acidification
Americannoun
Explanation
Acidification is what happens when water or soil becomes too acidic. In the ocean, acidification is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Scientists use the pH scale to measure the acidity of a substance. Drinking water, for example, is neutral, while sea water is normally a little basic, containing less acid. Ocean acidification, caused by pollution, shifts its place on that scale. More acid makes it harder for shellfish to grow shells and weakens coral reefs, among other effects. Soil acidification occurs when acidic chemicals are added to soil — this can happen as a result of acid rain and agricultural runoff.
Vocabulary lists containing acidification
Earth Science - Middle School
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The Carbon Cycle
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Earth Science - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And while a new treaty to protect international waters entered into force this month, the ocean faces threats from plastic pollution and rising temperatures to acidification.
From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026
Cheese becomes acidic either through direct acidification or by adding lactic acid-producing bacteria that convert milk sugars into lactic acid.
From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025
An atmosphere slightly richer in CO2 doesn’t only produce ocean acidification, it also speeds plant growth and terrestrial greening.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025
The warming of ocean temperatures caused by climate change, coupled with the acidification of the ocean due to nitrate runoff, have worsened toxic algal events, according to Warner.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2025
It’s the acidification of the oceans that’ll do us in.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
