Acid Oceans

Carbon dioxide and the sea

An interactive lesson with 4 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• CO₂ ⇌ HCO₃⁻ ⇌ CO₃²⁻: which form dominates depends on pH.
• A 0.1 pH drop is 26% more H⁺.
• Ocean acidification turns carbonate into bicarbonate.

Steps

1. Carbonic acid
2. A small number, a big change
3. Carbonate for shells
4. Why does adding CO₂ remove carbonate?