";s:4:"text";s:2718:"Printer-friendly PDF of all text and figures. Oceanography 22(4):36–47. The potential consequences of ocean acidification on marine organisms are inherently complicated. Feely, R.A., S.C. Doney, and S.R. 12. Ocean acidification: Present conditions and future changes in a high-CO 2 world. Ocean acidification is caused by our release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from energy production, deforestation, industry, transportation, heating and cooling our buildings, agriculture and meat production. Ocean acidification is a result of carbon dioxide. It can take anything between 20-1000 years for a plastic bag to break up. Cooley. Ocean acidification may cause widespread harm to our marine ecosystems. Civilization is currently carbon intensive – we have released one quadrillion pounds of CO 2 into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. Warming ocean temperatures, melting sea ice and ocean acidification are affecting our ocean, wildlife and coastal communities right now. Ocean acidification: Present conditions and future changes in a high-CO 2 world. The ocean absorbs a lot of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. However, this causes the ocean to become acidic, which can be harmful to ocean life. 2009.