Read here. Much to do has been made of the alarmist claim that atmospheric CO2 emissions are "acidifying" the oceans. Often, alarmist cherry-pickers extraordinaire will point to a coastal area that has been designated an acidification "hotspot" with the implication that human CO2 atmospheric emissions are the cause. The latest research though indicates that atmospheric CO2 emissions are not the culprit.
Since atmospheric CO2 is considered a well-mixed greenhouse gas, it's hard to fathom how it could then cause specific "hotspots" of acidification in coastal waters.
Kelly et al. peer reviewed study analyzed information from multiple studies that included such hotspot areas as Kennebec River plume in the Gulf of Maine, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Manning River estuary in New South Wales, Australia. Their research points to other human factors that are negatively impacting these waters.
"They begin by noting that "several studies document acidification hot spots, patches of ocean water with significantly depressed pH levels relative to historical baselines occurring at spatial scales of tens to hundreds of square kilometers...illustrate that freshwater inputs, pollutants, and soil erosion can acidify coastal waters at substantially higher rates than atmospheric CO2 alone." And they add that "additional local phenomena -- such as sulfur dioxide precipitation, hypoxia, eutrophication, and both emissions and runoff from acidic fertilizers -- can intensify these localized hot spots,"...Some of the remedial measures that they list in this category are "stormwater surge prevention (e.g., holding tanks), coastal and riparian buffers (areas of vegetation near land-water intersections), intact wetlands, and improved onsite water treatment facilities," which they describe as "effective measures to address watershed runoff and associated pollutants."" [Kelly, R.P., Foley, M.M., Fisher, W.S., Feely, R.A., Halpern, B.S., Waldbusser, G.G. and Caldwell, M.R. 2011: Science]
Additional ocean-acidification and peer-reviewed postings.
