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Ocean Acidification: Research on Top of the World
The Arctic Ocean is one of the most unique bodies of water on the planet. It houses large
charismatic predators like polar bears, whales, and seals; critical species like shell fish
and phytoplankton; and an array of organisms found nowhere else on Earth. The Arctic Ocean
is also the most inaccessible and least explored ocean. Its remoteness has kept it ecologically
pristine. But the Arctic is where climate change impacts are strongest and where global
changes are underway.
The oceans currently absorb about one-third of man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
that enter the atmosphere. As CO2 dissolves in the ocean, it becomes carbonic acid with
the innate ability to lower pH levels. This phenomenon of lowering pH in the oceans, known
as "ocean acidification," is predicted to directly affect calcifying organisms such
as corals and phytoplankton, as well as the multitudes of marine life that depend on them
for food and habitat. If pH continues to drop, then profound global changes in marine food
webs and ecosystems could occur.
Ocean acidification information is largely nonexistent for the Arctic. To determine what
impact greater carbon dioxide absorption is having on the marine environment, U.S. Geological
Survey scientists are gathering vital data from these remote waters. Collecting CO2 information
and related chemical samples in the largely uncharted Arctic Ocean will fill in important
gaps of knowledge for a greater understanding of the impacts increased CO2 is having on
ocean chemistry. This unprecedented dataset will help decipher trends in ocean acidification,
analyze relations between ocean chemistry trends and human and natural activities, and
determine implications for calcifying organisms.
Understanding climate change impacts in the Arctic is of high global priority. Working
with federal agencies and the international scientific community, the USGS continues to
address an issue that will have broad global influence on the marine world.