The Effects of Increased Atmospheric CO2 - 1655 Words

Deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels have led to a great increase in anthropogenic carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Since the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of atmospheric CO2 has increased from about 280 parts per million to above 390 parts per million; and recently has been calculated to be rising 1.5-2 parts per million per year (Kudela, 2013). This sharp increase in atmospheric CO2 has had an impact on the ocean, and can be seen by the increase in the levels of gaseous CO2 in the seawater. When the CO2 rich atmosphere comes in contact with the surface of the ocean, CO2 is readily absorbed which causes the pH of seawater to become more acidic. Many enzymes and processes that occur in the ocean, like†¦show more content†¦Coralline algae use HCO3- to intracellularly precipitate CaCO3 which forms their outer crust. Coccolithophores use HCO3- to form their coccolith (Roleda et al., 2012). Aragonite and calcite are the two most abundant forms of CaCO3. Both respond to changes in pH, with aragonite being the most sensitive. As pH decreases in the oceans the concentration of carbonate ions needed for saturation increase. When this carbonate becomes undersaturated, anything calcareous becomes vulnerable to dissolution (Nienhuis et al., 2010). This, combined with rising sea temperatures, poses a major threat of dissolution to reef-building communities that are dependent on aragonite. Buddemeier et al. projected a 95% loss in coral reefs in the eastern Caribbean, by 2035, in response to this acidification (Couce et al., 2013). To try to understand the effects of ocean acidification and an increase in temperature, a study was conducted on the calcifying mussel, Mytilus chilensis. Duarte et al. attempted to mimic the potential changes associated with increased temperature and concentrations of CO2. M. chilensis was subjected to different temperature, 12 and 16 °C, and CO2 regimes, 390, 700, and 1000 parts per million. Juvenile survival, total calcification rate, and growth rate were measured. Duarte et al. concluded that temperature did not have a significant effect on the total weight or the net rate of calcium deposition (as shell building). However, CO2Show MoreRelatedIndirect Scientific Measurements Of Atmospheric Composition Over The Last 10000 Years Have Informed The Climate Change Debate1580 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Discuss how both direct and indirect scientific measurements of atmospheric composition over the last 10,000 years have informed the climate change debate†. There are both direct and indirect ways of measuring atmospheric composition. Direct scientific measures are used to gain quantitative data which primarily use scientific tools and equipment to measure the actual climatic changes, be it a change in greenhouse gas concentrations or an increase in climatic temperature. 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This happens for two reasons: first, the eccentricity of Mars s orbit and secondly, there is a pattern-like exchange of carbon dioxide between the north and south polar caps and the mostly CO2 atmosphere. When the north pole is tilted away from the sun around the winter solstice