pH is a logarithmic scale (log base 10, not natural log). In case you don't understand logarithms, a logarithm is an exponent. A drop of about 0.1 of pH is about a 20-30% change in the ion concentration. Nobody said the oceans were becoming an acid (pH less than 7). They are becoming less alkaline. The Smithsonian article is correct.
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Originally Posted by sounding
The Smithsonian says pH levels are more acidic and dropped by 30% ... saying it dropped from 8.2 to 8.1 pH. So just how does 30% reflect that 0.1 drop using the 0-14 pH scale? Answer: they failed the "new math" course and now push junk science. And exactly what does a pH of 8.1 mean? Answer: a pH of 8.1 is alkaline -- not acid. Furthermore, a simple scan of historic ocean pH levels shows it has been cycling between 8.3 and 8.1 for hundreds of thousands of years -- and probably more. The oceans were never acidic even when CO2 levels were 15 times higher than today. In the meantime, no one has ever dissolved while swimming in the ocean.
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