Most of us are aware of the spectacular corals in the ocean. But did you know that, besides being creatures of exquisite beauty, they also form a precious ecosystem? Fish and other marine creatures breed and hide from predators within their maze-like passages. The biodiversity found in a coral reef is said to be comparable to that of a rainforest. However, these corals are now in danger.

The fossil fuels that power factories, vehicles and other devices emit huge volumes of carbon dioxide. This was earlier absorbed by trees but, today, trees are being cut down in the name of development and infrastructure. Another huge carbon sink in earlier times were the oceans. But now the emissions are so huge that the oceans are turning acidic. Why does this matter? Because the acidity leads to calcium carbonate — which forms the hard exoskeleton of the corals — to dissolve leading to deformation and eventual death. If corals die, the other creatures they protect are also in danger.

Effects of acidification

There’s another problem. An acidic ocean can also lead to certain fish losing their sense of smell. Take, for example, the adventurous babies of the Clown Fish. After hatching inside nurseries, they swim out into the open sea and return to their corals they were born in after around three weeks, guided by the smell of the vegetation growing there. But an acidic ocean can lead to the fish larva losing their sense of smell, which in turn means they can’t return to safety.

Th same is true of the Damsel Fish hatchlings that also venture into the oceans. The babies use their sense of hearing to guide them back to the safety of the corals. The sound of the water around coral reefs is different from that of the waves in the open waters. But their hearing organs are made of calcium carbonate. The acidity of the ocean waters leads to deformed organs and the babies can no longer distinguish safe grounds from dangerous waters.

The list of creatures that a coral reef harbours is very long.
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The list of marine creatures whose exoskeletons are made of calcium carbonate is long. Crabs, shrimps, lobsters, shellfish, giant clams and many others will suffer a similar fate owing to ocean acidification.

So how can you help? Encourage your family and others to use public transport instead of automobiles. Ensure trees are not cut rampantly. Grow more trees. Design and put up appealing posters. Tell the adults around you to go for clean, renewable forms of energy like solar, wind and electric instead of fossil fuels. What other ways can you think of to prevent ocean acidification?