SDG #14 is to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”
Within SDG #14 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 14.3:
Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
Target 14.3 has one indicator:
Indicator 14.3.1: Average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations
The work of this indicator is the responsibility of the International Oceanographic Commission.
We can view the levels of ocean acidification through resources such as GOA-ON. This also allows us to see how ocean ecosystems respond to elevated levels of acidification. Another useful resource is SOCAT (Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas). This shows a measure of the degree to which the ocean absorbs dissolved CO2, or it escapes from the surface.
This absorption of CO2 by the oceans from the atmosphere can ease some of the effects of climate change. But only up to a point before it affects the chemical balance of the ocean, affecting life within. In the climate system, the hydrosphere of the Earth’s water, and the atmosphere of gases held in place by gravity, are key components.
This target and indicator thus ask what the average acidity or alkalinity of the ocean is. Using a sampling station in Hawaii, the annual average pH as of September 2022 was 8.05, down 0.2 since the adoption of the SDGs in 2015. The lower the pH, the more acidic. A pH below 7, caused by the absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere, is the threshold from neutral to acidic. The current level of 8.07 indicates moderate alkalinity.
