A story is moving quickly through the news media like an Arizona wildfire - from England to India, from the New York Times to Al Jazeera. It's not the latest scandal by a self-indulgent politician or the embarrassment of a foul-mouthed entertainer. It's something that many of us who love and respect the oceans have been wrestling with for some time: multiple man-made stresses on the oceans are threatening marine life with inevitable extinction.
The International Programme on the State of the Ocean (IPSO) has released a summary of a study undertaken by a group of world renown scientists who examined all of the solid data on the condition of the oceans. Presented at the United Nations on June 20th, the summary's conclusions have been picked up by hundreds of media outlets and for good reason: the prognosis does not look good if things continue as they currently are, with a "high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history."
"The findings are shocking,"" said Alex Rogers, scientific director of IPSO. "As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised. This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children's and generations beyond that."
The summary report concludes with four case studies that focus on several of the key issues. Climate change and acidification, loss of coral reefs, pollution, and overfishing are highlighted not only as activities that are threatening the oceans but also activities that mankind can actually do something about.
I could go on detailing the findings of the IPSO but, instead, I would suggest you read the report yourself - it's available in a long version and shorter version. And I would recommend you read through the IPSO website as it discusses the findings and includes several enlightening videos from many of the scientists involved in the study. These are not just names on a document, hiding behind pronouncements that were destined for oblivion on a library shelf; these are concerned individuals willing to be front and center in announcing that things must change for the better and they must change right now if we expect to have any kind of natural marine resource left for future generations. Visit the State of the Ocean.org website. Dan Laffoley, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said,"The world's leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing. The challenges for the future of the oceans are vast, but unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent."
Acidification is one of the great challenges facing our oceans. It is the process whereby the ocean water's pH level, it's level of acidity, increases to a point that impacts various marine species, particularly those who build shells. Acidification disrupts the calcium carbonate building process for various types of shellfish, shells, and corals.
What is driving acidification is airborne pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels. CO2 enters the atmosphere and then, transported by winds, is deposited at sea. Scientists are trying to learn more about this transportation process - in essence, the A-to-B process, from your car's tailpipe or energy factory to the ocean.
Scientists from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science are pouring over the results of a two-year study wherein they observed the process of rainfall at sea to determine how much pollution is entering the ocean by this method. Rainfall is considered one of the primary means of transporting airborne pollutants to sea. But to what degree? How much returns to earth; how much remains airborne; and where is it falling?
Rainfall collectors on land can provide one sort of perspective, but we've all seen how weather patterns can change when they move from land to sea or vice versa. So, the scientists set up collectors at sea off the coast of Bermuda and the nearby Sargasso Sea. They wanted to measure a compound commonly found in the atmosphere: Beryllium-7. Comparing those measurements with Beryllium levels in the atmosphere, the scientists could make estimates as to the amount of rainfall in remote ocean areas. They hope that their methods can be utilized on a global level.
"Over vast areas of the oceans the only rainfall data available are those made by using conventional rain collectors placed on islands," said Joseph Prospero, professor of marine and atmospheric chemistry at the UM Rosenstiel School."However, rainfall on the island is not necessarily representative of that which falls in the surrounding ocean.
The effects of acidification have been documented and that has lead to it being named one of the major threats to the oceans and all that live within. But to better understand how to deal with it, scientists continue to analyze and understand the process. It is often through that work from which solutions are derived.
As a follow up to my post on wobbegong shark behavior: researchers in Ireland are studying their resident populations of basking sharks and, as with the wobbegong studies, are able to draw conclusions on changing environmental conditions based on changes in animal behavior.
At the 14th European Elasmobranch Association conference held in Galway, Ireland, marine biologists and shark experts from across Europe gathered to discuss the state of shark populations and consider new research techniques to better understand the fate and future of sharks and rays worldwide. Irish researchers who have been working with Ireland's National Parks and Wildlife Service, presented their study which indicated that a high percentage of the remaining number of basking sharks move through Ireland's local waters.
Basking sharks are typically a cold water species and the second largest fish on the planet, topped only by the whale shark. Like the whale shark, the basking shark is a filter feeder, opening its cavernous mouth to strain hundreds of gallons of water, searching for zooplankton - a collection of tiny creatures including larval or minute juvenile forms of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Zooplankton are sensitive to changes in the aquatic environment, such as temperature changes due to global warming or changes in oxygen levels or pH, which can occur in response to acidification. Where the zooplankton go, so go the basking sharks.
“Tracking basking sharks may be far more effective than tracking zooplankton, and [may] provide one of the best indicators of the health of our seas and thus the planet,” said Dr. Simon Berrow, the study's group leader.
Extensive tracking of basking sharks has taken place off of Ireland, replacing the intense hunting that used to occur as the basking shark was prized for its sizable supply of shark oil. Worldwide estimates of basking shark populations have been placed as low as 20,000. Extrapolating population estimates from the 250 sharks that have been tagged, the study claimed that there are probably several thousand that frequent the cold waters off Ireland's coast, making the island nation a prime location and home for an increasingly rare shark species.
A new term that more and more of the general public is hearing about is ocean acidification - the process whereby the pH level of the oceans is lowered, making it more acidic. This effect is a byproduct of global CO2 emissions and has been documented as having a negative effect on many forms of shellfish and other creatures that depend on the use of calcium carbonate in their development (calcium carbonate is broken down in the acidification process).
Much has been written about how ocean acidification will impact coral reefs, as calcium carbonate is a major component of the supporting skeleton of reef-building corals. But tropical waters are not the only locales affected. The Seattle Times recently reported on the effects of ocean acidification on Pacific oysters fields both in the wild and in commercial oyster farms.
The deep waters off the northwest shores of Oregon and Washington are much more highly acidic than the ongoing average (even with the "average" becoming more acidic, these waters are still higher than shallower waters). For commercial oyster farms who pull in seawater to help raise oyster larvae, as long as the winds blow in the right direction, they appear to be relatively free from harm.
But winds can blow in ways that move surface water and draw in water from below - an upwelling as it is called. And this can spell trouble for the oysters, especially those living in the wild. The lowering of the pH (raising the acidic level) impacts the growth of new larvae, baby oysters, and even the reproductive cycles of adult oysters. Pacific oysters have not reproduced in the waters off Washington state's coast in six seasons.
"Nobody had thought about those upwelling events,"said NOAA oceanographer Richard Feely. "They didn't predict any impacts along the coast until we observed them."
But oysters and other shell fish are not the only creatures potentially affected by corrosive, acidic waters. Changing the ocean's pH can have impacts on an animal's behavior and even the ocean's acoustical properties.
The Seattle Times listed these additional disturbing facts as a result of acidification:
The metabolism of squid can change, making them more lethargic - perhaps affecting their hunting ability and susceptibility to predation.
Acidic waters affect the way young fish larvae seek out prey and can actually be drawn to predators. An Australian researcher discovered that clownfish and some damselfish larvae get confused in corrosive water and seek out the smell of rock cod - one of their own predators.
Water with a lower pH has a different density, and so acidification changes the acoustical properties of seawater, essentially making it a noisier place. This could impact whales and dolphins that rely on their underwater sonar or echolocation for hunting.
But what concerns researchers the most in the Pacific Northwest is the fundamentals. "What I'm most worried about is the bottom of the food chain, things such as plankton and other small sea creatures,"said John Guinotte, a marine biogeographer with the Marine Conservation Biology Institute in Bellevue, Washington."We've got some of the lowest pH levels found anywhere, but we don't have any idea what the biological impacts are."
Through our actions, we are pushing the oceans into a brave new world, one in which it may adapt but not without serious consequences to a wide range of animal species, including mankind.
With many environmental issues, real quantifiable progress is often attained when scientists and commercial interests can sit down and objectively discuss the situation. SeaWeb.org, through its Seafood Choices Alliance, realizes this and has been taking steps to get what can seem like disparate interests to sit down at the same table to discuss the reality of ocean acidification.
Ocean acidification is when the oceans become more acidic from the absorption of increased CO2 in the atmosphere. This increase in the water's acidity levels impacts a variety of corals, shellfish, and other animals that rely on the use of calcium in building shells or other supporting structures - a process that is severely weakened by the more acidic water.
SeaWeb has conducted two workshop meetings - one in Portland, Oregon and another recently held in St. Petersburg, Florida - between scientists and commercial fishing leaders to discuss what the latest data says about the current and future status of ocean acidification, and what it means not only for the marine species but for the commercial fishermen and aquaculture companies.
"It is good for various and even opposing stakeholders of a public resource to sit down and talk. At least we can understand the investment each of us has in our finite fisheries and oceans," said Bobby Aylesworth, chairman of the Board of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, about the workshops. "Hopefully we find some common ground to grow from." According to SeaWeb, one of the ways that scientists hope to collaborate with the seafood industry is through the sharing of data. Ocean acidification is not something that anyone can hide from, so by sharing data drawn from water quality tests taken at hatcheries and nurseries, combined with ongoing scientific studies by local scientists; all interested parties can have a better idea as to what changes are taking place within their own particular region of commercial concern.
There is already documented evidence of the impact of ocean acidification on sealife, so it behooves commercial industry to work with scientists - rather than to oppose or worse yet, buy-off scientists - to get an accurate picture of the issue. Nothing grabs the attention of policy and decision makers regarding an environmental threat than when a commercial enterprise is put at risk. When may be thought of as a bit esoteric suddenly becomes very real.
Some good news for coral reefs within U.S. territorial waters: the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) will spend the next year conducting an evaluation on the status of 82 different coral species in light of data presented by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). The review will determine the current health of the various corals in Florida, Hawaii, and other island territories. By doing so, the NMFS can ascertain whether any coral species warrant threatened or endangered status under the Endangered Species Act, similar to elkhorn and staghorn coral which are currently listed as threatened.
Corals are the building blocks of tropical reefs but exist within a narrow band of environmental factors. Changes in water temperature, ocean acidification, pollution from commercial development - any one of these can lead to a degradation of the reef, often through a process called "coral bleaching." Unhealthy or dead reefs can be torn down by wave action, and this can have a serious effect on coastline or island erosion - not to mention the disruption to tropical reef ecosystems when corals that provide shelter and food for a variety of aquatic species disappears.
"The status review is an important step forward in protecting coral reefs, which scientists have warned may be the first worldwide ecosystem to collapse due to global warming,"said Miyoko Sakashita, lawyer for CBD.
2009 has been an "interesting" year - a mix of achievements and setbacks, as readers can tell just from the over 230 postings that ran in this blog over the past year. We're still in short supply when it comes to a full awareness in the minds of the public and the decision-makers as to the scope of the issues facing the oceans, the earth, and the air. Perhaps it's time for less lip service around the water cooler and more proactive efforts on the part of those who get it, those who are committed. Perhaps it's time for more action in 2010.
Patric Douglas of SharkDivers, who authors one of the leading shark conservation blogs, feels the time is right for all of us to get more involved. The Shark-Free Marinas Initiative he started is making significant progress, thanks in no small part to it's director, Luke Tipple, and the participation of many marinas worldwide.
And we have the CITES meeting in March to look forward to, where important, jeopardized species will be considered for protection (or heightened protection) under the current international agreement which has claimed success for many other threatened flora and fauna.
But with the economic turmoil of the past view years offering only glimmers of improvement with which to start the new decade, many non-profit organizations - including many of our conservation favorites - are still feeling the pinch. This has impacted their outreach ability as they struggle to try to do more with less. I know this because I have been putting effort into promoting more film making/media communications for research groups and NGOs - and to say it has been a challenge would be a gross understatement.
But if we are to make any headway with the fence-sitters, the Doubting Thomases, or the outright critics of important issues - like global warming, ocean acidification, overfishing, and the consequences of deforestation, development, and the quest for fossil fuels - then science needs to make its work more visible and get its data and conclusions out into the public forum, not sequestered in libraries and scientific journals.
So let's make this next decade the time when we really put our money where our mouths are. We don't need to tear down the walls; we can work with the system (or maybe around it, when necessary). But it is definitely time to move from passive awareness to committed action.
May the new year be a good one for you, your friends, and family - and, of course, for mother Earth!
As a member of the Explorers Club, I have had the honor and opportunity to meet some amazing people involved in a variety of scientific endeavors and participate in some great events. One such event that is coming up this Monday, December 7th is the State of the Oceans Forum II, a follow-up to an earlier event held this year.
The event, hosted by renown oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, will include presentations and panel discussions from distinguished scientists covering such subjects as ocean pollution, acidification, deep sea ocean conservation, and shaping effective ocean policy.
Is this a must see event? Well, let's put it this way, it's sold out and there's a lengthy waiting list. But never fear, there are options! I've been told that David Guggenheim of The Ocean Foundation and a participant in the forum, will be posting a podcast on the foundation's web site - 1planet1ocean.org.
1planet1ocean.org is a great web site to check out and you'll be able to get the podcast of the State of the Oceans Forum II as soon as it's available. I couldn't make the trip to New York, unfortunately, so I'll be anxiously waiting for the podcast myself.
A Sea Change is a very important film about ocean acidification and will be airing this Saturday, September 26th on Discovery's Planet Green channel at 8pm EST. The first feature-length film to cover this relatively new but critically important topic, A Sea Change documents the growing worldwide impact on our oceans from CO2 emissions which alters the ocean's delicate balance of acidity - its pH level.
When disrupted, these altered levels impact the growth of a myriad of ocean flora and fauna; in essence, disrupting the very foundation of the marine ecosystem.
"Imagine a world without fish. It’s a frightening possibility, and it could come true. A Sea Change follows the journey of retired history teacher Sven Huseby on his quest to discover what is happening to the world’s oceans. After reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The Darkening Sea,” Sven becomes obsessed with the rising acidity of the oceans and what this “sea change” bodes for mankind. His quest takes him to Alaska, California, Washington, and Norway as he uncovers a worldwide crisis that most people are unaware of. Speaking with oceanographers, marine biologists, climatologists, and artists, Sven discovers that global warming is only half the story of the environmental catastrophe that awaits us. Excess carbon dioxide is dissolving in our oceans, changing sea water chemistry. The more acidic water makes it difficult for tiny creatures at the bottom of the food web to form their shells. The effects could work their way up to the fish 1 billion people depend upon for their source of protein.
A Sea Change is also a touching portrait of Sven’s relationship with his grandson Elias. As Sven keeps a correspondence with the little boy, he mulls over the world that he is leaving for future generations. A disturbing and essential companion piece to An Inconvenient Truth, A Sea Change brings home the indisputable fact that our lifestyle is changing the earth, despite our rhetoric or wishful thinking.
A Sea Change is the first documentary about ocean acidification, directed by Barbara Ettinger of Niijii Films. Chock full of scientific information, the feature-length film is also a beautiful paen to the ocean world and an intimate story of a Norwegian-American family whose heritage is bound up with the sea."
What is of great importance in watching this excellent documentary, is that you don't watch it alone. If you're a regular reader of this blog then you are most likely a concerned conservationist who is knowledgeable about ocean acidification, but while seeing the film might provide you with further enlightenment, it is important that you get others who are not familiar with the issue to watch with you.
Invite your friends, heat up the popcorn, and make it a House Party! The more people who are made aware and informed of this very real threat to the health of our oceans, the better position we will be in to seriously address it.
Ocean Acidification: a new piece of jargon in the ocean conservation vernacular but potentially a very big one. Many of you may already be aware of its implications; the increase in CO2 absorbed by the oceans producing everything from weakened shells to the overall destruction of corals, all due to an upset in the ocean's balance of calcium.
This is a relatively new discovery and many decision-makers are, for the most part, in the dark regarding the issue. Oceana.org is taking a step to correct that with an advertisement to run in Energy and Environment Daily, a publication read by many in the energy policy arena.
But it's been a tough year for non-profits and Oceana is in need of outside funding to cover the cost of running the ad. If you can make a contribution, click on this link to learn more.
"Congress needs to address ocean acidification now. The oceans have absorbed 500 billion tons of carbon dioxide since the Industrial Revolution and scientists predict a mass extinction of corals by the middle to end of this century - including a collapse of the world's largest barrier reef systems in Australia and Belize.
Help Protect Corals. Help put ocean acidification on Congress's agenda by supporting a new ad targeted at Congress.
More acidic oceans threaten the one-quarter of marine life that depends on coral reefs for food and shelter, as well as all animals that depend on carbonate to build their shells and skeletons, like corals, pteropods, and shellfish like oysters.
Help Oceana Advocacy Resources raise $5,000 by September 1 to run the new "This is Your Ocean on Acid" ad and to get this issue before Congress today.
The ad will run in Energy and Environment Daily, a news source read by thousands of the major players in energy policy in the U.S. and abroad, including congressional and federal agency leaders. We need to shift energy policy away from fossil fuels and mitigate the effects of ocean acidification now if we want coral reefs and other carbonate-dependent marine life to survive.
Did you know that the oceans are more acidic than they have been in 800,000 years and this change occurred one-hundred-times faster than ever before? There has been no time for marine life to adapt and if corals and shellfish disappear, it will have repercussions for sharks, sea turtles, marine mammals and many other animals that depend on them."
Also, whether you are well-versed or new to the issue of ocean acidification, check out the documentary A Sea Change, which has been playing in select theaters recently. Very enlightening and informative.
The ocean is being bombarded from several directions and the effects can be not only predicted with computer models but can be seen right now first-hand. Some time ago I ran a post on the impact of domoic acid on wild life (and potentialy humans, too). Domoic acid is a toxin produced by phytoplankton algae and the issue presented in the post was that man's "treated" sewage waste products, pumped far off shore were, in essence, over-fertilizing the algae and thereby increasing the level of algae-based toxins.
We know about avoiding consuming shellfish during certain months due to annual concentrations of these and other shellfish toxins. And we avoid swimming in the ocean during periods of "red tides" when the phytoplankton population explodes. Unfortunately, sealife does not know or cannot avoid exposure and so there has been an increase in poisoned animals, in particular seals and sea lions which are susceptible to domoic acid's neurological effect..
Just this past weekend, a diver friend of mine opted for a hike at Palos Verdes peninsula in Southern California when dive conditions were not good. In just one hike around the point, he came across eight dead mature sea lions. All dead due to shellfish neuro-poisoning? Perhaps. in fact, based on reports from local marine mammal centers, very likely.
But treated sewage is not the only source of the problem. Algae can also be fed by the increasing levels of CO2. On the positive side, there are blueprints for algae-based alternative fuel plants to channel the greenhouse gases they produce during processing back into their algae crop. But outside of those controlled environments, in the open sky and open ocean, CO2 produces ocean acidification, which is gaining a lot of attention lately, and feeds the phytoplankton algae, adding to a vicious cycle.
Another example of the cascade effect of our actions, greenhouse gas emissions not only disrupt global temperatures and raise the ocean's ph level above acceptable limits, but also over-feed phytoplankton which impacts sealife and our commercial use of shellfish.
A story is moving quickly through the news media like an Arizona wildfire - from England to India, from the New York Times to Al Jazeera. It's not the latest scandal by a self-indulgent politician or the embarrassment of a foul-mouthed entertainer. It's something that many of us who love and respect the oceans have been wrestling with for some time: multiple man-made stresses on the oceans are threatening marine life with inevitable extinction.
"The findings are shocking,"" said Alex Rogers, scientific director of IPSO. "As we considered the cumulative effect of what humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we had individually realised. This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at every level. We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our lifetime, and worse, our children's and generations beyond that."
Dan Laffoley, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said, "The world's leading experts on oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are seeing. The challenges for the future of the oceans are vast, but unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen. The time to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent." 
