We humans are so good at ruining things that we’ve learned to do it passively, without even thinking about it. For instance, thanks to the unchecked belching of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, about a third of that gas ends up in the ocean.
It’s gradually turning the ocean into a salty acid bath, causing the ocean’s pH to dip from 8.2 to 8.1. That seemingly tiny shift actually represents a 30 percent increase in acidity, which, according to a new study, may corrode shark teeth.
According to German researchers at Heinrich Heine University, more acidic ocean water could visibly corrode shark teeth, causing cracks, holes, and structural damage. Their whole terrifying vibe could be ruined by our acidification of the water they live in.
Using blacktip reef shark teeth shed in an aquarium, the researchers soaked the tooth samples in current ocean pH (8.1) and in projected future pH (7.3) for eight weeks. If you’re wondering why 7.3, it’s because researchers believe that on our current pace, by the year 2300, ocean pH levels could reach a disastrous 7.3 pH.
Pollution Is Making Oceans Acidic—and It’s Eating Away at Shark Teeth
The differences were apparent under electron microscopes. The acidified teeth appeared gnarlier and weaker, larger in circumference due to surface erosion rather than actual growth. Think of it like a rusted sword that shatters after one swing.
Since many sharks use multiple rows of teeth for weeks or even months at a time, any cumulative damage could tank their ability to hunt and feed, threatening their entire way of life.
As is the case with nearly every study, the conditions weren’t perfect. They couldn’t exactly replicate real ocean conditions one-to-one, and these were shed teeth from aquarium sharks, marinated in acidified water. But it’s a starting point for understanding just how badly we might be screwing over the most iconic ocean species.
If an apex predator that’s outlived empires and has lived through several mass extinctions can’t survive plastic and petroleum, what does that say about our chances?
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