Welcome to the OA Lab At Home
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One thing I want to point out in the following at-home experiment is that the ocean is not nearly as acidic as vinegar. But just keep in mind that we are modeling the effects of ocean acidification on shell-building species and trying to speed it up. By doing so we can observe the results within a couple of hours.
Brain-storming Time
Q: How acidic is the ocean? And will I get an acid burn while swimming in the ocean?
A: The ocean is not actually acidic since it has an average pH around 8.1 now, which is basic. And it won’t become acidic even with all the CO2 that is dissolving into the ocean. However, a slight drop from pH 8.2 to pH 8.1 still has a serious influence on marine species.
Recalling the fact that pH 6 is ten times more acidic than pH 7 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than pH 8. And think of this scenario that what will happen if we continue to add carbon dioxide at current rates? The consequence is the seawater pH may drop another 120 percent by the end of this century, to 7.8 or 7.7, creating an ocean more acidic than any seen for the past 20 million years or more. This is not what the marine species can tolerate.
Let's try and learn now!
At-home lab
How is climate change changing the ocean's chemistry? This at-home experiment explores the relationship between carbon dioxide, climate change, and ocean pH by using bromothymol blue.
Let's play and learn!
This at-home lab activity can be done with a raw egg, vinegar, and a cup.
Try it and learn!