Something huge is happening in Alaska right now

Scientists have installed sensors at the Kachemac Bay to understand just how devastating ocean acidification is going to be.

Researchers are about to embark on a major project at the Kachemak Bay in Alaska as part of a critical project to monitor ocean acidification, and their findings could be critical in the battle against climate change. Researchers will use a system of five sensors to collect data, and they hope the results will provide answers on what kind of acidification happens near the shower, according to a KBBI report.

Scientists had been conducting ocean acidification monitoring in the open ocean, but scientists have been wanting to understand how this destructive process affects near-shore areas. Many species live in these environments and could be devastated by the process of acidification.

As part of this research, scientists will gather data on the organisms that live in the Kachemac Bay which can help them predict what organisms might be most at risk down the line. Ocean acidification refers to the process where seawater absorbs carbon dioxide, which causes chemical reations that reduce the pH in seawater. This in turns harms the ability of marine organisms to produce and maintain shells.

The following is an excerpt from NOAA’s website on ocean acidification.

When carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that reduce seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals. These chemical reactions are termed “ocean acidification” or “OA” for short. Calcium carbonate minerals are the building blocks for the skeletons and shells of many marine organisms. In areas where most life now congregates in the ocean, the seawater is supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate minerals. This means there are abundant building blocks for calcifying organisms to build their skeletons and shells. However, continued ocean acidification is causing many parts of the ocean to become undersaturated with these minerals, which is likely to affect the ability of some organisms to produce and maintain their shells.

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the pH of surface ocean waters has fallen by 0.1 pH units. Since the pH scale, like the Richter scale, is logarithmic, this change represents approximately a 30 percent increase in acidity. Future predictions indicate that the oceans will continue to absorb carbon dioxide and become even more acidic. Estimates of future carbon dioxide levels, based on business as usual emission scenarios, indicate that by the end of this century the surface waters of the ocean could be nearly 150 percent more acidic, resulting in a pH that the oceans haven’t experienced for more than 20 million years.

Ocean acidification is expected to impact ocean species to varying degrees. Photosynthetic algae and seagrasses may benefit from higher CO2 conditions in the ocean, as they require CO2 to live just like plants on land. On the other hand, studies have shown that a more acidic environment has a dramatic effect on some calcifying species, including oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea corals, and calcareous plankton. When shelled organisms are at risk, the entire food web may also be at risk. Today, more than a billion people worldwide rely on food from the ocean as their primary source of protein. Many jobs and economies in the U.S. and around the world depend on the fish and shellfish in our oceans.

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia on Kachemak Bay.

Kachemak Bay is home to Alaska’s only state wilderness park, Kachemak Bay State Park. Kachemak Bay State park was the first state park in Alaska.[3] There is no road access to most of the park; visitors must arrive by airplane or boat.

Kachemak Bay is also home to the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the largest reserve in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.[4] It is a very active site of research and education. The bay hosts a remarkably high level of biological activity, due in part to water circulation patterns which keep shellfish larve and nutrients in the bay. While surface waters push nutrients out into the bay, ocean currents push them back into the bay, creating a very fertile environment.[5] Both fish and shellfish are abundant in the bay, year-round. Waterfowl and shorebirds occupy the bay during all but the winter season, while waterbirds and marine mammals including otters, seals, porpoise, and whales remain in the bay all year. The bay provides winter homes for 90% of the seabird and waterfowl populations of Lower Cook Inlet.[5] Land mammals are frequently seen during the warmer seasons. Moose, coyote, and bears are frequently seen.

The tides at Kachemak Bay are extreme, with an average vertical difference (also called mean range) of over fifteen feet (15.53 ft, 4.73m), and recorded extremes of over thirty-one feet (31.72 ft, 9.67m) as measured at the Seldovia Tide Station. The highest tide on record is over twenty-five feet (25.25 ft, 7.7m) above MLLW and occurred on November 15, 1966. The lowest tide on record is almost minus six and a half feet (-6.47 ft, -1.97m) from MLLW and occurred on April 27, 2002.

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