Scientists from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme have been monitoring ocean chemistry in the Arctic region, and have warned that CO2 emissions are causing a rapid acidification of Arctic seas. The problem is so severe that they claim even if CO2 emissions stopped now, it would take tens of thousands of years for Arctic Ocean chemistry to revert to pre-industrial levels.
Acidification causes a threat to several sea creatures, including those that are commercially important, meaning industrial fishing and indigenous communities could be severely affected.
The Arctic Ocean is particularly susceptible to acidification because it is so cold, meaning it can absorb more carbon dioxide. This problem is increased by the fact that there are increasing flows of freshwater from rivers and melting land ice which is less effective at chemically neutralising the acidifying effects of CO2.
Richard Bellerby from the Norwegian institute for Water Research explained, "Large rivers flow into the Arctic, which has an enormous catchment for its size. There’s slow mixing so in effect we get a sort of freshwater lens on the top of the sea in some places, and freshwater lowers the concentration of ions that buffers pH change. The sea ice has been a lid on the Arctic, so the loss of ice is allowing fast uptake of CO2."
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