Acidification and warming Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is acidification?
A reduction in pH causing water to become more acidic.
How does the continued burning of fossil fuels cause acidification in the oceans?
1) Additional CO2 reacts with water to from carbonic acid, which quickly dissociates to form H+ ions and bicarbonate ions. H+ ions bond with carbonate ions producing more bicarbonate ions.
How does acidification occur in fresh water?
1) The same way as in oceans
2) Via acid rain. Acidifying depositions occur following the release of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere, mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels, which then may fall in dry or wet form.
How does acidification impact organisms that build calcium carbonate skeletons?
Increased acidity reduces the availability of calcium carbonate ions to organisms that build calcium carbonate skeletons (e.g. corals, mollusks and echinoderms).
The more acidic the water, the slower the skeleton forms.
How does acidificaton impact reef fish? Reference.
Lower pH impairs the senses of reef fishes and reduces their survival and might also impact target fishes that produce most of the seafood eaten by humans (Branch et al., 2013).
Which species are unharmed by acidification?
Cephalopods and crustaceans with be unscathed.
Which is the most soluble form of CaCO3?
Amorphous CaCO3
Amorphous CaCO3 is found in larval echinoderms and oysters.
How is acid rain caused?
Acid rain is caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. In the presence of water, sulfur trioxide (SO3) is converted rapidly to sulfuric acid.
Nitrogen dioxide reacts with OH to form nitric acid
Explain the differences in decomposition rate from research done by Jenkins et al., 2012
Decomposition was faster in 2012 than in 1979 due to recovery from acidification
During the 20th century, the global temperature increased by how much?
0.74 degrees celcius
By 2100 global temperatures will rise at least ____ but it could be as much as
By 2100, global temperatures will rise at least 1.1 °C, but it could be closer to 6.4 °C
- 1 °C -> models assume no further increase in greenhouse gas emissions
- 4 °C -> models assume continued intensive use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions
How does warming impact aquatic systems?
Temperature stratification in the ocean may impact productivity because currents are less likely to bring nutrient-rich water to the surface against steep density gradient
Name a species that went extinct due to global warming.
Golden toad
How are species ranges changing?
May species ranges are shifting towards the poles or to higher latitudes.
Parmesan and Yohe, 2003
Species have migrated around 6.1km per decade northward/upward
How is timing of life cycle events altered by warming?
Creates temporal mismatches between consumers and resources. E.g. bees are dying out
Potts., 2010
Pollinators provide vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants and are a key component of global diversity
How does warming impact body size?
Decreases in body size because larger organisms have greater energy demands which are unfavored by warmer environments
Yvon-Durocher et al., 2011
Body size of aquatic species decreases with an increase in temperature
How does warming impact biodiversity?
Biodiversity is declining worldwide because of warming e.g. in freshwater habitats approx. 28% of all species have been lost in the last 35 years
What are range shifts?
When organisms move higher in altitude or latitude to track suitable thermal conditions.
Metabolic rate _________ with temperature
Metabolic rate increases exponentially with temperature
