Acidification and warming

Question 1

What is acidification?

Answer 1

A reduction in pH causing water to become more acidic.

Question 2

How does the continued burning of fossil fuels cause acidification in the oceans?

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

How does acidification occur in fresh water?

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

How does acidification impact organisms that build calcium carbonate skeletons?

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

How does acidificaton impact reef fish? Reference.

Answer 5

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).

Question 6

Which species are unharmed by acidification?

Answer 6

Cephalopods and crustaceans with be unscathed.

Question 7

Which is the most soluble form of CaCO3?

Answer 7

Amorphous CaCO3

Amorphous CaCO3 is found in larval echinoderms and oysters.

Question 8

How is acid rain caused?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Explain the differences in decomposition rate from research done by Jenkins et al., 2012

Answer 9

Decomposition was faster in 2012 than in 1979 due to recovery from acidification

Question 10

During the 20th century, the global temperature increased by how much?

Answer 10

0.74 degrees celcius

Question 11

By 2100 global temperatures will rise at least ____ but it could be as much as

Answer 11

By 2100, global temperatures will rise at least 1.1 °C, but it could be closer to 6.4 °C

1. 1 °C -> models assume no further increase in greenhouse gas emissions
2. 4 °C -> models assume continued intensive use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions

Question 12

How does warming impact aquatic systems?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Name a species that went extinct due to global warming.

Answer 13

Golden toad

Question 14

How are species ranges changing?

Answer 14

May species ranges are shifting towards the poles or to higher latitudes.

Question 15

Parmesan and Yohe, 2003

Answer 15

Species have migrated around 6.1km per decade northward/upward

Question 16

How is timing of life cycle events altered by warming?

Answer 16

Creates temporal mismatches between consumers and resources. E.g. bees are dying out

Question 17

Potts., 2010

Answer 17

Pollinators provide vital ecosystem services to crops and wild plants and are a key component of global diversity

Question 18

How does warming impact body size?

Answer 18

Decreases in body size because larger organisms have greater energy demands which are unfavored by warmer environments

Question 19

Yvon-Durocher et al., 2011

Answer 19

Body size of aquatic species decreases with an increase in temperature

Question 20

How does warming impact biodiversity?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What are range shifts?

Answer 21

When organisms move higher in altitude or latitude to track suitable thermal conditions.

Question 22

Metabolic rate _________ with temperature

Answer 22

Metabolic rate increases exponentially with temperature