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How can the ocean become more acidic while remaining alkaline?

Seawater can move toward the acidic end of the pH scale without crossing the neutral point. Dissolved carbon dioxide drives changes in ocean chemistry that matter before the water becomes acidic in the everyday sense. Explore what a falling pH means for marine organisms.

4–5 min

Questions you could explore

  • What changes when carbon dioxide dissolves?
  • Why does the direction of a change differ from the final category?

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4–5 min

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