Middle School Science Lab: Greenhouse Gases and Ocean Acidification

🧑‍🔬Sixth grade is PCS students’ introduction to laboratory science. This week, sixth grade scientists are bringing their study of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #14: Life Below Water into the science lab.

This Friday’s Middle School science lab focused on the effect excess greenhouse gases have on marine organisms.🐚🌊 Over the course of the trimester, Middle Schoolers have been exploring how different human behaviors impact marine life via water quality. One thing they’ve learned is that while oceans are amazing at absorbing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere, once absorbed, the breakdown of excess CO2 actually causes the pH of ocean water to become more acidic, negatively impacting many organisms.

In an effort to see this effect close up, Middle School scientists submerged jingle shells in seawater with progressively more carbonic acid. After making prediction, they’ll observe and document the effects over the course of the next week.