Dissolving marine life
Four years ago I went to a Marine Science Conference where a few scientists were talking about the idea of acidification of the oceans. That is how recently we have become aware of this issue that is going to lead to massive changes in the marine ecosystem, should atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise. The absorption of carbon dioxide into seawater, has the the effect of making seawater more acidic. And that has serious consequences for marine life that has carbonate skeletons (think corals, zooplankton, molluscs, bony fishes…), and also for animals that need these species to survive (like animals that live amongst corals, or feed upon those with carbonate skeletons). Seawater chemistry is changing rapidly, and scientists are predicting massive consequences to marine life within the next 20 years. This film has just been released by the US Natural Resources Defense Council, and I think EVERYBODY should see it. It has the credibility of some leading marine scientists, some amazing footage, and some incredibly sobering truths about how human activity is impacting marine life. A must see.
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[…] and is becoming increasingly common and severe. A more recently-discovered phenomenon – ocean acidification – has the potential to devastate corals and other organisms that have skeletons made of […]
[…] you would like to find out more about this incredibly scary phenomenon, I posted a rather thought-provoking film on it a couple of months ago. Even Peter Ridd thinks that ocean acidification is the single […]