. Deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystems - a scoping report on their socio-economy, management and governance. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 28. Human activities and impacts on the deep sea Carbon dioxide emissions dramatically alter ocean chemistry. As more atmospheric carbon is absorbed and dissolved in the slightly alkaline seawater, carbonic acid is produced, which progressively acidities the ocean IRoyal Society, 2005). Carbonic acid separates in hydrogen and carbonate ions, which in turn lowers concentrations of calcium carbonate. Most marine organisms are adapted to narrow pH ranges and w
. Deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystems - a scoping report on their socio-economy, management and governance. UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series 28. Human activities and impacts on the deep sea Carbon dioxide emissions dramatically alter ocean chemistry. As more atmospheric carbon is absorbed and dissolved in the slightly alkaline seawater, carbonic acid is produced, which progressively acidities the ocean IRoyal Society, 2005). Carbonic acid separates in hydrogen and carbonate ions, which in turn lowers concentrations of calcium carbonate. Most marine organisms are adapted to narrow pH ranges and would face dire consequences from the slightest changes in pH (Knutzen, 1981]. The pH of the oceans has been lowered by units (which equates to a 30 per cent increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions] since the beginning of the industrial age (Orr ef at., 2005I. Coupled with the decrease in pH is a reduction of calcium carbonate concentrations, which poses severe risks to all organisms with calcareous skeletons and shells, ranging from major plankton groups at the bottom of the food chain to corals, mollusks, shellfish and echinoderms. The calcification rates of some of these organisms could drop by 60 per cent during this century (Kleypas ef at., 2006], Research shows that the impacts of ocean acidification will be particularly acute in the deep seas and polar regions (Orr ef ai, 2005], although in certain areas, the slow dissolution of carbonate sediments on the seabed might partly reduce, or slow the effects of acidification (Schubert ef ai. 2006). It is as yet unknown whether acidification of the oceans will lead to massive extinctions and changes in marine ecosystems and foodchains, but with the ocean chemistry currently changing at least 100 times more rapidly than it has changed during the last 650 000 years, it is unlikely that marine organisms and systems affected by these changes will be able to adapt. Assessment of the potential impact of ocean acidification
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