Ocean Acidification: The Other CO2 Problem

The ocean absorbs almost a third of the carbon dioxide, or CO2, we release into the atmosphere every year. As atmospheric CO2 levels increase, so do the CO2 levels in the ocean. Decades of ocean observations now show that the CO2 absorbed by the ocean is changing the chemistry of seawater, a process called OCEAN ACIDIFICATION. Ocean acidification has implications for the ocean and, ultimately, the resources we rely on from the ocean.

OAR scientists and their partners are rapidly expanding what we know about ocean acidification. Sustained efforts to monitor ocean acidification worldwide are beginning, and the impacts of ocean acidification are not well understood. With the pace of ocean acidification accelerating, scientists, resource managers, and policy makers recognize the urgent need to strengthen the science as a basis for sound decision making and action.

• NOAA Ocean and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan
  Synopsis | Full Report