大氣及海洋化學家研究發現,發電廠與農業將硫磺與氮氣排放至大氣層中,對於全球層次的海水酸化影響其實有限,但是對於海岸的淺海地區影響卻較為強烈。
此研究主持人多尼(Scott Doney)同時為伍茲霍爾海洋研究所的海洋化學暨地球化學部門的資深科學家,他表示,「酸雨不僅只是陸地的問題,它同時也對海洋產生影響。酸雨對於海洋的影響於海岸附近尤為顯著,特別是此區已因環境污染、過度捕撈及氣候變遷,而成為海洋被嚴重影響與最為脆弱的區域了。」
多尼與研究團隊發現,影響最為嚴重的地區為火力發電廠的順風區,包括北美東岸、歐洲以及亞洲南部與東部。
海洋酸化阻礙海洋生物的生存能力,例如海膽、珊瑚,以及部分利用碳酸鈣構成其外殼或外骨骼的浮游生物。上述生物提供其他物種重要的食物來源與棲地,因此牠們的消失將影響整個海洋生態體系。
The release of sulfur and nitrogen into the atmosphere by power plants and agriculture plays a small role in making the ocean more acidic on a global scale, but the impact is amplified in shallow coastal waters, finds new research by atmospheric and marine chemists.
"Acid rain isn't just a problem of the land; it's also affecting the ocean," said Scott Doney, lead author of the study and a senior scientist in the Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, WHOI. "That effect is most pronounced near the coasts, which are already some of the most heavily affected and vulnerable parts of the ocean due to pollution, over-fishing, and climate change."
The most heavily affected areas tend to be downwind of coal-fired power plants and predominantly on the eastern edges of North America, Europe, and south and east of Asia, Doney and his team found.
Ocean acidification hampers the ability of marine organisms such as sea urchins, corals, and certain types of plankton to harness calcium carbonate for making hard outer shells or "exoskeletons." These organisms provide essential food and habitat to other species, so their demise could affect entire ocean ecosystems.
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