Half US corals reported at risk
In a 569-page document released Monday at the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, NOAA reports that almost half of all coral reef ecosystems under U.S. jurisdiction are in poor or fair condition. Threats to corals include coastal development, fishing, sedimentation,recreational use, and climate-related effects of coral bleaching,disease and ocean acidification.
More about the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA)
More about EPOCA, from gattuso’s website: "The EU FP7 Integrated Project EPOCA (European Project on OCeanAcidification) was launched in June 2008 with the overall goal toadvance our understanding of the biological, ecological,biogeochemical, and societal implications of ocean acidification (Fig.1). The EPOCA consortium brings together more than 100 researchers from27 institutes1 and 9 European countries. The […]
Sea fertilizing solution for ocean acidification
Can phytoplankton absorb the excess CO2 in the oceans? Some scientists have suggested this as a solution: adding iron to the ocean’s surface to encourage the growth of these tiny plants. The first to suggest this was oceanographer John Martin in the late 1980s. In May, 200 countries reached an agreement during the ninth Conference […]
Up-to-date info on climate issues from scientists
RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists.Their goal: " to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary." They eschew discussion of the political and economic implications of their reports; however, their posts often engender extensive, […]
A Sea Change at World Conservation Congress
We were delighted earlier this week by an invitation to screen the trailer for A Sea Change in Barcelona next month. The occasion is the World Conservation Congress, a four-yearly gathering sponsored by IUCN. They expect thousands of attendees from civil society, academia, and governments around the world. The structure is a four-day Forum, with […]
New species found in Australian reefs
Remember that tongue-eating fish we mentioned? And the dozens of other new species? See them in living color in this story from NTDTV. The species were discovered by an expedition mounted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Scientist JulianCaley says they never expected to find so many new species.It’ll take years just to name […]
First US greenhouse gas auction
Yesterday the first carbon auction in the U.S. took place. But we don’t yet know what happened: that news will be released Monday. The auction was organized by a coalition of 10 northeastern states. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative was scheduled to begin online sales carbon credits, sales which would then continue on a quarterly […]
CO2 could worsen whale sonar problems
Increased absorption of CO2 by seawater changes how sound travels. Which in turn affects how whales communicate. Research published last week in Geophysical Research Letters studied the relationship between audio absorption and ocean pH. In their paper "“Unanticipated consequences of ocean acidification: A noisier ocean at lower pH,” ocean chemists Peter Brewer, Keith Hester, and […]
PMEL
NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) Carbon Dioxide Program maintains a site that’s chock-a-block with info about the ocean carbon cycle, including acidification. Technical language, but accessible to the lay person. "The ocean plays a critical role in the global carbon cycle as avast reservoir that exchanges carbon rapidly with the atmosphere, andtakes up a […]
Obama addresses ocean acidification
Sea Action Fund joined forces with 18 other science organizations to ask the US presidential candidates 14 science questions. Democratic candidate Barack Obama specifically addressed ocean acidification in his answer to the ocean health question. The question asked: "Scientists estimate that some 75 percent of the world’s fisheries arein serious decline and habitats around the […]
The Ocean Acidification Network
This is a site we know we’ll be using a lot; it’s jam-packed with info about ocean acidification. Aimed at scientists, but not too technical for the lay person. Organizations involved in the Ocean Acidification Network: the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC), the International […]
McCain weighs in on ocean health
John McCain has now stepped up to the plate presented by the Sciencedebate2008 folks. Hats off to them, by the way, for posing 14 questions to both U.S. presidential candidates.They’ve lined up the answers online, for maximum ease in comparing and contrasting. We of course went right to McCain’s answer on ocean health. FYI, the […]
The ocean before & after acidification
Let’s hope the outcome’s not quite so dire as this animation suggests. (Courtesy IoMidorihana.)
Hot rocks help us cool down, courtesy Google
Google.org is funding a brand-new renewable energy technology, to the tune of $10 million. It’s technology powered by hot rocks deep underground. I.e., several miles down. Here’s what Louis J. Sheehan has to say about it on a Greenpeace USA blog: "The technology, called Enhanced Geothermal Systems(EGS), differs from traditional geothermal energy that relies on […]
1 million tons an hour dissolving in the ocean
We were staggered to hear this statistic in KQED’s recent story on ocean acidification. Yup, that’s the rate at which carbon dioxide is dissolving in the ocean. Treehugger’s got the story running with a nice little slide show. The focus is research being conducted at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
Cut greenhouse gases to save coral reefs
A new document called the Honolulu Declaration was just released at a U.S. conference on coral reefs in Hawaii. Reefs are considered sentinel ecosystems, key sign of environmental degradation. The document states: "The most logical and critical action to address the impacts of ocean acidification on coral reefs is to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration." […]
Information for Action
Information for Action is an environmental website offering a couple of features: An easy-to-use automated lobbying service, allowing you to quickly send emails, letters or faxes to politicians and business leaders all over the world. An educational resourceexplaining the environmental issues, using words, images, maps, graphs,links, and offering solutions and a ‘What you can do’ […]
US carbon-reduction goals won’t save coral
The Daily Green is reporting that US carbon goals won’t protect corals, according to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters. Chemical oceanographers Long Cao and Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution’s Dept. of Global Ecology have created a computer model which estimates levels of CO2 in the atmosphere threatening to the ocean environment. According […]
Just before the IUCN World Congress
First day in Barcelona. I arrive in the morning, get oriented by the friend I’m staying with.He’s had the foresight to rent an apartment in the old city, walking distance from the harbor. Around 5 pm I go down to Port Vell to meet with Valérie Burgener of the IUCN Sailing to Barcelona Initiative. She […]
Sizzle–global warming comes to a theater near you
We just found out about this and are super curious. It’s a comedy! We don’t know how it’s possible to make a funny doc about this subject, but don’t mind finding out. We’re definitely going, as soon as we can. Sizzle is directed by Randy Olson, whose first career was in marine biology. The film […]
Ocean acidifying 10 times faster than previously thought
A just-published BBC article reports that ocean chemistry is changing 10 times faster than previously thought, in response to increased CO2 absorption. Researchers measured the acidity of seawater off the Pacific Northwest coast for eight years. Every half hour, so there’s plenty of data. "Professor Timothy Wootton from the department of ecology and evolution, University […]
Climate change & Florida’s economy
Coral reefs in Florida have generated 70,000 jobs and $5.5 billion in business for the state. But climate change could wreak the sort of havoc in Florida that sub-prime mortgages have for the U.S. A new analysis commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund details these findings. These reefs are already in jeopardy from pollution. Now […]
Krill kill in Antartica? Another victim of ocean acidification
Sorry, just couldn’t resist that headline. But the story’s no joke. It seems krill are another species extremely susceptible to changes in ocean pH, or ocean acidification. Why do we care, as humans? These are tiny creatures we can barely see. Well, they are right at the bottom of the food chain, just like pteropods […]
Ocean Champion to Head NOAA
President-Elect Obama has put forward Jane Lubchenco to head NOAA. This is awesome news for marine conservationists: a marine biologist herself, Lubchenco has frequently spoken publicly about the importance of restricting carbon dioxide emissions. Lubchenco has "a passion for improving public understanding of science." She would be the first woman to lead the National Oceanic […]
Squids and ocean acidification
Yet another species which may be vulnerable to ocean acidification: Humboldt squid. These giant creatures—they can grow up to seven feet long—dwell in the Pacific Ocean. They play a key role in the food chain, both as predators and as prey for fish and marine mammals. Scientists from the University of Rhode Island report, in […]