the preindustrial average pH of the ocean is 8.2

The average observed pH of the ocean today is closer to 8.1. Though this may seem like a small difference we must keep in mind that as long as the processes that caused this change are continuing to grow in quantity and impact, and when it comes to environmental parameters a small change can have a large affect on the health of an ecosystem.

I'm considering doing a string of informational pieces on science and the environment. One of the things I'd really like to be able to work on within this blog is being able to communicate scientific theories to non scientists. for now I'm going to post an article that I think does a good job conveying the ideas and even contains an interesting study of one of the diverse environments on earth. The article covers ocean acidification and its predicted effect on corals and all other shell forming organisms. The problem is that with rising pH the solubility of the carbonates in the water increases(or more 'dissolving power' damages skeletons), meaning the skeletons of calcareous organisms will just dissolve.

Ocean acidification is an issue I am interested in learning about because it will have a significant impact on phytoplankton community dynamics. In other words the supply of "grasses of the sea" will change. This evolution would in turn have a drastic effect on the community dynamics of everything that feeds on it. And as I've already touched on, with the current rates of extinction, we don't want to be putting any more species in peril. In some regards biodiversity, or the depth of variation in species types, in a given environment can be viewed as a proxy for ecosystem health.

in closing i'd like to show what I think is a really good example of why we should save the ocean.

It's not like the ocean will disappear, but if we keep living in ways that have taxing effects on global biogeochemical cycles then the experience of the moment that was captured in this picture will become rare or perhaps extinct. So with such beauty abundant in nature around us take a moment to reconnect with something you think of as wild or nature. I would say that feeling of awe at the beauty of nature or Gaia (and i mean in the totally geeky way of how i appreciate how beautiful the system is as a complex arrangement of ingredients) it is one of the purest pleasures in life.