logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
8m 58s

Have the oceans become 30% more acidic?

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Although the climate-changing effects of Carbon Dioxide emissions are well known, they are changing our oceans too, making them more acidic. But how much?

Tim Harford explores the statistical quirks of ocean acidification, from pH to the mysteries of logarithmic scales. With Dr Helen Findlay from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK.

Up next
Oct 8
Does half the UK get more in benefits than they pay in tax?
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:The Daily Mail says that over half of the UK population live in households that get more in benefits than they pay in tax - is it true?Do some billionaires earn more in a night than the population of Bournemouth ... Show More
26m 40s
Oct 4
Is the world getting less miserable?
When you follow the news, particularly in countries like the UK and the US, it sometimes feels like people are less optimistic about their lives than they were in the past. But a new piece of analysis from polling company Gallup suggests this might just be the local view, not the ... Show More
8m 58s
Oct 1
Has Donald Trump ended seven 'unendable' wars?
Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:US President Donald Trump claims he has ended seven “unendable” wars. Is that true?Chancellor Rachel Reeves says the UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 for the first six months of 2025. What do you need ... Show More
28m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2015
Oceans of Acid
As the oceans absorb manmade carbon emissions a chemical reaction takes place which is making sea water more acidic. This subtle shift in pH level is having a profound effect on the sea animals which use calcium carbonate to form their shells and skeletons and Marine Biologists a ... Show More
27m 50s
May 2022
How can oceans help us capture carbon?
The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and can hold more than 150 times the amount of carbon dioxide as air. Around a quarter of CO2 emissions created by human activity each year is absorbed by them. From phytoplankton to whales to seagrass meadows we explore how this h ... Show More
27m 14s
Aug 2022
What do warmer waters mean for life below the waves?
The Ocean, it covers more than 70% of the surface if our planet, it provides us with food, medicine and even influences the weather. For years its also helped to mitigate the effects of climate change. Since the 1970’s over 90% of atmospheric warming caused by green house gas emi ... Show More
27m 22s
Jan 2022
Deep ocean exploration
UCL oceanographer Helen Czerski explores life in the ocean depths with a panel of deep sea biologists. They take us to deep ocean coral gardens on sea mounts, to extraordinary hydrothermal vent ecosystems teeming with weird lifeforms fed by chemosynthetic microbes, to the remarka ... Show More
37m 16s
Feb 2022
Deep sea exploration
UCL oceanographer Helen Czerski explores life in the ocean depths with a panel of deep sea biologists. They take us to deep ocean coral gardens on sea mounts, to extraordinary hydrothermal vent ecosystems teeming with weird lifeforms fed by chemosynthetic microbes, to the remarka ... Show More
37m 22s
Feb 2023
How can oceans help us capture carbon?
The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and can hold more than 150 times the amount of carbon dioxide as air. Around a quarter of CO2 emissions created by human activity each year is absorbed by them. From phytoplankton to whales to seagrass meadows, we explore how this ... Show More
28m 8s
Oct 2021
Comment l'océan absorbe-t-il le mercure ?
Produit à la fois par la nature et par l'activité humaine, le mercure, métal très volatil, se répand dans l'atmosphère, d'où il passe, directement ou par l'intermédiaire des pluies ou de la végétation, dans les océans, et donc dans les poissons. D'où l'urgence de diminuer la conc ... Show More
1m 55s
Feb 2021
Acid rain
In the 1960s, Swedish scientists documented how acid rain was poisoning lakes, killing fish, damaging soils and forests. Crucially they said it was an international problem, because the acid rain was caused by industrial pollution being carried on the prevailing winds from countr ... Show More
12m 50s