Editing Ocean Acidification (section)

===Short Explanation===

Carbon Dioxide levels are commonly talked in terms of global warming. Something else that these CO<sub>2</sub> levels effect, however, are the acidity of the oceans. This effects ocean life, especially coral reefs, since they are made of calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is something a lot of ocean life uses to make shells or structures, and we use it as chalk and limestone. it breaks down when exposed to acids, as we see when the vinegar is dripped on it. When CO<sub>2</sub> dissolves in water, it creates an acid called carbonic acid. If carbonic acid levels build up, it can cause these coral structures to start breaking down, creating havoc in the ecosystems that rely on the coral reefs to survive. This is what happens in the first beaker as the dry ice dissolves, and we see the chalk/limestone breaking down.

In the second beaker, we can see small particles forming in the water as we put in drops of NaOH. NaOH is ''Basic'', or the opposite of an acid, so it can neutralize the carbonic acid in the solution from the club soda. This causes calcium carbonate to precipitate! This is to demonstrate why we should make efforts to decrease the CO<sub>2</sub> levels, so to protect the ocean life in coral reefs and around the world.