The Seafloor Is Dissolving Away. And Humans Are to Blame

Climate change reaches all the way to the bottom of the sea.

Carbon emissions are dissolving the seafloor, especially in the
 Northern Atlantic Ocean. Shown here, Azkorri beach in Basque
 Country in northern Spain.

The same greenhouse gas emissions that are causing the planet's climate to change are also causing the seafloor to dissolve. And new research has found the ocean bottom is melting away faster in some places than others.

The ocean is what's known as a carbon sink: It absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. And that carbon acidifies the water. In the deep ocean, where the pressure is high, this acidified seawater reacts with calcium carbonate that comes from dead shelled creatures. The reaction neutralizes the carbon, creating bicarbonate.

Read the LiveScience story by Stephanie Pappas - “The Seafloor Is Dissolving Away. And Humans Are to Blame.”