Our ocean’s right now are reaching a “tipping point” from acidification, risking marine life and global climate systems. The looming crisis and need for action This report sheds light on a potential disaster.
Courses, which have passed a Tipping Point in OA
The world’s oceans are on the verge of crossing a key threshold that could forever upset their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, according to a new report conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). It is particularly alarming in a year when the planet’s life-sustaining systems are under such unprecedented strain, with six out of nine ‘planetary boundaries already breached as a result of human activity
According to the report, the seventh boundary to be crossed will likely be ocean acidification, a threshold for which it is unclear whether there may be safe limits that do not havemuch literature behind them, and one largely powered by rising emissions of fossil fuel CO2. One of the most devastatingly this can happen is that as CO2 dissolves into seawater it makes the oceans more acidic.
Amongst life in the ocean, corals and those organisms that build limestone shells are especially vulnerable, but changes in pH levels also have repercussions for the phytoplankton that forms the base of the food web. Mr. Byrd: So this disruption of being able to grow food in the marine environment could have very serious consequences for the billions of people who rely on the ocean is their source of food and so forth. Moreover, less capacity for CO2 to be absorbed by the oceans will accelerate the global warming problem which means getting into a vicious circle turning upside down the very lives and life support system of this planet.
An Integrated System of Planetary Boundaries
Written by iPIK, the report is a encapsulating profile on Earth and its atmosphere with a set of nine ‘planetary boundaries’ that serve as goals for avoiding collapses in crucial systems once boundary limits have been overstepped. Located within these limits are the main determinants of climate change, loss of ecosystems, shortages of fresh water and pollution.
Six of these boundaries have already been breached, and the research suggests that surpassing the ocean acidification threshold would further tip the balance. This interdependence means that breaking a single key limit can lead to systemic instability in the whole life support system of our planet.
But, this most likely provides an opportunity. For example taking a direct approach to just one problem — like the 1.5 degree global temperature rise above pre-industrial levels that people have tried to address this week in Poland2, yields large dividends across many other issues. It is the latter which points to an alarming lack of return on all too many of our sustainable investments, and underscores why, despite the great volume of work now carried out that seeks improvement in just about every sphere you might think off other than cosmetics, we also need a crash programme across-the-board approach which enables us thoughtfully if at breakneck speed tackle — finally!
The report also notes that because of the inertia in ocean dynamics and past emissions, even with major emission cuts some level of ongoing OA is inevitable. This is a sobering reminder that the urgency and scale of action needed to address an impending crisis.
Conclusion
Ocean acidification, a crisis that is just now beginning to show its face, and warning signs we may not be able to erase. But as seas around the world reach what may soon become a tipping point, the results — from disrupted marine ecosystems to altered food supplies and a climate system we take for granted — could be catastrophic. The assessment makes clear the urgent and daunting task of protecting the future health and resilience of our planet, and the report more broadly reminds us that fundamental change could be one of the final opportunities to secure a sustainable future for generations yet unborn. Now is the time to act, before it becomes too late.
