TEAM GE-C
HOW OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AFFECTS HUMAN
Humans are inextricably linked to the health of the ocean. We have always relied on the ocean's resources for food, recreation, transportation and medicines. From an interpret and point, the important thing is to help people realize how they are personally connected to the ocean, and then to be able to explain to them how that connection is being jeopardized by ocean acidification. Many of the fish we eat are also dependent on shelled animals for their food source, so the entire food chain is in jeopardy!
While the broad socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification are poorly described. while the chemistry is predictable, the details of the biological impacts are not. Although scientists have been tracking ocean pH for more than 30 years, biological studies really only started in 2003, when the rapid shift caught their attention and the term "ocean acidification" was first coined. What we do know is that things are going to look different, and we can't predict in any detail how they will look. Some organisms will survive or even thrive under the more acidic conditions while others will struggle to adapt, and may even go extinct. Beyond lost biodiversity, acidification will affect fisheries and aquaculture, threatening food security for millions of people, as well as tourism and other sea-related economies.
The uncertain future of coral reefs due to ocean acidification is one of our major concern. The presence of healthy coral reefs is imperative to our survival because we rely on them for food, coastal protection, medicines and tourism dollars. some local industries. In the American Pacific Northwest, the US $270 M per year shellfish industry has experienced major losses of larval shellfish, which are susceptible to die because they cannot form shells under high-acidity. Some shellfish farmers have even packed up and left for more favorable conditions elsewhere. Molluscs and Oyster larvae are among the species that have been extensively studied under ocean acidification. It is estimated that by 2100, losses due to declines in mollusk production from ocean acidification may be around $130 billion USD. Note that the cultural, spiritual and educational value of the coral reef systems may all be affected, including the shifts that will occur if the acidification continues.