According to a recent report, increasingly acidified water along the Pacific Coast is posing a danger to the sealife, including microscopic plants and animals at the base of the food chain, to shellfish, corals and the young of some marine species.

This acidification results from the high concentration of dissolved CO₂ in ocean water, from the accumulation of dead organisms and also human activity. CO₂ reacts with water molecule (H₂O) to create carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), which turns the water acidic.

While the corrosive water is not known to be an immediate threat to humans, it can dissolve the shells of clams, oysters and other shellfish species, which may in turn alter marine food webs, resulting in unproductive and undesirable ecosystems.