[Villages PL]

There was a big article on Sunday in the Daily Sun. It had to do with the fallout from burning coal etc. The oceans are becoming too acidic (think acid rain etc.)

In the body of the article it mentioned that some small sea creatures are suffering from having their shells become thinner because of the effects of acidity.

From other reading, long ago, I learned that this problem, to some extent, is self correcting: As water flows down rivers and streams over rocks, the rocks slowly erode and add alkalinity to the water. And the rivers eventually empty into the ocean. (Okay so far, I haven't gone off the deep end yet, but I'm about to do that now.)

I would like to propose an experiment that could be done on a small scale, at least at first. This experiment would be to see to what extent, if any, we can replenish alkalinity to our waterways that empty into the oceans.

You know what they say about recycling, every little bit helps. So we start with one small stream/river and we dump empty clam shells etc. into it, for the calcium the shells contain. As the water flows and the shells erode, calcium will be released into the water, thereby adding alkalinity.

Eventually, we could have fishermen, everyday people and restaurants contributing fish bones, clam shells, hambones, chicken bones, turkey bones, egg shells etc. to contribute the much needed alkalinity to our waterways.

[Polar Bear]

Sounds like a faulty hypothetical to me. [emoji48]

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

Sounds like a faulty hypothetical to me. [emoji48]

No, it's a suggestion.

[Tennisnut]

I believe if you read the article, the decrease in Ph level in the ocean was was attributed to the increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere. The oceans are acting as a buffering agent which is being depleted. The acid rain which use to be a big problem in the past, was due to the use of high sulfur coal use. Fortunately, we have made a lot of progress in this area. There is a lot of water and a lot of CO2, so I hope you can gather a lot of sea shells!

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by Tennisnut

I believe if you read the article, the decrease in Ph level in the ocean was was attributed to the increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere. The oceans are acting as a buffering agent which is being depleted. The acid rain which use to be a big problem in the past, was due to the use of high sulfur coal use. Fortunately, we have made a lot of progress in this area. There is a lot of water and a lot of CO2, so I hope you can gather a lot of sea shells!

Yes, just as we all contribute to the problem, in our own little way, we might all be able to contribute in a small way toward a solution.

[justjim]

I recently saw a short story about all the trash in the oceans and how it is affecting the marine ecosystem. Really interesting and frankly alarming. We don't take good care of our planet----for sure.