Science & Nature · 2
What is the primary cause of ocean acidification?
Answer
Increased CO2 absorption
Ocean acidification is caused by increased atmospheric CO2. When seawater absorbs CO2, it forms carbonic acid, lowering the pH and threatening shell-forming organisms.
💡 Did you know?
Ocean pH has dropped 0.1 units since pre-industrial times, representing a 30% increase in acidity—the fastest rate of acidification in 300 million years.
Other options people guess
- Industrial waste
- Saltwater evaporation
- Fertilizer runoff
Topics
- ocean
- climate change
- chemistry
Know your science & nature trivia?
Play a free Science & Nature quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Science & Nature facts
Science & Nature
Which element, secretly synthesized in 1944 during the Manhattan Project, was named after a continent rather than a U.S. state or a person?
Americium was synthesized in 1944 during the Manhattan Project, yet the U.S. government didn't announce its discovery until 1945, after the war.
Science & Nature
Unlike Marie Curie, whose two Nobel Prizes were awarded in different scientific fields, Frederick Sanger's two Nobel wins were both in which single category?
Frederick Sanger won two separate Nobel Prizes in Chemistry for determining protein and DNA sequences—one of only four people ever.
Science & Nature
Which chemical element was named to honor both Marie and Pierre Curie together, rather than a place?
Curium honors both Marie and Pierre Curie, but Marie's own element, polonium, was named after her birthplace Poland—not her.
Science & Nature
On what date did Yuri Gagarin become the first human in space?
Gagarin parachuted to the ground separately from his capsule after ejecting at 7 km altitude, a landing technique that terrified NASA officials.
Science & Nature
What was the name of the Soviet spacecraft that carried Yuri Gagarin to space?
The Vostok 3KA capsule was only 2 meters wide and was controlled entirely by automatic systems and ground control—astronauts were not trusted to pilot it.
Science & Nature
What is the primary purpose of the International Space Station?
The ISS orbits Earth at approximately 408 km altitude and costs about $3 billion per year for NASA to operate.