"NY-AALESUND, Norway -- The icy Arctic waters around Norway's archipelago of Svalbard may seem pristine and clear, but like the rest of the world's oceans they are facing the threat of growing acidity.

Oceans have always absorbed part of the carbon dioxide, or C02, present in the air, which in turn makes them acid. But with CO2 levels soaring, the scientific community is getting worried about acidification harming marine life.

Off the coast of Ny-Aalesund, a tiny coal mine village turned scientific outpost just 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the North Pole, researchers from nine European countries conducted in July an unprecedented effort to analyse the phenomenon."

AFP had the story July 26, 2010. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"US and Canada Work Together With Icebreakers To Study Disputed Arctic Waters" (Winnipeg Free Press) [3]

"Carbon Emissions Threaten Fish Populations" (Science Daily: Release) [4]

"Obama Launches Policy To Protect Nation's Oceans" (New Orleans Times-Picayune) [5]

"Ancient Ocean Acidification Intimates Long Recovery from Climate Change" (Scientific American) [6]

"Scientists: Acidity in Much of the Sound Can Be Lethal" (Seattle P-I) [7]