Oceans Turn More Acidic Than Last 800,000 Years

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The question is not whether acidification is happening, but how bad it will get

By Lauren Morello and Climatewire

SAN DIEGO—For more than 30 years, scientists have understood the link between rising carbon dioxide emissions and climate change. But it wasn't until the middle of the last decade that they realized CO2 emissions could alter the chemistry of the world's oceans to devastating effect.

Now they're making up for lost time, researchers said this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Richard Feely, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said his agency is preparing to release its first ocean acidification research plan.

"It's going to be delivered to headquarters next month," he said. "Our plan includes coastal observations, technology development, remote sensing using satellites, an observational network with moorings to measure CO2, [and] physiological research on how various organisms respond to changes."

And the National Academy of Sciences is also expected to weigh in. An NAS committee will release a congressionally mandated study by the end of next month that will address everything from scientific questions about how ocean acidification will affect marine life and ocean-dependent industries to recommendations for a national acidification research program.

Victoria Fabry, a visiting research scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a member of the NAS panel, said researchers can already detect and measure CO2-driven changes in ocean chemistry.

Feely, for example, led a 2007 NOAA expedition that found corrosive waters off North America's Pacific coast at levels not expected until 2050.

Now, Fabry said, the question is not whether acidification is happening, but how bad it will get -- which depends on future CO2 emissions.

"Today, the atmospheric CO2 concentration is about 388 parts per million," she said. "This is the highest that it's ever been in the past 800,000 years -- as far back as the record goes right now. And there are concerns about where we're headed."

A 30% rise since the Industrial Revolution

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the oceans have absorbed about a third of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions. That has resulted in water 30 percent more acidic than it was before factories, cars, planes and other fossil fuel-burning machines became widespread.

By the end of the century, if CO2 emissions grow at the current trajectory, the world's oceans could become 150 percent more acidic. That doesn't bode well for sea creatures like oysters, corals and plankton that grow hard shells made of a chalky mineral called calcium carbonate. If ocean water becomes too acidic, it can begin dissolving those shells, sometimes faster than creatures can rebuild them. It's a development scientists believe could ripple up the food chain.

But one piece of good news, according to Feely, is the rapid development of tools to monitor acidification.

They include a new instrument, developed by researchers at the University of South Florida, that can be placed on commercial vessels to collect measurements of pH and other indicators of ocean carbon levels as the ships traverse the seas.

A new West Coast ocean acidification observing system is also planned, Feely said, with several observation sites manned by different research institutions, such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Ed Miles, a professor of marine studies and public affairs at the University of Washington, said the prospect of a coordinated federal ocean acidification research program is welcome news, especially given the conditions Feely observed off the California coast in 2008.

"We had better invest in expanding our observing capacity, because what happened in the open and coastal ocean was a major surprise," Miles said. "We can't afford to be taken by surprise of that sort."

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[Calypso 465]

That's definitely not good.

Save coral reefs!

[Calypso 465]

But one piece of good news, according to Feely, is the rapid development of tools to monitor acidification.

They include a new instrument, developed by researchers at the University of South Florida, that can be placed on commercial vessels to collect measurements of pH and other indicators of ocean carbon levels as the ships traverse the seas.

They look back to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution again.

Progress really has its price.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Any article that makes obscure and false claims as this one treating them as "facts" should be shot down immediately.

highest in 800,000 years? really?

We've only been measuring CO2 since the 1950's and not even wide scale for that long....

Let's be a little more realistic than that.

[dakay ♥ 10]

Any article that makes obscure and false claims as this one treating them as "facts" should be shot down immediately.

highest in 800,000 years? really?

We've only been measuring CO2 since the 1950's and not even wide scale for that long....

Let's be a little more realistic than that.

[Calypso 465]

Any article that makes obscure and false claims as this one treating them as "facts" should be shot down immediately.

highest in 800,000 years? really?

We've only been measuring CO2 since the 1950's and not even wide scale for that long....

Let's be a little more realistic than that.

Whether they exaggerate claims or not, oceanic acidification does happen and it's not something that should be ignored. As the article says, we must do something about it.

Besides, there is surely a way to find out other related data just as scientists go to Iceland to gather rocks and study when the volcanoes erupted. They must have done something, too, to measure the pH level of oceans even in the 18th century or so in order to make comparisons.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

We've bagged a RWN n00b.

[Calypso 465]

We are not supposed to believe everything we read or say and "experts" may not be always right.

Yet, there is more to life than questioning the accuracy of whatever presented details.

Anyway, I trust those scientists who said that supervolcanoes once erupted triggering a small ice age thousands of years ago. There's no written testimony from the time of such occurrence. However, our present-day climactic condition and land forms tell so much.

[luckytxn 2,265]

I see that the Fed funds are still being shelled out to compliant scientists.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I see that the Fed funds are still being shelled out to compliant scientists.

Why don't start your own conspiracy theory thread?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

We've bagged a RWN n00b.

I see we have a resident court jester

not everything is a right/left wing thing.

Hell, I had to look up RWN to even see what the hell is was.

Glad to know where you apparently get your information though.

damn man, what is it with people like you who can only spout BS instead of trying to be realistic?

I get banned from Democrat/Liberal websites for just having a different opinion.

Hell, I've been banned from conservatives website for the same reason. It's hilarious.

People need to grow up and actually have a damned conversation instead of acting like a little b1tch.

[scandal 951]

Any article that makes obscure and false claims as this one treating them as "facts" should be shot down immediately.

highest in 800,000 years? really?

We've only been measuring CO2 since the 1950's and not even wide scale for that long....

Let's be a little more realistic than that.

We've only been aware of the double helix structure of DNA in our chromosomes since Watson and Crick discovered it in 1953.

Obviously by your logic no living thing on Earth had any genes prior to 1953. Pretty amazing, eh?

Logic. Fail.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

I see that the Fed funds are still being shelled out to compliant scientists.

Shhhh, watch out, the FED is watching you

Funny thing being, people often refuse to follow the money trail when it comes to things like "climate change" legislation.

We've only been aware of the double helix structure of DNA in our chromosomes since Watson and Crick discovered it in 1953.

Obviously by your logic no living thing on Earth had any genes prior to 1953. Pretty amazing, eh?

Logic. Fail.

Apples to oranges my friend, apples to oranges.

[Calypso 465]

We've only been aware of the double helix structure of DNA in our chromosomes since Watson and Crick discovered it in 1953.

Obviously by your logic no living thing on Earth had any genes prior to 1953. Pretty amazing, eh?

Logic. Fail.

So the sheepherder knows better than the "RWN noob" as Steve puts it.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Shhhh, watch out, the FED is watching you

Funny thing being, people often refuse to follow the money trail when it comes to things like "climate change" legislation.

Apples to oranges my friend, apples to oranges.

This topic is about ocean acidification. Stay on topic.