An undergraduate research student experiment that attempts to simulate the pH changes of the ocean due to anthropogenic activities is designed. Studying a problem that can have an impact on marine life, places the concepts of acid-base chemistry in a tangible context. In the first stage of the experiment, students titrate samples of ocean water with acids linked to air pollutants, then they repeat the experiment in the presence of materials of marine-biological origin and compare the data. Materials include coral, shell, kelp, and sponge. Other variables observed are: time of exposure, temperature, estimated surface area of biological sample, and the influence of stirring the solution. To interpret the significance of their results, students have access to ocean pH readings gathered from worldwide research institutions such as Hong Kong, Puget Sound, Hawaii, and Svalbard.

Ocean acidification and acid-base chemistry a student experiment

251st National Meeting (2016)

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