It's darn expensive studying the ocean, as two Australian scientists pointed out recently. That's the reasonwe know a lot more about what's going on above sea level.

'"Marine ecosystems are undoubtedly under-resourced,overlooked and under threat and our collective knowledge of impacts onmarine life is a mere drop in the ocean,' wrote Dr Anthony Richardson,from The University of Queensland and CSIRO, and his co-author, DrElvira Poloczanska from CSIRO in Hobart.

'There is an overwhelming bias toward land-surface studies whicharise in part because investigating the ocean realm is generallydifficult, resource-intensive and expensive,' they said."

The rest of the June 11 Science Daily article is available here.

It seems that, just as island nations have to come to terms with global warming before the rest of us, the same may be true of ocean acidification.

When you think about it, it stands to reason: many islands are protected by coral reefs from storms and cyclones. If the reefs are endangered, so are the islands. And coral is sensitive to changes in ocean pH. A  study released in June by the AntarcticClimate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre found data supporting this. By 2100, the report states, we can expect that some reefs will have become "marginal" and that reef calcification will have declined.

Not only island dwellers need be concerned: "These impacts will also directly affect important commercial,recreational or subsistence reef fisheries where the target speciesdepend on reef habitats."

The more I read about possible solutions to the problem of oceanacidification which involve adding things to the ocean, the more I'mreminded of a chapter in The Peterkin Papers, a classic collection ofchildren's stories.

The Peterkins are a large family, characterized bytheir complete lack of commonsense. One morning, Mrs. Peterkinmistakenly adds salt to her tea instead of sugar. She's unable to drinkit, so cannot leave the breakfast table. The entire family assists inpresenting solutions to the problem. They consult with the herb womanand the apothecary. Different substances are added to the tea, changingits color and flavor, but never with the result of its tasting like teawith milk and sugar.

The day wears on. Mrs. Peterkin becomesincreasingly distraught: she can't leave the breakfast table becauseshe hasn't had her tea; and the table can't be set for dinner becausebreakfast isn't over.

Finally someone thinks to ask the Lady from Philadelphia, who isknown for her great insight. And the Lady from Philadelphia says: "Whydoesn't she make herself another cup of tea?" The Peterkins areastounded by her cleverness. Another cup of tea is made and duly drunkby Mrs. Peterkin, and all is well.

This week the European Union's initiative for studying ocean acidification kicks off in Nice, France.

The name's a bit unwieldy—the European Project of Ocean Acidification (EPOCA)—but we're just glad a governmental entity's paying serious attention and putting some resources and publicity behind the effort.

It's truly an international effort focused on filling in "the numerous gaps in our understanding of the effects and implications of ocean acidification." Nine different countries are part of the intitative and 29 labs, among other entities.

NOAA's involved, too, in a supporting role, as well as the National Science Foundation.

Good luck to it.

We're glad to see the New York City Mayor's Office giving support to lightening the production footprint. The website offers tips and resources for saving energy while making movies in the Big A. Many of the tips apply more to big-budget features; however, those are the folks making the most waste, so it makes sense.

One question remains: any suggestions for  the easiest way to compost honey wagon contents at the end of the day?

(Washington, DC) th Today, the House Committee on Science andTechnology's Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing toreview H.R. 4174, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research andMonitoring Act. Committee Members examined the current status ofscience on ocean acidification and research and monitoring activitiesfocused on ocean acidification and its potential impacts on marineorganisms and marine ecosystems. Ocean acidification is one of theconsequences of climate change.
http://media-newswire.com/release_1067579.html

Last night Democrats failed to break the Republican filibuster of major global warming legislation. The bill would have capped carbon dioxide coming from power plants,refineries and factories, with a target of cutting greenhouse gasemissions by 71 percent by the middle of this century.

Notably crossing the aisle was John Warner (R-VA), arguing that the bill would enhance U.S. security. Most of his fellow Republicans appeared unmoved by that argument, citing major tax increases among their reasons for not backing the bill.

I guess it's not surprising. But it's certainlydisheartening. How is this a partisan issue? Last time I looked, wewere all breathing the same air and swimming in the same water.