Global climate change has been the subject of heated debate and scientific study for more than a decade. Although many discoveries have been made through scientific research and many people are much more environmentally conscious and aware of the crisis we face due to global climate change, there are still many unknowns regarding the overall effects that global climate change will have. on the earth. One specific area of ​​study that contains many unknowns is ocean acidification (OA). Although osteoarthritis is largely the result of factors that contribute to global climate change, it remains a problem foreign to populations around the world, even though it has been studied by scientists for more than three decades (NOAA 2014). Fortunately, scientific research is beginning to shine a spotlight on OA. The onset of the Industrial Revolution led to an increase in the amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere due to increased industrial and agricultural production. The ocean absorbs around 32% of the CO2 released into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels each year. Thus, the spectacular increase in atmospheric CO2 is accompanied by an equally drastic increase in CO2 absorbed by the ocean. Ocean acidification is simply the process of chemical change in seawater caused by the absorption of CO2 (Schlesinger & Bernhardt, 1997). When CO2 is absorbed into the ocean, it undergoes a chemical reaction that creates an unfavorable environment for many marine organisms. Carbon dioxide reacts with water (H2O) to form carbonic acid (H2CO3). The carbonic acid then dissolves quickly to form hydrogen ions (H+) and bicarbonate ions (HCO3-). The ocean is naturally saturated with carbonate ions (CO3−2) which...... middle of paper ......ty-first century and its impact on calcifying organisms. " Nature 437, no. 7059 (2005): 681-686.Schlesinger, William H. Biogeochemistry: An Analysis of Global Change San Diego, CA: Academic, 1997. Print.WaldGeorge G., Erin P. Voigt, Heather Bergschneider, Mark A. Green Roger IE Newell et al. “Biocalcification in the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) in Relation to Long-Term pH Trends in the Chesapeake Bay Estuaries and Coasts (2011) 34:221–231. Wanninkhof, Rik., Pierrot, Dennis. (2013). Coastal Observations on the East Coast: Ocean Acidification Monitoring Network Retrieved April 29, 2014 from NOAA Ocean Acidification Program Whitman, A. ., Reynolds, Amanda C., Sobrino, Cristina and Riedel, Gerhardt F. 2009. Crustaceans face an uncertain future in a high CO2 world: influence of acidification on calcification and larval growth of d oysters in estuaries..