The increasing acidification of the oceans is measured in pH units, but its impacts on people will be measured in dollar signs, says Sarah Cooley. Commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, the protection of shorelines by coral reefs-all could be harmed by ocean acidification that is already well under way. In other words, ocean acidification is not just a problem for corals and other marine life. It has the potential to change the way we humans feed ourselves, earn our livings, run our communities, and live our lives. "What goes around comes around," said Cooley, a research associate at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). "Ocean acidification is definitely a problem resulting from human activities, and it will come back and influence human communities."
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