It's easy to assume that the oceans will just be there the way they've always been—full of majesty and mystery; providing sustenance, adventure and escape. But what goes into the air goes into the oceans and the great watery expanse that covers some 71% of the Earth's surface is beginning to turn corrosive to sea life. The early signs have been unmistakable. Oyster larvae in controlled hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest began to die in large numbers in 2006. It took researchers and hatchery owners years of trial and error to realize that the cause was the ocean water they were pumping in—the water's pH had fallen, and the early-stage oysters couldn't form their shells.
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