Marine Sanctuaries to Examine Ocean Acidification

Efforts pioneered by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council to raise public awareness about ocean acidification got some serious backing recently as all 13 of the nation’s marine sanctuaries adopted official policy recognizing the threats of the situation and pledging to investigate it further. Ocean acidification is a largely overlooked side effect of carbon use that sees ocean pH balances increase as the waters absorb more and more CO2 emissions, preventing calcifying creatures—like corals, urchins, lobsters, and so on—from developing their outer shells.