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Seaweed Buffering Effects on Ocean Water

Seaweed Buffering Effects on Ocean Water. Joseph Rees Grade 9 Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School. Overview of Ocean Acidification. Ongoing problem Affects many marine life, especially shellfish Many shellfish cannot adapt to the change Thought to be primarily caused by human activity

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Seaweed Buffering Effects on Ocean Water

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  1. Seaweed Buffering Effects on Ocean Water Joseph Rees Grade 9 Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School

  2. Overview of Ocean Acidification • Ongoing problem • Affects many marine life, especially shellfish • Many shellfish cannot adapt to the change • Thought to be primarily caused by human activity • Factories and power plants emit 22 million tons of carbon dioxide a day. • Scientists estimate 525 billion tons of carbon dioxide has been absorbed in the oceans since the Industrial Era began. (Late 1700s)

  3. Chemistry of Ocean Acidification • Carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid when combined with water • The compound formed then breaks into a positive hydrogen atom and a negative bicarbonate atom. • The hydrogen atoms lead to the oceans becoming more acidic, while the bicarbonate is what damages marine life

  4. Seaweed’s Natural Ability to Buffer Ocean Acidification • Recent studies have been conducted, showing that seaweed and algae have been able to buffer ocean acidification • Photosynthetic activity absorbs carbon dioxide • Seaweed is able to absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into food, and increased photosynthesis results in more oxygen emission

  5. LaminariaSeaweed • Large, brown algae • Found on the East and West coasts of the United States • On the Pacific Coast, it is present where ocean acidification has been observed • Found in depths from 8-30 meters • Habitat for many marine life • Found in cold and rocky waters

  6. Purpose • The purpose was to determine if Laminaria seaweed is able to buffer acidified ocean water

  7. Hypothesis • The null hypothesis is that the seaweed will not be able to produce a significant buffering effect on acidified ocean water • The alternative hypothesis is that Laminariawill be able to significantly buffer acidified ocean water

  8. Materials • Laminariaseaweed • Instant Ocean • Distilled Water • Snap Cap Tubes • Spoon • LabQuest 2 pH meter • Dry ice

  9. Procedure • Poured 80mL of distilled water into a Snap Cap Tube • Added 16 grams of Instant Ocean into a tube • Stirred seawater slowly • Added appropriate amount of dry ice to create selected acidification ex. 0.48 grams yields pH of 8.1 • Added 0.63 grams of seaweed to the tube • Recorded pH value of solution every 8 hours for one day • Four tubes had seaweed added, but no dry ice, and the pH stayed the same through a 24 hour day (8.28)

  10. P<0.05 P>0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05

  11. P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05

  12. P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05 P<0.05

  13. Conclusion • The null hypothesis can be rejected • Laminaria seaweed appeared to have a significant effect on buffering acidified ocean water • The test with the pH value of 8.1 all significantly varied, except after at hour 8 • The tests with the pH values of 8.0, 7.9, 7.8 significantly varied after 8, 16, and 24 hours

  14. Limitations • pH levels very close to each other • Used non-intact seaweed • Used small amount of water • Used Instant Ocean • Optimal lighting? • Optimal temperature?

  15. Future Studies • Use same seaweed in real ocean water • Try different pH levels more spread apart • Try different species of seaweed • Add organisms native to ocean water

  16. Works Cited • “Climate Interpreter.” Ocean Acidification - Effects on Humans | Climate Interpreter, climateinterpreter.org/content/chemistry-ocean-acidification. • Flannery, Tim. “Seaweed Could Save the World's Oceans from Becoming Too Acidic.” Quartz, Quartz, 4 Nov. 2015, qz.com/534553/seaweed-could-save-the-worlds-oceans-from-becoming-too-acidic/. • Hakai Magazine. “Seaweed and Seagrass Buffer the Acidity of the Nearby Ocean.” Hakai Magazine, 15 Feb. 2018, www.hakaimagazine.com/news/seaweed-and-seagrass-buffer-the-acidity-of-the-nearby-ocean/. • Jones, Nicola. “How Growing Sea Plants Can Help Slow Ocean Acidification.” Yale E360, 12 July 2016, e360.yale.edu/features/kelp_seagrass_slow_ocean_acidification_netarts. • Koweek, David A., et al. “Expected Limits on the Ocean Acidification Buffering Potential of a Temperate Seagrass Meadow.” Ecology, Wiley-Blackwell, 31 July 2018, esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.1771. • “Ocean Acidification.” Ocean Portal | Smithsonian, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, 18 Dec. 2018, ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/ocean-acidification. • “Seaweed- a Solution to Ocean Acidification.” ESL and Cultures Resource, 8 May 2018, sites.sandiego.edu/sdpollutiontrackers/2018/05/08/seaweed-a-solution-to-ocean-acidification/.

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