日本東面太平洋及近海地區迅速酸性化

Recently the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

気象庁:日本近海が急速に酸性化…温暖化に拍車の恐れ

毎日新聞　2012年11月20日　21時45分（最終更新　11月21日　00時34分）

　気象庁は２０日、日本近海を含む北西太平洋で海洋が急速に酸性化し、８４年以降は過去２５０年間と比べて約５倍のペースで進行していると発表した。大気中の二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）が増加して海に溶け込んでいる影響とみられ、このまま酸性化が進むと海がＣＯ２を吸収しにくくなり、地球温暖化に拍車がかかる恐れがあるとしている。

　気象庁は紀伊半島南方の海域で、水素イオン濃度指数（ｐＨ）を定期的に観測。今年は北緯１０〜３０度でｐＨ８．０７〜８．１２の弱アルカリ性だった。１０年当たり約０．０２の割合で低下し、産業革命以前から２０世紀末の全海洋の酸性化のペースより大幅に早くなっていた。

　酸性化が進むと貝類や甲殻類の小型化、サンゴ礁の発達阻害などの影響が出るとみられている。

　また、気象庁は同日、昨年の世界の大気中ＣＯ２濃度が平均３９０．９ｐｐｍ（１ｐｐｍは１００万分の１）で過去最高を記録したと明らかにした。８２年の統計開始以来、３０年連続の記録更新となる。

(試譯文)

 According to the Meteorological Agency on the 20^th (November), at the northwestern Pacific Ocean which included the Japanese waters the ocean had acidified quickly, and it was announced that since 1984 it was going on at a pace that was about 5 times  quicker compared to the past 250 years. It was regarded as due to the influence of the increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and its melting into the sea. If the acidification process proceeded as it was, the sea would become difficult to absorb CO2, and it was supposed that there was a possibility that it would spur global warming.

 The Meteorological Agency had been observing the hydrogen-ion density index (pH) of the ocean at the Kii Peninsula’s southern region periodically. This year at north latitude 10 to 30 degrees the alkalinity was weak, ranging from pH 8.07 to 8.12. It fell at a rate of about 0.02 every ten years, compared to the level of acidification of all the oceans at the end of the 20th century before the Industrial Revolution, the pace of acidification process came early and sharply.

 It was expected that the influences that could come out were the miniaturization of shellfish or the crustaceans, and the development prevention of coral reef etc.

 Moreover, the Meteorological Agency on the same day clarified that the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere in the world last year was the highest record ever; with an average of 390.9 ppm (1 ppm is 1 out of 1 million). This record was being renewed continuously for 30 years since 1982 when the statistics was started.

So, acidification of the ocean water is one of the consequences of an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.