Oh, hey Jasmine! She got the flu. She won't be coming to school today.
Sure, no problem!
Can you help me with the ocean acidification unit? Cathy is always telling me how smart you are.
Ocean acidification starts when humans release an excess amount of Carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Things like cars and factories release tons of Co2 into the atmosphere.
Then the ocean absorbs all of the extra Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere. The higher the Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere are, the more Carbon Dioxide gets sucked into the ocean
It is bad because when Carbon Dioxide mixes with ocean water it makes the pH (Potential Hydrogen) of the water become more acidic. That is the process of Ocean Acidification.
Why is that such a bad thing?
Actually, some acids are good for living things for example, there is acid in your stomach that helps you digest your food! But the acid that is going into the ocean is hurting oceanic organisms.
Isn't acidity bad for living things? I heard that some types of acid can be deadly.