Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
USA, Sep 24.- The increasing acidification of the oceans leads the Earth to cross a new alert threshold that will affect planetary stability, its resilience and its habitability, according to a report from the Potsdam Institute for Impact Research Climate (PIK).
Fifteen years ago, scientists defined nine "planetary boundaries," physical thresholds that humanity should not exceed if it wishes to remain in a "safe operating zone."
As a result of human activities, six of these "limits" have already been surpassed in recent years and, according to a new report released Monday, a seventh, ocean acidification, is about to be surpassed "in the nearby future."
The six widely exceeded limits concern climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, the proliferation of synthetic chemicals (including plastics), the scarcity of fresh water and the balance of the nitrogen cycle (agricultural inputs).
The situation continues to worsen, highlighted on Monday by the Planetary Health Check, a balance sheet on the health of the planet that will now be updated annually.
Acidification is related to the absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) by the oceans: as emissions of this greenhouse gas continue to increase, the pH of seawater decreases, making it harmful to many organisms (corals, shells, plankton...) and, ultimately, for the entire marine food chain.
A phenomenon that also reduces the capacity of the oceans to absorb the CO2 present in the atmosphere.
"Even if emissions are rapidly reduced, some level of continued acidification may be inevitable due to the CO2 already emitted and the response time of the ocean system," explains Boris Sakschewski, one of the lead authors of the Planetary Health Check.
"Therefore, exceeding the 'limit' of ocean acidification seems inevitable in the coming years," adds this PIK researcher. (Text and Photo: Cubasí)
