Rachel's #910: Ocean Food Chain Imperiled

[Roger]

fyi

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From: Peter Montague [mailto:peter@rachel.org]
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 4:03 PM
To: rachel@pplist.net
Subject: Rachel's #910: Ocean Food Chain Imperiled
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Rachel's Democracy & Health News #910
"Environment, health, jobs and justice--Who gets to decide?"
Thursday, June 7, 2007..................Printer-friendly version
www.rachel.org -- To make a secure donation, click here .

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Featured stories in this issue...

Acidic Oceans Affecting Food Fish
Thomas Lovejoy, the executive director of the H. John Heinz III
Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, says acidification
of the oceans is "the most profound environmental change I've
encountered in my professional career," and says the consequences for
ocean life are "shaking the biological underpinnings of civilization."
Climate Change: A Guide for the Perplexed
How do you talk to skeptics about global warming? Here's a
science-based response to 26 common myths.
A World Without Corals?
Besieged by pathogens, predators, and people, the "rainforests of
the sea" may soon face their ultimate foe: rising ocean acidity driven
by CO2 emissions, says the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.
Scientists Say Carbon Dioxide Is Turning the Oceans Acidic
"I think there are very serious issues to be addressed," said Dr.
John Raven of the University of Dundee in Scotland, who led a study
of ocean acidification for the British Royal Society. Increased
acidity could also reduce populations of plankton with calcium
carbonate shells, disrupting the food chain, other scientists said.
Researchers See 'Massive Changes' in the Oceans
Carbon dioxide emissions have increased acidity levels of the
oceans by 30 percent and in the decades ahead will create new risks
for coral, zooplankton and other creatures that help support the North
Pacific fisheries, according to researchers at University of
Washingtton.
Oceans Growing More Acidic, Threatening Coral Reefs
"What we're doing in the next decade will affect our oceans for
millions of years," says Ken Caldeira, a chemical oceanographer at
Stanford University. "CO2 levels are going up extremely rapidly, and
it's overwhelming our marine systems."
The Southern Ocean Is Approaching Its Limit for Carbon Absorption
In a double whammy, the Southern Ocean has now absorbed so much
carbon dioxide that is turning acidic, but it is also reaching its
limit for further absorption -- thus accelerating the buildup of heat-
trapping gases in the atmosphere.

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Editors:
Peter Montague - peter@rachel.org
Tim Montague - tim@rachel.org
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