The burning of fossil fuels is not only associated with climate change. It also affects the Earth's oceans since a large bulk of carbon dioxide ends up in the seas.
When this happens, water becomes more acidic, which in turn kills coral reefs, the habitat of many marine animals and other sea creatures.
Scientists who monitor the changes in the acidity of the ocean traditionally only take into account small areas of the immense ocean by using instruments that are deployed from expensive research boats.
Now, researchers have come up with a new technique that involves measuring the acidification of the ocean from space.
Using this pioneering technique to complement on-the-ground data, Jamie Shutler from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and colleagues were able to create a global map that reveals which areas of the ocean are most affected by acidification.
Shutler said that they are using the technique to monitor large areas of the oceans, which could allow them to easily identify areas that are most at risk of acidification.
The process, which was described in the journal Environmental Science and Technology on Jan. 8, involves the use of satellite-mounted thermal cameras, which measure the temperature of the ocean, and microwave sensors that measure the ocean's salinity.
The resulting measurements are then used to evaluate ocean acidification faster and over a larger expanse of water, which was not possible before.
"Satellites are likely to become increasingly important for monitoring ocean acidification, especially in remote waters," Shutler said. "We are pioneering this data fusion approach so that we can observe large areas of Earth's oceans, allowing us to quickly and easily identify those areas most at risk from increasing acidification."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that the ocean's surface became 30 percent more acidic since the advent of the Industrial revolution. Some models show that by the end of the century, the world's ocean could become 150 percent more acidic than the levels prior to the industrialized era.
The rising acidity of the ocean poses threat particularly to marine life as it can be deadly for species that rely on calcium carbonate for building their protective shells, such as clams, oysters and other shellfish. It also negatively affects the growth and reproduction of coral reefs, which are crucial to the aquatic ecosystem.
"Routine measurements from space can provide quasi-synoptic, reproducible data for investigating processes on global scales; they may also be the most efficient way to monitor the ocean surface," the researchers wrote.
