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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Climate Change and Climate Science

Ocean acidification

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/ˈoʊʃən əˌsɪdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/nounAdvanced term

In environment & climate, ocean acidification means: The gradual drop in the pH of seawater as oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which makes it harder for corals, shellfish and plankton to build shells and skeletons.

In Turkish: okyanus asitlenmesi

How it is used

Sometimes called 'the other CO2 problem'. The oceans have absorbed roughly a quarter of human CO2 emissions, and surface ocean pH has fallen by about 0.1 since pre-industrial times, which means about 30% more acidity. Used in marine science, fisheries and climate reports.

Example sentences

  1. Ocean acidification is a growing threat to oyster and mussel farms.

  2. The research vessel measures ocean acidification at fixed stations every month.

Common collocations

  • impacts of ocean acidification
  • seawater pH
  • coral bleaching
  • marine ecosystems
  • carbon dioxideA colorless gas, written CO2, released when coal, oil, gas, wood and other carbon-based materials burn. It is the main greenhouse gas produced by human activities.
  • carbon sinkA natural or artificial system, such as a forest, ocean, soil or wetland, that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases.
  • ecosystemA community of living things together with their physical environment, such as soil, water and climate, all interacting as one system, for example a forest, lake or coral reef.
  • tipping pointA critical threshold in the climate system beyond which a change, such as ice sheet collapse or forest dieback, becomes self-reinforcing and very hard or impossible to reverse.

More terms: Climate Change and Climate Science

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