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ocean acidification
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Side-by-side diagram showing ocean acidification from the late 1800s to a projection for 2100. The left panel illustrates lower atmospheric carbon dioxide, higher seawater pH, and abundant healthy corals and shells due to more carbonate ions. The right panel shows higher carbon dioxide, lower pH, fewer carbonate ions, and fewer, smaller marine calcifiers, highlighting the negative impact on ocean life. sea butterfly A scuba diver swims above a colorful coral reef in the Maldives, surrounded by schools of small orange fish and several butterflyfish among the rocks. Infographic showing a timeline of major climate change milestones from 1896 to 2025, with key events listed on the left. Insets on the right display a graph of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, diagrams of ocean acidification due to carbon dioxide, and a world map highlighting countries that have signed or ratified the Paris Agreement.
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water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
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Side-by-side diagram showing ocean acidification from the late 1800s to a projection for 2100. The left panel illustrates lower atmospheric carbon dioxide, higher seawater pH, and abundant healthy corals and shells due to more carbonate ions. The right panel shows higher carbon dioxide, lower pH, fewer carbonate ions, and fewer, smaller marine calcifiers, highlighting the negative impact on ocean life.
ocean acidification Conceptual diagram comparing the state of carbonates in the oceans under the lower-acid conditions of the late 1800s and the higher-acid conditions expected for the year 2100.

ocean acidification

biochemistry
Written by
John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...
John P. Rafferty
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

ocean acidification, the worldwide reduction in the pH of seawater as a consequence of the absorption of large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the oceans. Ocean acidification is largely the result of loading Earth’s atmosphere with large quantities of CO2, produced by vehicles and industrial and agricultural processes. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution about 1750, roughly one-third to one-half of the CO2 released into Earth’s atmosphere by human activities has been absorbed...

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