Ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean

Arctic drift ice, with a popular arctic organism, the polar bear

The Arctic Ocean covers an area of 14,056,000 square kilometers, and supports a diverse and important socioeconomic food web of organisms, despite its average water temperature being 32 degrees Fahrenheit.[1] Over the last three decades, the Arctic Ocean has experienced drastic changes due to climate change.[1] One of the changes is in the acidity levels of the ocean, which have been consistently increasing at twice the rate of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.[2] Arctic Ocean acidification is a result of feedback from climate system mechanisms, and is having negative impacts on Arctic Ocean ecosystems and the organisms that live within them.

  1. ^ a b Robbins, Lisa L.; Yates, Kimberly K.; Feely, Richard; Fabry, Victoria (2010). "Monitoring and assessment of ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean-A scoping paper". Open-File Report. doi:10.3133/ofr20101227.
  2. ^ Qi, Di; Chen, Liqi; Chen, Baoshan; Gao, Zhongyong; Zhong, Wenli; Feely, Richard A.; Anderson, Leif G.; Sun, Heng; Chen, Jianfang; Chen, Min; Zhan, Liyang; Zhang, Yuanhui; Cai, Wei-Jun (27 February 2017). "Increase in acidifying water in the western Arctic Ocean". Nature Climate Change. 7 (3): 195–199. Bibcode:2017NatCC...7..195Q. doi:10.1038/nclimate3228. ISSN 1758-678X.