
The Ocean Is Struggling to Breathe, Too - dnetesn
http://oceans.nautil.us/feature/613/the-ocean-is-struggling-to-breathe-too
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multiplegeorges
The oceans have acted like an enormous damper on our terrible actions.

From absorbing run off leading to hypoxia, sinking plastic to the bottom, and
dissolving our excees C02 into the water, the oceans have saved us from the
consequences of our actions.

This is going to change at some point. When it does, things will happen
quickly and it won't go well for us.

~~~
panny
>This is going to change at some point. When it does, things will happen
quickly and it won't go well for us.

No one with any scientific background would make this claim. Le Chatelier's
principle has the opposite effect. Equilibrium changes slowly. If it ever
becomes "too bad" it will be almost impossible to reverse in your lifetime. In
an entire century, surface pH of the ocean has dropped by about 0.1 unit from
8.2 to 8.1.

[https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/oceansicer...](https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/oceansicerocks/oceanchemistry.html)

~~~
SECProto
> In an entire century, surface pH of the ocean has dropped by about 0.1 unit
> from 8.2 to 8.1.

pH is a particularly bad one to use as an example - once the buffering
capacity is used up, the pH will change very suddenly (see this[1] random
image result to show the curve from a standard titration).

[1] [https://blog.opticontrols.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/01/Tit...](https://blog.opticontrols.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/01/Titration-Curve.png)

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totetsu
This is the cause of jellyfish population explosions too.
[https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth103/node/693](https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth103/node/693)

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sneak
What an utterly tone-deaf and tasteless headline.

~~~
optimalsolver
Not sure why you're being voted down.

That's one of the most facepalm-inducing headlines I've ever seen on here.

~~~
troughway
You're not allowed to ask about downvotes on HN.

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pstuart
This is going to be a big, and horribly unsatisfying "I told you so!"

~~~
rriepe
Or it ends up here: [https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-failed-eco-
pocalyp...](https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-failed-eco-pocalyptic-
predictions)

~~~
pstuart
It's possible but not likely, however, the cost of being wrong is dramatically
smaller.

