Ocean acidification is the excessive buildup of carbon dioxide absorbed by our oceans from the atmosphere, the increased presence of carbon dioxide molecules in the water acidifies the PH of the ocean and causes harm to a variety of sealife and ecosystems as a whole. The primary cause of ocean acidification is anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, Humans have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the last century and our current footprint has never been higher.

The increase in carbon dioxide molecules causes a chemical reaction to occur with the calcium on shellfish’s shells, dissolving the calcium from the shell and weakening it. This results in shell-building species such as oysters lacking the required calcium to build their shells correctly, making them targets to predators

Many fish are being affected by this issue as well, the acidified ocean has been shown to affect many fish larvae and newborns negatively, luckily most fish develop PH balancing functions several days after birth, but this issue will become more and more of a threat as the ocean continues to acidify. Coral reefs are very susceptible to acidification as the coral plants cannot live in acidic conditions, this is the most widely known impact of ocean acidification and the result is the destruction of coral reefs which are the ocean's most diverse habitats.

The destruction of calcium shells in creatures such as crabs and oysters causes damage to the ecosystems they inhabit as a whole. As these species are unable to create defenses for themselves they are at an increased risk of being eradicated from their habitat, and with nothing to feed on the predators of these species will, in turn, start to diminish. This cascading effect has severe consequences for our oceans as a whole and may lead to a stagnant ocean if these issues aren't addressed soon.

Many of the consequences of ocean acidification are unknown to us at the time, how sea life will withstand or adapt to an ever-decreasing PH is a question we cannot be sure of but most biologists agree that it can only lead to a decrease in diversity in ocean habitats. Since the acidification of our oceans is directly linked to carbon emissions, we can link global warming and ocean acidification to the same culprit, emphasizing the need for carbon emissions regulations even more before the earth's ecosystems fall into more peril.