Figure 1. pH scale, along with some examples.Posted on 12/28/2011 9:50:28 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
There’s an interesting study out on the natural pH changes in the ocean. I discussed some of these pH changes a year ago in my post “The Electric Oceanic Acid Test“. Before getting to the new study, let me say a couple of things about pH.
The pH scale measures from zero to fourteen. Seven is neutral, because it is the pH of pure water. Below seven is acidic. Above seven is basic. This is somewhat inaccurately but commonly called “alkaline”. Milk is slightly acidic. Baking soda is slightly basic (alkaline).
Figure 1. pH scale, along with some examples.
The first thing of note regarding pH is that alkalinity is harder on living things than is acidity. Both are corrosive of living tissue, but alkalinity has a stronger effect. It seems counterintuitive, but it’s true. For example, almost all of our foods are acidic. We eat things with a pH of 2, five units below the neutral reading of 7 … but nothing with a corresponding pH of 12, five units above neutral. The most alkaline foods are eggs (pH up to 8) and dates and crackers (pH up to 8.5). Heck, our stomach acid has a pH of 1.5 to 3.0, and our bodies don’t mind that at all … but don’t try to drink Drano, the lye will destroy your stomach.
(Excerpt) Read more at wattsupwiththat.com ...
Clearly we need to stop streams from dumping acidic water inthe oceans and to stop raining over coeans....
**************************************EXCERPT************************************
The problem with using the term “acidify” for what rainwater does to the ocean is that people misunderstand what is happening. Sure, a hard-core scientist hearing “acidify” might think “decreasing pH”. But most people think “Ooooh, acid, bad, burns the skin.” It leads people to say things like the following gem that I came across yesterday:
Rapid increases in CO2 (such as today) overload the system, causing surface waters to become corrosive.
In reality, it’s quite the opposite. The increase in CO2 is making the ocean, not more corrosive, but more neutral. Since both alkalinity and acidity corrode things, the truth is that rainwater (or more CO2) will make the ocean slightly less corrosive, by marginally neutralizing its slight alkalinity. That is the problem with the term “acidify”, and it is why I use and insist on the more accurate term “neutralize”. Using “acidify”, is both alarmist and incorrect. The ocean is not getting acidified by additional CO2. It is getting neutralized by additional CO2.
The ocean is a buffer of carbonic acid and carbonates in the form of ocean sediments from dead sea creatures and the limestone that the sediment eventually turns into.
Buffered systems resist changes in pH. In fact it is very difficult to change the pH of a buffer.
The ocean pH will be slightly basic for the foreseeable future no matter what human beings do.
The only effect people can have on ocean water is on a small, local level.
For all you non evolutionists out there notice that the Ph of sea water is just about the Ph of blood. When we craweled out of the oceans, we took the sea water with us. IMHO
Sorry, I meant pH but I typed Ph.
Post 6 hits the nail on the head. If you look at total carbon - the atmosphere is 1, the oceans are around 50, and the carbonate rocks are about 250. When the oceans start to get too acidic limestone is deposited on the bottom of the ocean by a very complicated clay mineral process. The ocean botton is then subducted and the limestone appears on the Earth’s surface in about 250 million years where it starts to decompose and start the cycle again. The oceans are pretty good at taking core of themselves. Also note if you ever get too hungry you can pick up a piece of limestone and extract the carbon from it and assemble some proteins. If you are smart enough, you will never starve.
You just flunked “Earth Science” class.
But our Congresscritters where shown just how this oceanic acidification caused by CO2 effects life in the ocean
http://globalwarming.house.gov/pubs?id=0014
Scroll down until you see the brilliant scientist and head of NOAA, Lubchenko, for her demonstration. (It’s in two parts) She really WOW’s ‘em!
As the AGW myth began to disappear we got “climate change”. As that also retreats into oblivion, we are getting “ocean acidification” caused by man made CO2.
The average PH of seawater is 8.0 (it varies quite a lot).
The PH of human blood is very exact and it needs to remain 7.35–7.45
What was your point again?
By some stroke of luck we have these living things called plants that can do that for us, and we don't even have to be all that smart to take advantage of it.
Thanks Ernest.
Deep-sea creatures at volcanic vent
BBC | December 27, 2011 | Rebecca Morelle
Posted on 12/28/2011 8:21:06 AM PST by decimon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2825893/posts
Global Warming on Free Republic
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
