Catlin Arctic Survey to Study Arctic Ocean Acidification
25.02.2010 - Atmosphere & Space, Water & Oceans, Flora & Fauna, Arctic
The Catlin Arctic Survey 2010, which is to begin in early March, will take leading research scientists to an Ice Base some 1,200 km from the North Geographic Pole to study the potential impact of rising levels of acidity in the Arctic Ocean.
Based on recent projections, some scientists believe that the world’s oceans might reach acidity levels never seen in 20 million years by 2050. As oceans worldwide absorb about a quarter of the CO2 we produce (no less than 24 million tons a day), ocean acidification is “the other CO2 problem”. As cold ocean waters absorb CO2 even more efficiently than warm waters, the polar and sub-polar oceans have helped mitigate climate change. However, as the oceans become saturated with CO2, acidity levels peak and might seriously threaten marine species such as shellfish and corals within a few decades.
The upcoming expedition will be a major step towards getting a better understanding of the ocean since it is one of the first chances for scientists to investigate ocean acidification under natural field conditions under the Arctic sea ice. Their journey north will allow them to test out models and refine projections.
An extension of the expedition will see some leading Arctic explorers head even further north across the floating sea ice to take ice thickness measurements for sea ice modellers and samples of water from beneath the ice for the CO2 and acidification monitoring program.
