The Oceans are Dying

The Oceans are dying; can this be so?

It happened before, so scientists claim,

One quarter of a billion years ago

Will it happen again, are we to blame?

 

All marine creatures almost left the game

Volcanic eruptions then caused the blow

Now it’s mankind that has entered the frame

The Oceans are dying; can this be so?

 

Carbon dioxide dealt the hammer blow

Degassing followed the volcano’s flame,

Dropping the pH of oceans below.

It happened before, so scientists claim.

 

So why is it that people still proclaim,

“Nothing we’ve done has changed the status quo,

And despite the problems, things did remain

One quarter of a billion years ago.”

 

And why do we carry on even though

Nothing will ever again be the same,

Acidity will continue to grow.

It will happen again, we are to blame,

The Oceans are dying.

This is a variation on a rondeau redoublé written about a recent research article about Ocean acidification and the Permo-Triassic mass extinction.