Article Summary & Discussion Preparation Log
Part I: Individual Assignment
Name: Diem Le Due Date: Friday 9/27/13
Article Title: The dangers of ocean acidificationAuthor/Source:Scott C. Doney
http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/the_dangers_of_ocean_acidification.pdf
clarifications
What are the AUTHOR’s major ideas, concepts or key points?
A: List the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point
Example: -Much of the carbon dioxide given off from the burning of acid balance of seawater.-Roger Revelle and Hans Suess wanted to figure out how dire the situation would be today.
-The time scientists did not know for certain whether the carbon dioxide spewing out of tailpipes and smokestacks would indeed accumulate in the atmosphere.
-They chose 2 spot, 1 is the South Pole and another is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
-Being not so remote as Antarctica, Hawaii sees carbon dioxide levels rise and fall sharply in step with the Northern Hemisphere's growing season, but at the end of each and every year, the concentration of this heat-trapping gas always ends up higher than it was 12 months before.
-It was clear to Revelle long ago that the part that went into the ocean would fundamentally alter the chemistry of seawater.
-Unlike some aspects of climate change, the reality of this effect-essentially the acidification of the ocean-is not much debated, although it full implications are just now being revealed.
-Keeling produced is extremely valuable, but it is too short to place the current situation in context.
-coral reefs are under siege from many forces, including exposure to toxic chemicals and direct physical destruction.
-Today 1 third of the carbon dioxide given off in that process enters the ocean turally alkaline pH.
-The Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was approximately constant for several thousand years and then began to grow rapidly with the onset of industrialization in the 1800s.
-Gas is now about 30 percent more abundant than it was a few hundred years and, and it is expected to double or triple its former level by the end of this century.
-The combustion of these fuels thus leaves a distinctive isotopic signature in the atmosphere.
-Today about 40% of the carbon dioxide derived from fossil fuel remains in the atmosphere the rest is taken up by vegetation on land or by the ocean, currently in about equal proportions.
-When they compared their observations from 2005 with those made 16 years earlier, they found that the upper few hundred meters of the South Atlantic in general have higher carbon concentrations today than in the recent past, which is consistent with the notion that the sea is taking in atmosphere carbon dioxide.
-One simple result of all this dissolving and dissociating is the increase in hydrogen ion concentration, which chemists normally quantify in terms of the familiar pH scale.
-some of the most abundant lifeforms that could be affected in this way are a type of phytoplankton called coccolitho phorids, which are covered with small plates of calcium carbonate and are commonly found floating near the surface of the ocean.
-If some of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the sea dissociates in to carbonate ions, 1 might expect that there should be plenty to go around, even more than would have been available otherwise.
-They feed by filtering plankton out of the water, and they secrete calcium carbonate skeletons, which accumulate over time to form coral reefs-some of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems in the ocean.
-Less obvious examples occur deeper down in the sea, where cold-water coral communities dot continental margins and sea mounts, forming important fish habitats.
-Shallow-water corals owe their beautiful colors in part to symbiotic algae, which live inside the coral cells.
-Aragonite and magnesium calcite are more soluble than normal calcite.
-The influx of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has caused the saturation horizons for aragonite and calcite to shift closer to the surface by 50 to 200 meters compared with where they were positioned in the 1800s.
-Less and less of the sea will remain hospitable for calcifying organisms.
-Ocean acidification would pose only a moron problem, because surface waters would remain supersaturated-at least with respect to calcite, the robust form of calcium carbonate.
-The rate of calcium carbonate production in the corals declined with lower pH, although the water remained considerably supersaturated with respect to aragonite.
-Cold waters are naturally less supersaturated than warm ones for the various forms of calcium carbonate, high latitude and deep water ecosystems may be the first to suffer from ocean acidification.
-Small snails are a key link in the food chain in the Southern Ocean is ample cause for concern.
-Many coral reefs are already in decline, and ocean acidification may push some over the edge into nonexistence.
-Very little of the carbon in seawater takes the form of dissolved carbon dioxide, and this scarcity limits the growth of some types of phytoplankon.
-Many species of marine phytoplankton use HCO3-1 for photosynthesis, because the concentration of this ion will remain largely unchanged, biologists do not expect that these organism will experience a significant boost.
-Some higher plants (sea grasses) use dissolved carbon dioxide directly and probably will benefit from its rising levels, just as plants on land are expected to gain as the atmospheric concentration of this gas increases.
-The results do not translate easily into an understanding of the consequences of long-term, chronic exposure to modestly lower pH.
-1 possibility for gaining a more realistic assessment of the problem would be to elevate carbon dioxide levels artificially for months to years in a patch of the ocean or on a coral reef.
-Third strategy might be to examine the geologic record of times when carbon dioxide concentrations reached much higher levels than that of the persent and when ocean pH was presumably much lower
-such as during an interval of anomalously warm climate that took place some 55 million years ago when many marine
organisms died off.
B: Summarize the AUTHOR’s main point or idea- at LEAST 1-2 paragraphs
Example: Much of the carbon dioxide given off from the burning of acid balance of seawater. Today 1 third of the carbon dioxide given off in that process enters the ocean turally alkaline pH.some of the most abundant lifeforms that could be affected in this way are a type of phytoplankton called coccolitho phorids, which are covered with small plates of calcium carbonate and are commonly found floating near the surface of the ocean.Less obvious examples occur deeper down in the sea, where cold-water coral communities dot continental margins and sea mounts, forming important fish habitats.Shallow-water corals owe their beautiful colors in part to symbiotic algae, which live inside the coral cellsThe results do not translate easily into an understanding of the consequences of long-term, chronic exposure to modestly lower pH.1 possibility for gaining a more realistic assessment of the problem would be to elevate carbon dioxide levels artificially for months to years in a patch of the ocean or on a coral reef.Third strategy might be to examine the geologic record of times when carbon dioxide concentrations reached much higher levels than that of the persent and when ocean pH was presumably much lower-such as during an interval of anomalously warm climate that took place some 55 million years ago when many marine organisms died off. Less supersaturated than warm ones for the various forms of calcium carbonate, high latitude and deep water ecosystems may be the first to suffer from ocean acidification. Cold waters are naturally
Summary of Author’s Main Points:
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic,
using specific citations from the article to support your views
Example:My Own Thoughts on the Topic:
I believe that the oceans closer to industrial activities will quickly absorb the carbon dioxide. The oceans further away from industrial activities will be affected but it will take longer because they are more isolated. Acidification can affect many marine organisms, but especially those that build their shells and skeletons from calcium carbonate, such as corals, oysters, clams, mussels, snails, and phytoplankton and zooplankton, the tiny plants and animals that form the base of the marine food web.Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The unfortunate consequence, however, has been the emission of billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into Earth's atmosphere.This has benefited us by slowing the climate change these emissions would have instigated if they had remained in the air. But relatively new research is finding that the introduction of massive amounts of CO2 into the seas is altering water chemistry and affecting the life cycles of many marine organisms, particularly those at the lower end of the food chain.
The combustion of these fuels thus leaves a distinctive isotopic signature in the atmosphere.Today about 40% of the carbon dioxide derived from fossil fuel remains in the atmosphere the rest is taken up by vegetation on land or by the ocean, currently in about equal proportions.
So What?The influx of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has caused the saturation horizons for aragonite and calcite to shift closer to the surface by 50 to 200 meters compared with where they were positioned in the 1800s. They chose 2 spot, 1 is the South Pole and another is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.Being not so remote as Antarctica, Hawaii sees carbon dioxide levels rise and fall sharply in step with the Northern Hemisphere's growing season, but at the end of each and every year, the concentration of this heat-trapping gas always ends up higher than it was 12 months before.It was clear to Revelle long ago that the part that went into the ocean would fundamentally alter the chemistry of seawater. Acidification would pose only a monor problem, because surface waters would remain supersaturated-at least with respect to calcite, the robust form of calcium carbonate.The rate of calcium carbonate production in the corals declined with lower pH, although the water remained considerably supersaturated with respect to aragonite.
Says Who?
Roger Revelle and Hans Suess wanted to figure out how dire the situation would be today.The time scientists did not know for certain whether the carbon dioxide spewing out of tailpipes and smokestacks would indeed accumulate in the atmosphere.Unlike some aspects of climate change, the reality of this effect-essentially the acidification of the ocean-is not much debated, although it full implications are just now being revealed.The Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was approximately constant for several thousand years and then began to grow rapidly with the onset of industrialization in the 1800s. Gas is now about 30 percent more abundant than it was a few hundred years and, and it is expected to double or triple its former level by the end of this century.
What if..?
What if less and less of the sea will remain hospitable for calcifying organisms does it affect the people or animals? What if many species of marine phytoplankton use HCO3-1 for photosynthesis and I wounder why it use HCO3-1 for photosynthesis it because the concentration of this ion will remain largely unchanged, biologists do not expect that these organism will experience a significant boost.
What does this remind me of?
This remind me of the small snails are a key link in the food chain in the Southern Ocean is ample cause for concern. Many coral reefs are already in decline, and ocean acidification may push some over the edge into nonexistence.Very little of the carbon in seawater takes the form of dissolved carbon dioxide, and this scarcity limits the growth of some types of phytoplankon.
Part I: Individual Assignment
Name: Diem Le Due Date: Friday 9/27/13
Article Title: The dangers of ocean acidificationAuthor/Source:Scott C. Doney
http://ogoapes.weebly.com/uploads/3/2/3/9/3239894/the_dangers_of_ocean_acidification.pdf
clarifications
What are the AUTHOR’s major ideas, concepts or key points?
A: List the major ideas, concepts or key points- point by point
Example: -Much of the carbon dioxide given off from the burning of acid balance of seawater.-Roger Revelle and Hans Suess wanted to figure out how dire the situation would be today.
-The time scientists did not know for certain whether the carbon dioxide spewing out of tailpipes and smokestacks would indeed accumulate in the atmosphere.
-They chose 2 spot, 1 is the South Pole and another is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
-Being not so remote as Antarctica, Hawaii sees carbon dioxide levels rise and fall sharply in step with the Northern Hemisphere's growing season, but at the end of each and every year, the concentration of this heat-trapping gas always ends up higher than it was 12 months before.
-It was clear to Revelle long ago that the part that went into the ocean would fundamentally alter the chemistry of seawater.
-Unlike some aspects of climate change, the reality of this effect-essentially the acidification of the ocean-is not much debated, although it full implications are just now being revealed.
-Keeling produced is extremely valuable, but it is too short to place the current situation in context.
-coral reefs are under siege from many forces, including exposure to toxic chemicals and direct physical destruction.
-Today 1 third of the carbon dioxide given off in that process enters the ocean turally alkaline pH.
-The Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was approximately constant for several thousand years and then began to grow rapidly with the onset of industrialization in the 1800s.
-Gas is now about 30 percent more abundant than it was a few hundred years and, and it is expected to double or triple its former level by the end of this century.
-The combustion of these fuels thus leaves a distinctive isotopic signature in the atmosphere.
-Today about 40% of the carbon dioxide derived from fossil fuel remains in the atmosphere the rest is taken up by vegetation on land or by the ocean, currently in about equal proportions.
-When they compared their observations from 2005 with those made 16 years earlier, they found that the upper few hundred meters of the South Atlantic in general have higher carbon concentrations today than in the recent past, which is consistent with the notion that the sea is taking in atmosphere carbon dioxide.
-One simple result of all this dissolving and dissociating is the increase in hydrogen ion concentration, which chemists normally quantify in terms of the familiar pH scale.
-some of the most abundant lifeforms that could be affected in this way are a type of phytoplankton called coccolitho phorids, which are covered with small plates of calcium carbonate and are commonly found floating near the surface of the ocean.
-If some of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the sea dissociates in to carbonate ions, 1 might expect that there should be plenty to go around, even more than would have been available otherwise.
-They feed by filtering plankton out of the water, and they secrete calcium carbonate skeletons, which accumulate over time to form coral reefs-some of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems in the ocean.
-Less obvious examples occur deeper down in the sea, where cold-water coral communities dot continental margins and sea mounts, forming important fish habitats.
-Shallow-water corals owe their beautiful colors in part to symbiotic algae, which live inside the coral cells.
-Aragonite and magnesium calcite are more soluble than normal calcite.
-The influx of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has caused the saturation horizons for aragonite and calcite to shift closer to the surface by 50 to 200 meters compared with where they were positioned in the 1800s.
-Less and less of the sea will remain hospitable for calcifying organisms.
-Ocean acidification would pose only a moron problem, because surface waters would remain supersaturated-at least with respect to calcite, the robust form of calcium carbonate.
-The rate of calcium carbonate production in the corals declined with lower pH, although the water remained considerably supersaturated with respect to aragonite.
-Cold waters are naturally less supersaturated than warm ones for the various forms of calcium carbonate, high latitude and deep water ecosystems may be the first to suffer from ocean acidification.
-Small snails are a key link in the food chain in the Southern Ocean is ample cause for concern.
-Many coral reefs are already in decline, and ocean acidification may push some over the edge into nonexistence.
-Very little of the carbon in seawater takes the form of dissolved carbon dioxide, and this scarcity limits the growth of some types of phytoplankon.
-Many species of marine phytoplankton use HCO3-1 for photosynthesis, because the concentration of this ion will remain largely unchanged, biologists do not expect that these organism will experience a significant boost.
-Some higher plants (sea grasses) use dissolved carbon dioxide directly and probably will benefit from its rising levels, just as plants on land are expected to gain as the atmospheric concentration of this gas increases.
-The results do not translate easily into an understanding of the consequences of long-term, chronic exposure to modestly lower pH.
-1 possibility for gaining a more realistic assessment of the problem would be to elevate carbon dioxide levels artificially for months to years in a patch of the ocean or on a coral reef.
-Third strategy might be to examine the geologic record of times when carbon dioxide concentrations reached much higher levels than that of the persent and when ocean pH was presumably much lower
-such as during an interval of anomalously warm climate that took place some 55 million years ago when many marine
organisms died off.
B: Summarize the AUTHOR’s main point or idea- at LEAST 1-2 paragraphs
Example: Much of the carbon dioxide given off from the burning of acid balance of seawater. Today 1 third of the carbon dioxide given off in that process enters the ocean turally alkaline pH.some of the most abundant lifeforms that could be affected in this way are a type of phytoplankton called coccolitho phorids, which are covered with small plates of calcium carbonate and are commonly found floating near the surface of the ocean.Less obvious examples occur deeper down in the sea, where cold-water coral communities dot continental margins and sea mounts, forming important fish habitats.Shallow-water corals owe their beautiful colors in part to symbiotic algae, which live inside the coral cellsThe results do not translate easily into an understanding of the consequences of long-term, chronic exposure to modestly lower pH.1 possibility for gaining a more realistic assessment of the problem would be to elevate carbon dioxide levels artificially for months to years in a patch of the ocean or on a coral reef.Third strategy might be to examine the geologic record of times when carbon dioxide concentrations reached much higher levels than that of the persent and when ocean pH was presumably much lower-such as during an interval of anomalously warm climate that took place some 55 million years ago when many marine organisms died off. Less supersaturated than warm ones for the various forms of calcium carbonate, high latitude and deep water ecosystems may be the first to suffer from ocean acidification. Cold waters are naturally
Summary of Author’s Main Points:
C: Write a reaction paragraph to the article stating your own thoughts on the topic,
using specific citations from the article to support your views
Example:My Own Thoughts on the Topic:
I believe that the oceans closer to industrial activities will quickly absorb the carbon dioxide. The oceans further away from industrial activities will be affected but it will take longer because they are more isolated. Acidification can affect many marine organisms, but especially those that build their shells and skeletons from calcium carbonate, such as corals, oysters, clams, mussels, snails, and phytoplankton and zooplankton, the tiny plants and animals that form the base of the marine food web.Ocean acidification is the name given to the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The unfortunate consequence, however, has been the emission of billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into Earth's atmosphere.This has benefited us by slowing the climate change these emissions would have instigated if they had remained in the air. But relatively new research is finding that the introduction of massive amounts of CO2 into the seas is altering water chemistry and affecting the life cycles of many marine organisms, particularly those at the lower end of the food chain.
The combustion of these fuels thus leaves a distinctive isotopic signature in the atmosphere.Today about 40% of the carbon dioxide derived from fossil fuel remains in the atmosphere the rest is taken up by vegetation on land or by the ocean, currently in about equal proportions.
So What?The influx of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has caused the saturation horizons for aragonite and calcite to shift closer to the surface by 50 to 200 meters compared with where they were positioned in the 1800s. They chose 2 spot, 1 is the South Pole and another is Mauna Loa in Hawaii.Being not so remote as Antarctica, Hawaii sees carbon dioxide levels rise and fall sharply in step with the Northern Hemisphere's growing season, but at the end of each and every year, the concentration of this heat-trapping gas always ends up higher than it was 12 months before.It was clear to Revelle long ago that the part that went into the ocean would fundamentally alter the chemistry of seawater. Acidification would pose only a monor problem, because surface waters would remain supersaturated-at least with respect to calcite, the robust form of calcium carbonate.The rate of calcium carbonate production in the corals declined with lower pH, although the water remained considerably supersaturated with respect to aragonite.
Says Who?
Roger Revelle and Hans Suess wanted to figure out how dire the situation would be today.The time scientists did not know for certain whether the carbon dioxide spewing out of tailpipes and smokestacks would indeed accumulate in the atmosphere.Unlike some aspects of climate change, the reality of this effect-essentially the acidification of the ocean-is not much debated, although it full implications are just now being revealed.The Atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was approximately constant for several thousand years and then began to grow rapidly with the onset of industrialization in the 1800s. Gas is now about 30 percent more abundant than it was a few hundred years and, and it is expected to double or triple its former level by the end of this century.
What if..?
What if less and less of the sea will remain hospitable for calcifying organisms does it affect the people or animals? What if many species of marine phytoplankton use HCO3-1 for photosynthesis and I wounder why it use HCO3-1 for photosynthesis it because the concentration of this ion will remain largely unchanged, biologists do not expect that these organism will experience a significant boost.
What does this remind me of?
This remind me of the small snails are a key link in the food chain in the Southern Ocean is ample cause for concern. Many coral reefs are already in decline, and ocean acidification may push some over the edge into nonexistence.Very little of the carbon in seawater takes the form of dissolved carbon dioxide, and this scarcity limits the growth of some types of phytoplankon.