Earth’s oceans are in worse condition than scientists thought, with acidity levels so high that our seas may have entered a “danger zone” five years ago, according to a new study.
Humans are inadvertently making the oceans more acidic by releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) through industrial activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. This ocean acidification damages marine ecosystems and threatens human coastal communities that depend on healthy waters for their livelihoods.
Previous research suggested that Earth’s oceans were approaching a planetary boundary, or “danger zone,” for ocean acidification. Now, in a new study published Monday (June 9) in the journal Global Change Biology, researchers have found that the acidification is even more advanced than previously thought and that our oceans may have entered the danger zone in 2020.
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