I was thrilled to see the New York Times editorial yesterday "The Oceans' Shifting Balance," which talked about what all the CO2 emissions in our air are doing to our oceans. 

CO2 pollution – the same that is contributing to global warming – is also turning our oceans acidic. As the Times pointed out, this has devastating effects on coral:

"The growth of coral reefs will slow, and their structural integrity would be weakened, making them more vulnerable to storms and erosion. That would be a catastrophic loss."

Basically, coral has to build to stay alive – acidification makes this more difficult and corrodes it. Coral is constantly challenged by physical erosion from waves and acidification adds chemical erosion to the mix. (Not to mention, coral are already under stress because global warming is raising water temperatures and causing coral reef bleaching. Coral won’t be able to handle the 1-2 punch of bleaching and acidification.)

Chances are you’ve seen coral at some point in your life – on TV or through a snorkeling mask – and can understand what this means for our reefs.

But I’m guessing you probably haven’t heard of another early victim of ocean acidification – sea angels:

Watch them swim here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB5recdpPaI&feature=related.

Acidification affects the mineral that these sea angels (aka pteropods) use to build their shells. It takes them longer to build, and makes their shells weak and fragile, almost like osteoporosis. Scientists believe these creatures will eventually die-off as the oceans become more acidic.

Not only is this a problem because these are adorable and fascinating creatures – but they are a food source for fish around the world, including baleen whales (most whales). We all know how a food chain works – and chances are that loss would be felt up and down the line.

Additionally – research indicates that acidification also harms a wide variety of other ocean critters, including oysters, mussels, starfish, sea urchins, crabs, and important phytoplankton at the base of the food chain.

So what do we do? How do we stop the oceans from turning into a vat of acid and burning up all the cute little sea angels?

First, you can help improve the overall health of the ocean by eating sustainably caught seafood instead of overfished species, and supporting government initiatives such as more Marine Protected Areas (think National Parks of the sea) and a national Healthy Oceans Act.

But you can also fight acidification the same way we fight global warming for the rest of the planet – energy efficiency and breaking our addiction to oil.

By reducing our CO2 emissions we’re saving the oceans, so the same simple steps that help fight global warming – also help the sea.

So ride your bike when you can, use public transportation, or carpool to work. Make the switch to energy efficient light bulbs. Keep your thermostat only as warm (or cool) as you need it. Look for EnergyStar appliances. For more tips, check out NRDC’s website: http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp.

You’re not just doing it for yourself – you’re doing it for the sea angels.