"The Dissolving Bright" by Pearl Award Winner, Alisa M. Alisainwl (Age 13, New York) features pteropods or sea butterflies, tiny marine snails that swim gracefully through the ocean and play an important role in the food web. 🦋🐌🌊 As Alisa explains, these shelled animals are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification, "I learned that ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide gas is absorbed by the ocean and reacts with sea water to produce acid. This acid dissolves the creatures’ shells, which they are then unable to remake. Without their shells, they cannot survive. A study showed that since the pre-industrial era, the percent of sea butterflies with dissolving shells has doubled. That’s expected to triple by 2050." . . . #oceanacidification #seabutterflies #pteropods #climatechange #climatecrisis #globalwarming #climateemergency #youthartist #presenceoffuture #artcontest #oceanawareness #oceanconservation #ActOnClimate #ClimateMatters #ClimateRisk