全球變暖導致海洋酸化，致使其酸鹼值降至1400萬年前水平

We already know plastic waste leads to a colossal level of marine pollution and threatens the lives and habitats of many animals and plants.

眾所周知，塑料廢物會造成嚴重的海洋污染，威脅許多動植物的生命與棲息環境。

We also know sunscreen can bleach coral and destroy whole reefs and that even traces of drugs can tip the hormonal balance of various marine animals.

我們同樣知道，防晒霜會漂白珊瑚，摧毀整片暗礁，而即使是一丁點藥物也會破壞各類海洋動物的激素平衡。

Man is to blame for a large portion of the damage the underwater world has been subjected to, but as if that weren"t bad enough, it turns out we"re causing the ocean another problem, according to a study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.

據《地球與行星科學快報》（Earth and Planetary ScienceLetters）上發表的一項研究顯示，人類是破壞地下水系統的罪魁禍首。更糟的是，我們正給海洋帶來又一難題。

Global warming isn"t the only problem caused by excess CO2 emissions

全球變暖並非二氧化碳排放過量造成的唯一問題

Research conducted by scientists at the University of Cardiff in Wales found that carbon dioxide levels will soon be as high as they were 14 million years ago, when the average temperature on Earth was three degrees Celsius higher. Due to rapid global warming, the pH will have dropped dramatically by 2100.

威爾士卡迪夫大學（University of Cardiff）科學家的研究表明，二氧化碳水平很快便將上升至1400萬年前的水平，彼時，地球的平均氣溫比現在高出3攝氏度。由於全球迅速變暖，截至2100年，海洋酸鹼值將急劇下降。

Ocean acidification occurs when the pH of water drops, due to the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere. One third of CO2 emissions are caused by the burning of fossil fuels, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the industrial revolution: 525 billion tons of CO2 have been released into the oceans since that period began.

由於吸收了大氣層中的二氧化碳，海水酸鹼值下降之際便會出現海洋酸化現象。而三分之一的二氧化碳排放則來源於化石燃料燃燒，這始於工業革命之初：自那時起，已有5250億噸二氧化碳被排放到海洋中。

The ocean"s pH will soon be as low as it was 14 million years ago

海洋酸鹼值將降至1400萬年前水平

The scientists examined the pH value of the water and the CO2 content of the past 22 million years.

科學家分析了過去2200萬年以來的海水酸鹼值與二氧化碳含量。

"Our new geological record of ocean acidification shows us that on our current "business as usual" emission trajectory, oceanic conditions will be unlike marine ecosystems have experienced for the last 14 million years," said lead author of the study Sindia Sosdian in a statement.

該研究的第一作者辛迪婭·索斯蒂安（Sindia Sosdian）在一份聲明中提到：「我們關於海洋酸化的新地質記錄表明，在目前遵循『一切照常』的排放軌跡中，海洋狀況將不同於過去1400萬年以來海洋生態系統所經歷的情況。」

But even the current pH value is alarmingly low: "The current pH is already probably lower than any time in the last 2 million years," said Carrie Lear, co-author of the study. She added: "Understanding exactly what this means for marine ecosystems requires long-term laboratory and field studies as well as additional observations from the fossil record."

當前的酸鹼值已低於警戒線。該研究的合著者凱麗·李爾（Carrie Lear）補充稱：「當前的酸鹼值可能已經達到過去200萬年來的最低水平。要確切了解這對海洋生態系統意味著什麼，還需要長期的實驗室和實地研究，以及對化石記錄的額外觀察。」

The catastrophic damage to marine life can no longer be averted

對海洋生物的毀滅性破壞將無法避免

Though scientists still have to conduct further experiments to establish the precise ramifications this change will entail within the next next few decades, one thing is clear.

雖然科學家仍需進一步開展實驗，才能確定這種變化將在未來數十年內產生的確切後果，但有一點是可以肯定的：

If we continue as we have done up until now, the over-acidification will not only kill off existing and future coral reefs entirely; it will cause catastrophic damage to many ecosystems, in which many animals rely on underwater plants for food sources.

如果我們繼續如此，那麼，過度酸化的海洋不僅會徹底毀滅現有和未來的珊瑚礁，也將對很多生態系統造成災難性破壞，其中包括許多動物賴以生存的水下植物。

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