Ocean acidification and melting polar ice caps

Question

I know that as the ocean absorbs CO2 it becomes more acidic, but do the ice caps melting into the ocean not counter that process?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

As parts of the world get less snow and warmer winters, there’s a phenomenon known as albedo which basically is a measure of how much energy (light, heat, etc) is reflected off the surface of the earth at any point in time; albedo falls as snowfall decreases, and the earth warms because it absorbs more energy.

With warming, polar ice melts and releases trapped greenhouse gases, particularly CO2 and methane, into seawater. These gases increase the pH of seawater over time, and the pH increase is carried over the sea by gyres.