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Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Two problems, one solution
R.D.Schuiling, Institute of Geosciences, Utrecht
Two major problems, both caused by rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere threaten human society, namely climate change and ocean acidification. Whereas the first is widely known and internationally discussed, the second is hardly known outside a small group of experts, although its effect may in the end overshadow the effects of climate change.
In geological history the CO2 level of the atmosphere was controlled mainly by the weathering of basic silicates, turning the greenhouse gas CO2 into the bicarbonate ion in solution. These bicarbonate solutions were then carried by rivers to the sea where they formed limestones and dolomites, the ultimate stable storage for CO2. At the same time these weathering solutions added alkalinity to the sea. Marine life in all its forms has adapted to the imposed levels of pH and CO2 pressure. There is disturbing evidence that the rapid rise of CO2 levels, and the related drop in pH of the oceans are already negatively affecting many marine life forms, either directly or by the disturbance of their food web. It is proposed here to enhance the weathering process on a global scale, in order to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and the oceans, and restore the optimal pH in the oceans for marine organisms.