New research has revealed that the world's oceans are becoming more acidic.
Scientists from the University of Bristol have published a report in Nature Geoscience.
The team from the educational institution developed a new model to measure and assess ocean acidity and predict future environmental changes that could occur as a result.
According to the researchers, the rate at which the oceans are becoming more acidic is faster than any other similar events in the past 65 million years.
This could mean that plankton is unable to adapt to the changes quickly enough, leading to mass extinction of ocean-dwelling species or other significant environmental changes, the scientists have warned.
Dr Andy Ridgwell, lead author of the study, explained that it is the bottom-dwelling creatures that face the greatest threat because they require more stable conditions than animals closer to the surface.
"A rapid and severe geochemical change in their environment would make their survival precarious," he stated.
Oceanacidification.net explained that the process occurs when carbon dioxide absorbed by the world's seas is converted into carbonic acid. It has a particular impact on the development of the skeletal structures and shells of marine animals, the website informed.
Posted by Lauren Steadman
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