The connection is that shells, such as the hard part of corals, are made from calcium carbonate. When you put calcium carbonate in acid, it dissolves. This takes some of the acid out of the water.
In the long run, there are huge deposits of calcium carbonate on the ocean floor. Even if we burn all of the fossil fuels, the ocean eventually comes back to a neutral ph.
The problem is the short run. We're turning CO2 into carbonic acid at a rate that far exceeds what surface waters can handle. This is creating conditions where shellfish of all kinds are working overtime form proper shells. If they can at all. It even affects many kinds of plankton. This stress is causing large dieoffs. When we wipe out things at the base of the food chain, it has ripple effects through the rest of the ecosystem.
In the long run, there are huge deposits of calcium carbonate on the ocean floor. Even if we burn all of the fossil fuels, the ocean eventually comes back to a neutral ph.
The problem is the short run. We're turning CO2 into carbonic acid at a rate that far exceeds what surface waters can handle. This is creating conditions where shellfish of all kinds are working overtime form proper shells. If they can at all. It even affects many kinds of plankton. This stress is causing large dieoffs. When we wipe out things at the base of the food chain, it has ripple effects through the rest of the ecosystem.