Acid Test:3 Minute Science of Ocean Acidification

National Resource Defense Council

This short video is an excerpt from the longer video Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification, produced by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This short version summarizes the science of ocean acidification as well as the social implications.

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Notes from our reviewers

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Would best be used in conjunction with a diagram that explains the chemical reactions behind ocean acidification since the video does not provide information about the chemistry of ocean acidification. Could be used to introduce a discussion of ocean acidification. Educators may wish to use the longer version of the film, available at [link http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/aboutthefilm.asp]
Video links the change in ocean chemistry to impacts on coral reefs and fish populations and to other pressures on marine environments. Citations for the longer version of this video are at [link http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/acidification/science.asp] While National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an advocacy group, the science in the video is correct, not exaggerated, and uncertainty stated appropriately. Science Expert comment: Dissolving CO2 in water does not result in a pink cloud. Comments from expert scientist: This video takes a complicated topic and simplifies it so that it should be generally understandable to most people. The animation of CO2 dissolving in the ocean is nice - I know that this is a concept students of mine have struggled with. The interviews with prominent and respected researchers adds to the merit of the video.