(CNN) -- The world's oceans have become 26% more acidic since the start of the Industrial Revolution and continue to acidify at an "unprecedented rate," threatening marine ecosystems, aquaculture and the societies that rely on them, scientists say.

In a report released Thursday, researchers say that carbon dioxide emissions from human activities such as fossil fuel burning are the primary cause of ocean acidification.

They say the rate of change may be faster than at any time in the last 300 million years, predicting that by 2100 there will have been a 170% increase in ocean acidity, compared to pre-industrial times.

The report is based on the findings from a September 2012 Symposium on the Ocean, at which 540 experts from 37 countries discussed research on ocean acidification, and has been updated with more recent research.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/world/ocean-acidification-report/index.html?hpt=hp_t3