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Ocean Acidification Basics
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Ocean Acidification Basics
Part 1: Check Your Understanding
Choose the best answer for each question.
1. What is the main cause of the recent increase in ocean acidification?
Increased ocean tides
Absorption of extra carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
More sunlight reaching the ocean
Melting sea ice alone
2. What happens when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater?
It forms carbonic acid and releases hydrogen ions
It removes all salt from the water
It makes the water strongly alkaline
It has no chemical effect
3. A lower pH means that a substance is:
More acidic
More alkaline
Warmer
Saltier
4. Which organisms may have difficulty building shells or skeletons when ocean acidification increases?
Corals, oysters and some plankton
Seabirds only
Seaweed only
All organisms equally
Part 2: Explain the Science
5. Define ocean acidification in your own words.
6. Explain how burning fossil fuels can lead to changes in ocean chemistry.
7. Why might ocean acidification affect food webs, even if some species are not directly harmed?
Part 3: Apply Your Knowledge
A coastal monitoring project recorded the following average seawater pH values: 1980: 8.15; 2000: 8.10; 2020: 8.05.
8. Describe the trend shown by these measurements.
9. Calculate the total change in pH from 1980 to 2020.
10. Suggest one action individuals, communities or governments could take to reduce ocean acidification. Explain how it could help.
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