Ocean Acidification

What are the 2 mechanisms that are responsible for acidifying shallow ocean water? ​ ​

​

• Downwelling

• Upwelling

• CO₂ bubbling into ocean water from the atmosphere

• CO₂ escaping ocean water to the atmosphere

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Which of the following BEST reflects the impact that ocean acidification is having on shell-building creatures:

• The juvenile creatures cannot obtain the materials that they need to build their shells.

• The mature creatures' shells are dissolving at a faster rate due to the acidifyin water.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

Why is deep water more acidic compared to shallower water?

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-5

Refer to the graph to answer the following question: A scientist claims that the pH of ocean water is decreasing as a result of increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration. Is the information in the graph consistent with the claim and why?

• No, because an increase in atmospheric concentration of CO₂ would result in an increase in pH.

• No, because an increase in atmospheric CO₂ would result in a decrease of ocean CO₂.

• Yes, because when atmospheric CO₂ increase, more CO₂ will dissolve in ocean forming carbonic acid which can cause a decrease in pH.

• Yes, because the pH is a measure of the ratio of concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere to the concentration of CO₂ in the ocean.

Answer explanation

Increase CO² in atmosphere Increase CO₂ in oceans.

CO₂ + H₂O --> H+ + HCO₃

Increase H+ decreases pH = acidification

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Which of the following is a significant consequence of ocean acidification on marine life? Choose 2

• Increased growth of coral reefs

• Decreased shell thickness in mollusks and other shellfish

• Decreased ability of shellfish to form and grow shells

• Decreased levels of oxygen in the ocean

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-5

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

As atmospheric CO₂ levels continue to rise, the ocean absorbs more CO₂. In a lab experiment where CO₂ is bubbled through water at increasing concentrations, what effect would increasing CO₂ concentration have on the rate of hydrogen ion (H⁺) production in the solution?

• Increasing the concentration of CO₂ would decrease the rate of H+ production

• Increasing the concentration of CO₂ would increase the rate of H+ production

• Increasing the concentration of CO₂ would have no effect, since hydrogen ions do not depend on the concentration of CO₂.

Answer explanation

Explanation: The presence of more CO₂ molecules increases the likelihood of CO₂ reacting with water to form carbonic acid, which dissociates into hydrogen ions (H⁺). Thus, higher concentrations of CO₂ lead to more H⁺ production, contributing to increased ocean acidification.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-5

This image demonstrates that

• There is a direct correlation with the atmospheric CO₂ and the CO₂ in seawater

• That pH of the ocean increases as the atmospheric CO₂ increases

• That there is no correlation between pH of the ocean and atmospheric CO₂

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

An acidic solution has a

• low pH

• neutral pH

• high pH

• no pH

The ocean's pH has gone from _____ to _____ over the last century.

• 8.1; 8.2

• 8.2; 8.1

• 5; 7

• 7; 6

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

NGSS.HS-ESS2-5

CaCO₃ (seashell) _____ at a lower pH (image is results of an experiment placing the calcium carbonate shells of pterapods in seawater with a pH of 7.8, the projected ocean pH for the year 2100 under current rates of acidification)

• dissolves

• explodes

• increases

• is easier to obtain

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-5