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Ocean Acidification in a Cup

October 15, 2011

Abby Heithoff (right), a recent MIT/WHOI Joint Program graduate and recipient of the 2011 Pantaleyev Award, talks with visitors at the Woods Hole Climate Fair about ocean acidification. The fair, which was held on the Redfield lawn in July, featured climate talks and hands-on activities, such as the one Heithoff presented, “Ocean Acidification in a Cup.” By bubbling air through a straw into a cup of seawater containing red cabbage juice, which is a natural pH indicator, participants were able to watch the seawater become more acidic as it absorbed carbon dioxide from their exhaled breath. (Photo by Tom Kleindinst, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)