The Sunday Times of London has an article about the increasing acidity
of the oceans due to carbon dioxide emissions. Some researchers are
warning that many invertebrate species, "including coral, crabs,
oysters and mussels, may become unable to build and repair their shells
and will die out."

Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution projects that, "[i]n less than
100 years, the pH (measure of alkalinity) of the oceans could drop by
as much as half a unit from its natural 8.2 to about 7.7."

.......

"Nature, the scientific journal, recently published a study by Jim Orr,
of the Laboratory for Science of the Climate and Environment, Paris. It
said that by 2050 the Southern Ocean and subarctic regions of the
Pacific might be so acidic that the shells of smaller marine creatures
would start eroding.

Such a loss would have disastrous consequences for larger marine
animals such as salmon, mackerel, herring, cod and baleen whales. These
all feed on pteropods, or sea butterflies, one of the species [sic]
most threatened by rising acidity.

Last week another warning was issued about the threat of acidity to sea
life at the annual meeting in St Louis of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science.

......

There's another article on this subject in the March issue of
Scientific American.

Does anyone have an idea how much pH can change before we'll see
noticeable erosion in marine mollusks?

David Kirsh
Durham, NC

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