Oceans turning acidic decades earlier

Greenhouse gases are turning the oceans acidic enough to dissolve the shells of sea creatures decades earlier than scientists had expected, with potentially catastrophic consequences for marine life.

Many marine organisms produce calcium carbonate (chalk) shells but, when the acidity of the water is increased, a point is reached at which that calcium carbonate starts to dissolve.

Today an American team publishes evidence that this acidic “tipping point” has been reached on the continental shelf along the west coast of North America, where many delicate organisms live.

Telegraph