Ocean acidification
February 8th 2018 - We had a very interesting virtual field trip about ocean acidification with the Fort Fisher Aquarium in North Carolina, USA. It was conducted by Kristin Holloman-Noe, the Outreach Coordinator of this institution. Here's what we learnt from her:
Ocean acidification is not easy to explain. It comes from burning fuel, coal and gas and it affects marine life from plankton and corals to humans. The oceans are getting more and more acidic. And this is happening faster as never before, so marine animals don't have time to adapt!
The first species getting affected are those at the bottom of the food chain, like phytoplankton and zooplankton, and shellfish, who need calcium carbonate to grow and build their shells. This means that the animals at the top of the food chain will also be in danger, in case the first ones get extinct, humans included.
We can help by waking to school or using our bikes, reducing the amount of single-use plastic, recycling and use less water and less energy (unplug our devices whenever we're not using them).
Ocean acidification is not easy to explain. It comes from burning fuel, coal and gas and it affects marine life from plankton and corals to humans. The oceans are getting more and more acidic. And this is happening faster as never before, so marine animals don't have time to adapt!
The first species getting affected are those at the bottom of the food chain, like phytoplankton and zooplankton, and shellfish, who need calcium carbonate to grow and build their shells. This means that the animals at the top of the food chain will also be in danger, in case the first ones get extinct, humans included.
We can help by waking to school or using our bikes, reducing the amount of single-use plastic, recycling and use less water and less energy (unplug our devices whenever we're not using them).