{"id":45176,"date":"2025-06-11T20:29:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45176"},"modified":"2025-06-24T17:07:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:37:34","slug":"ocean-acidification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2025\/ocean-acidification","title":{"rendered":"Ocean Acidification"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study has revealed that ocean acidification has breached its planetary boundary, posing grave threats to marine ecosystems and global climate stability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Ocean Acidification?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ocean acidification refers to the ongoing <strong>decrease in the pH of Earth\u2019s oceans,<\/strong> caused by the <strong>uptake of carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)<\/strong> from the atmosphere.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When CO\u2082 dissolves in seawater, it forms <strong>carbonic acid<\/strong>, which lowers ocean pH and reduces calcium carbonate levels \u2013 essential for many marine organisms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"87b1d3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ocean-acidification-1024x682.png\" alt=\"ocean acidification\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-45198\" style=\"--dominant-color: #87b1d3; width:432px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ocean-acidification-1024x682.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ocean-acidification-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ocean-acidification-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ocean-acidification-1536x1023.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ocean-acidification.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Planetary Boundary Breach<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Planetary boundaries<\/strong> are thresholds beyond which the Earth&#8217;s vital systems may no longer maintain a stable environment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The study finds that by 2020, the average global ocean conditions had already fallen<strong> 20% below pre-industrial calcium carbonate saturation,<\/strong> crossing the safe threshold for acidification.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At<strong> 200 metres <\/strong>below the surface, <strong>60% <\/strong>of global waters had breached the \u201csafe\u201d limit for acidification.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts of Ocean acidification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Calcifying Species Affected:<\/strong> Corals, oysters, mussels, and pteropods (sea butterflies) are most vulnerable.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Acidification weakens shells and skeletons, reduces reproduction, slows growth, and increases mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fisheries and Livelihoods: <\/strong>Decline in fish nursery grounds affects food security and economic stability of coastal communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tourism Sector:<\/strong> Coral reef degradation affects tourism and recreational diving industries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate Feedbacks:<\/strong> Damage to ocean ecosystems like plankton may affect carbon sequestration capacity of oceans. This could amplify global warming over time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social impacts:<\/strong> Climate-linked migration and livelihood loss may increase geopolitical tensions. Rising unemployment in coastal sectors may trigger social unrest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Initiatives to Tackle Ocean Acidification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/19-06-2025\/third-united-nations-oceans-conference-unoc-2025\">Ocean Acidification<\/a> Observing Network (GOA-ON): <\/strong>GOA-ON is a collaborative international network of 367 members from <strong>66 countries<\/strong>, aimed at enhancing the monitoring and understanding of ocean acidification across estuarine, coastal, and open ocean systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021\u20132030): <\/strong>Proclaimed in<strong> 2017<\/strong> by the United Nations General Assembly, it aims to<strong> reverse the decline the ocean health<\/strong> through;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stimulating scientific research, technological innovation, and policy-relevant knowledge.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supporting countries to achieve<strong> SDG-14 (&#8220;Life Below Water) <\/strong>and broader climate resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO: <\/strong>Under its Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), it supports real-time ocean monitoring including pH and CO\u2082 measurements.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Blue Carbon Initiatives<\/strong> provides research, policy advice, and financing mechanisms to promote blue carbon strategies globally.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Blue Carbon refers to <\/strong>the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Policy and Governance: <\/strong>Mainstream ocean acidification into national climate and ocean policies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prioritise <strong>Marine Spatial Planning<\/strong> and <strong>Integrated Coastal Zone Management.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Local Adaptation and Conservation: <\/strong>Protect and restore resilient ecosystems, such as mangroves and seagrasses.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Implement <strong>Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)<\/strong> in regions of high vulnerability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/28-03-2023\/a-shared-g20-vision-for-the-ocean-commons\">Ocean acidification<\/a> is not just a marine problem, it is a <strong>multi-dimensional crisis <\/strong>affecting biodiversity, economies, food systems, and climate resilience.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Its silent but accelerating pace<\/strong> demands urgent and coordinated policy responses globally and nationally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2025\/jun\/09\/sea-acidity-ecosystems-ocean-acidification-planetary-health-scientists\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Guardian&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background has-fixed-layout\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Read this in Hindi: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs-hindi\/11-06-2025\/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%B0-%E0%A4%85%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3\">\u092e\u0939\u093e\u0938\u093e\u0917\u0930 \u0905\u092e\u094d\u0932\u0940\u0915\u0930\u0923<\/a><\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">A recent study has revealed that ocean acidification has breached its planetary boundary, posing grave threats to marine ecosystems and global climate stability.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What is Ocean Acidification?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Ocean acidification refers to the ongoing decrease in the pH of Earth\u2019s oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO\u2082) from the atmosphere.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">When CO\u2082 dissolves in seawater, it forms carbonic acid, which lowers ocean pH and reduces calcium carbonate levels \u2013 essential for many marine organisms.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2025\/ocean-acidification\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45176"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46123,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45176\/revisions\/46123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}