Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Live like you love the ocean!


Today is World Oceans Day - 24 hours to honor the world's oceans ... an initiative to inspire people to make ocean protection a way of life.

We all know that global warming means warming of the oceans, results in melting glacial
 ice, rising sea levels, heavy rain in some areas, and drought in others. But there's more to the issue ...

Here's a bit of chemistry: Almost half of all the carbon dioxide emitted since industrialization has been absorbed by the ocean. When carbon dioxide reacts with water, it forms carbonic acid, and releases more hydrogen ions into the sea, lowering pH and causing acidification of the ocean. 



Further, these hydrogen ions quickly bind with carbonate ions. This deprives animals like hard corals and certain mollusks and plankton of the raw material for their calcium carbonate shells and skeletons. This may ultimately cause the world's oceans to become corrosive to such animals, and cause coral reefs to dissolve."

There you go - one more reason to reduce our carbon emissions! 

Here's some ideas ...

* reduce meat and fish consumption
* eat more locally and sustainably grown food
* reduce your use of plastics and consumption in general

A healthy ocean contributes to a healthy climate, and a healthy climate is crucial for our ocean life.


Source: this website

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