Articles | Volume 18, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1407-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1407-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Technical note
| 
24 Feb 2021
Technical note |
| 24 Feb 2021
| 24 Feb 2021
Technical note: Interpreting pH changes
Andrea J. Fassbender
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss
Landing, CA 95039, USA
James C. Orr
LSCE/IPSL, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement,
CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Andrew G. Dickson
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San
Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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- Re-evaluation of carbonic acid dissociation constants across conditions and the implications for ocean acidification R. Woosley & J. Moon 10.1016/j.marchem.2023.104247
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- Ocean Acidification and Long‐Term Changes in the Carbonate System Properties of the South Atlantic Ocean A. Piñango et al. 10.1029/2021GB007196
- Commentary: Overstated Potential for Seagrass Meadows to Mitigate Coastal Ocean Acidification A. Ricart et al. 10.3389/fmars.2022.884857
- A 37-year record of ocean acidification in the Southern California current W. Wolfe et al. 10.1038/s43247-023-01065-0
- Divergent trajectories of ocean warming and acidification E. Mortenson et al. 10.1088/1748-9326/ac3d57
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- Dissimilar Sensitivities of Ocean Acidification Metrics to Anthropogenic Carbon Accumulation in the Central North Pacific Ocean and California Current Large Marine Ecosystem M. Arroyo et al. 10.1029/2022GL097835
- Daily variability of pH and temperature in seawater from a near-pristine oceanic atoll, Southwest Atlantic M. de Almeida et al. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115670
- Ion Trios: Cause of Ion Specific Interactions in Aqueous Solutions and Path to a Better pH Definition P. May & E. May 10.1021/acsomega.4c07525
- Overstated Potential for Seagrass Meadows to Mitigate Coastal Ocean Acidification B. Van Dam et al. 10.3389/fmars.2021.729992
- Amplified Subsurface Signals of Ocean Acidification A. Fassbender et al. 10.1029/2023GB007843
- S.P.L. Sørensen, the pH concept and its early history H. Kragh 10.1007/s10698-025-09532-6
- Progression of ocean interior acidification over the industrial era J. Müller & N. Gruber 10.1126/sciadv.ado3103
- Unraveling natural carbonate variability in Narragansett Bay, RI using multiple high temporal resolution pH time series A. Baskind et al. 10.3389/fmars.2025.1552350
- Vertical distribution of pH in the top ~10 m of deep-ocean sediments: Analysis of a unique dataset C. Shao et al. 10.3389/fmars.2023.1126704
- Marine CO2 system variability along the northeast Pacific Inside Passage determined from an Alaskan ferry W. Evans et al. 10.5194/bg-19-1277-2022
- Contrasting Controls of Acidification Metrics Across Environmental Gradients in the North Pacific and the Adjunct Arctic Ocean: Insight From a Transregional Study Y. Wu et al. 10.1029/2021GL094473
- Dynamically downscaled projections of ocean acidification for the Bering Sea D. Pilcher et al. 10.1016/j.dsr2.2022.105055
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Latest update: 22 Jul 2025
Short summary
A decline in upper-ocean pH with time is typically ascribed to ocean acidification. A more quantitative interpretation is often confused by failing to recognize the implications of pH being a logarithmic transform of hydrogen ion concentration rather than an absolute measure. This can lead to an unwitting misinterpretation of pH data. We provide three real-world examples illustrating this and recommend the reporting of both hydrogen ion concentration and pH in studies of ocean chemical change.
A decline in upper-ocean pH with time is typically ascribed to ocean acidification. A more...
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