Technical Report

 

Introduction:

             Every year, the average person produces approximately 5 tons of carbon dioxide.  That makes the United States’ total release equal to 6 billion tons, trailing right behind China with the emission of 10 billion tons (CBS News 2012).  Globally, the world produces roughly 33 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year.  To put that into perspective, the mass of the carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere annually is equal to the mass of 6.5 billion elephants.

            The carbon dioxide that is released into the air does much more than just harm the atmosphere.  About thirty to forty percent of the carbon dioxide in the air is absorbed by the ocean every year.  The presence of carbon dioxide in the ocean lowers the water’s pH, making it more acidic and harmful to organisms that inhabit the environment.  This process is called “ocean acidification”, and the problem has progressively gotten worse as the production of carbon dioxide and the burning of fossil fuels has increased (Bennett 2015).   If the use of fossil fuels were to decrease worldwide, and the current excess carbon dioxide was eradicated, then less carbon dioxide would be emitted into the air, which means less carbon dioxide would be available for the ocean to absorb.  As organisms are forced to live in an acidic environment that they are not accustomed to, they will not survive and extinction will occur, threatening the biodiversity of the marine ecosystem, and eventually, man’s existence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem:

           Ocean acidification is a domino effect; as more carbon dioxide enters the water, the water becomes acidic and certain organisms cannot survive, which is displayed in the concept map.  If certain species become extinct, then those that fed on that specific animal or plant will suffer as well, due to a lack of food source.  This process works its way up the food chain, ultimately affecting not only microorganisms, but large species as well, such as fish, whales, and eventually humans (Ferrari 2011).  When the food source of even the smallest animal decreases, animals higher up in the food chain will begin to suffer.  This can be harmful to not only the fish that are dying, but to humans and the fish industry as well.  Salmon is one of the major seafood products consumed in the United States, and the fishing industry for salmon will be greatly threatened as the salmon population decreases as snails die out.  This effects our economy, as jobs in the fishing industry, from those who catch the fish to those involved with the cooking and selling of the fish, will begin to decline, and a major food source for humans will be lost as a result.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solutions:

            To prevent the extinction of marine animals and preserve biodiversity, which will result in the continuation of seafood industries, actions must be taken to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, ocean acidification.  As a result of carbon dioxide in the water, the pH level decreases, making the water acidic.  To reverse this occurrence, limestone can be added to the ocean, as it will act as a buffer by preventing any changes in the water’s pH level (Harvey 2008). However, because the ocean constantly absorbs carbon dioxide at a rapid pace, the addition of limestone would have to be continous.  The ocean is also immensely vast, as it covers over 70 percent of Earth, and it will take an ample amount of time for the limestone to take effect on the whole ocean.  By the time the limestone starts to take action, it may be too late for some organisms. 

            However, not all organisms will become extinct because of the new acidic environment that has been forced upon them.  Some organisms, such as coccolithophores, which are single-celled organisms that act as a photosynthesizer, are able to survive in the changing water conditions, despite the fact they suffer because they need calcium carbonate to build their skeletons.  Coccolithophores are able to survive in the harmful environment because they reproduce substantially faster than most organisms.  This allows for evolution to occur quickly, and coccolithophores are able to adapt continuously to keep up with the constantly changing environment.  However, adapting to the situation does not fix the problem; ocean acidification will still be occurring and getting worse year by year despite the fact that some animals are capable of surviving.  

            Every problem that is caused by ocean acidification leads back to the root cause, which is that there is simply too much carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere.  Rather than asking a majority of the world to stop driving cars and turning on the lights in efforts to reduce the emission of harmful pollutants, an alternative form of energy can be utilized.  However, the single benefit of using a more environmentally safe energy will be canceled out by the accommodations required to make that energy possible. 

         The carbon dioxide that is currently in the ocean is so abundant that it will require a lot of time to naturally let the ocean stabilize again, even if the carbon dioxide in the air decreases.  In order to remove the carbon dioxide that currently occupies the ocean, a bacteria can be introduced.  A bioengineered bacteria that consumes carbon dioxide, called Ralstonia eutropha, was created  by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Ralstonia eutropha does more than just rid the ocean of the carbon dioxide; it converts the carbon dioxide into isobutanol, which is an efficient substitute for gasoline (Humphries, 2012).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Conclusion:

            Organisms who are incapable of adapting to a rapidly and constantly changing environment will not survive the effects of ocean acidification, and species will eventually go extinct.  Every organism in the ocean plays a part in biodiversity; all organisms rely on each other to keep the ecosystem alive and healthy.  If one animal becomes extinct, then animals that relied on them for a food source will become extinct as well.  The food chain has a domino effect on all living organisms.  To save these animals that are dying, and to ultimately sustain biodiversity, the carbon dioxide levels need to decrease significantly.  The most realistic and efficient way to do this is to take the current excess carbon dioxide out of the ocean, and to prevent more carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.  The introduction of Ralstonia eutropha will decrease the carbon dioxide concentration in the ocean by consuming it, as well as convert it into a bio-friendly fuel that can replace gasoline.  This bioengineered bacteria will bring ocean acidification to a halt, as it will balance out the water’s pH level by removing the carbon dioxide from it, while simultaneously producing an alternative fuel that will stop the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment.  As less carbon dioxide is put into the atmosphere, less is present to be absorbed into the ocean, which leads to a stable environment for organisms.  Animals will no longer have to struggle to adapt to survive; they will have enough calcium carbonate to build strong shells and skeletons, and they will have an environment neutral and stable enough to support them.