AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 9.7 Flashcards

Master key terms and definitions for Topic 9.7 of AP Environmental Science – Ocean Acidification to help you prep for quizzes and the AP exam.

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Term

Ocean Acidification

Definition

Ongoing decrease in ocean pH as absorbed excess atmospheric CO₂ forms carbonic acid and H⁺; H⁺ reduces carbonate availability, hindering calcium carbonate shell and skeleton formation

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Ocean Acidification
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Ongoing decrease in ocean pH as absorbed excess atmospheric CO₂ forms carbonic acid and H⁺; H⁺ reduces carbonate availability, hindering calcium carbonate shell and skeleton formation

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Carbon Sink
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A reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases; the ocean absorbs roughly one-quarter of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions

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Calcifying Organisms
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Organisms that build calcium carbonate shells or skeletons, including corals, mollusks, pteropods, some plankton, and echinoderms

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