person should be able to think of a way they can
consume less in their daily lives.   Transportation is a huge concern, and is one that is difficult
for people to make adjustments to.  Driving less and using public transportation may not be a
realistic option for everyone, but people can make sure their automobiles run efficiently by
keeping the tires properly inflated, getting their cars serviced regularly, and by choosing fuel
efficient vehicles.  There are many resources listed below which offer some tips, and also offer
ways to engage people in learning about their daily energy choices.

Protecting wildlife has many benefits, but most people don't know that it's an important factor in
how the Earth responds to climate change.  Natural places are very resilient to change, but now
there are far fewer natural places in most areas.  It is important to preserve existing habitats and
to identify more areas that need protection.  Visiting natural parks is a great way to experience
nature, but also provides funding for protecting those areas.  Monitoring pollution and nutrient
run-off helps protect coral reefs, so they can be healthy enough to withstand global warming and
ocean acidification.  Purchasing products that are grown in coexistence with forests and
rainforests decreases the need for deforestation for agriculture.  Even eating sustainable seafood
can make a difference, because healthy fish populations are essential to the overall success of the
coral reefs and the ocean.

Since ocean acidification is yet another side effect of excess CO2, there are many things that
people are already doing that help make a difference.  In short, most things that are considered
"green" options, or are environmentally friendly, will also help fight the effects of ocean
acidification.

 "The Acid Test" video will discuss some ways to help fight ocean acidification, from
individual to big-picture solutions.
 Pages 28-30 of "Ocean Acidification: effects on marine organisms" show ways to emit
less CO2.
 The Nature Conservancy's carbon footprint calculator is a user-friendly website, and a
good place to start for people who are not aware of their impact on the environment.  It
will provide them with some options in different aspects of their daily lives.
 Ocean and Climate Defender is a really fun way to get some ideas about lessening your
carbon footprint.  It allows you to make all types of "green" modifications in your
community, and also provides a pledge form to encourage people to make a change now!
 Watch the "Kill-A-Watt" video about how University of Central Florida students started a
campus competition to encourage dorm residents to use less energy.  It also provides
some really simple, cheap ways to conserve.  If you're interpreting to teens and young
adults, these ideas will be really useful!
 There are several Climate Training Activities listed below, and all feature great
interactive ways to interpret to general audiences about their impacts on climate change.
 Alex Laskey's TED talk about what motivates people to make changes will surprise you! 
This video may have an impact on how you encourage visitors to take that next step into
action.
  

Lesson Take Away: 

Human actions have accelerated ocean acidification, but human actions can also slow down the
process!  There are many things we can do on an individual, communtity or global level that will
help reduce the effects of ocean acidification.  There are two main goals here: 1) Use and create
energy more efficiently so there is less CO2 being put into the atmosphere.  2) Protect marine
habitats and wildlife so that the ocean is more resilient and can bounce back from the damage
that has already been caused.