Coral reefs on the edge of extinction

[Chris]

Coral reefs around the world could be teetering on the brink of extinction by the end of the century as the oceans become more acidic, scientists have warned.

New evidence from volcanic seeps - fissures in the ocean floor that leak gases and minerals - suggests a bleak future for the reefs that harbour the world's richest marine ecosystems.

Three natural carbon dioxide (CO2) seeps in Papua New Guinea have given scientists a snapshot of how coral reefs may look in 100 years.

Like man-made sources of carbon dioxide, the seeps are making the water around them more acidic.

The study showed reductions in reef diversity and complexity as pH values fell from 8.1 to 7.8, indicating greater acidity. At values below 7.7, reef development ceased altogether.

Climate change experts estimate that by the end of the century, ocean acidity worldwide will change in a similar way because of CO2 emissions.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast predicts that rising concentrations of CO2 will reduce worldwide ocean pH from its present level of 8.1 to 7.8.

Authors of the new research, writing in the journal Nature, said the effect of a pH drop below 7.8 would be "catastrophic" for the coral.

Coral reefs 'on edge of extinction' -  Environment | MSN News - MSN UK

 

[Tank]

Hopfully some thing happens to wipe out a great deal of the human population

 

[waltky]

Ocean pH level killing corals...

Bubbling sea signals severe coral damage this century
29 May 2011 - Findings from a "natural laboratory" in seas off Papua New Guinea suggest that acidifying oceans will severely hit coral reefs by the end of the century.

Carbon dioxide bubbles into the water from the slopes of a dormant volcano here, making it slightly more acidic. Coral is badly affected, not growing at all in the most CO2-rich zone. Writing in journal Nature Climate Change, the scientists say this "lab" mimics conditions that will be widespread if CO2 emissions continue. The oceans absorb some of the carbon dioxide that human activities are putting into the atmosphere. This is turning seawater around the world slightly more acidic - or slightly less alkaline.

This reduces the capacity of corals and other marine animals to form hard structures such as shells. Projections of rising greenhouse gas emissions suggest the process will go further, and accelerate. "This is the most realistic experiment done to date on this issue," said Chris Langdon, a coral specialist from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Miami, US. "So I don't have any qualms about believing that what we found will apply in other parts of the world."

Coral gives way to seagrass around the vents - the shape of things to come?

The water becomes progressively more acidic closer to the vents that are bubbling CO2. This allows the researchers to study the impacts on coral at different levels of acidity. Seawater has an average pH of about 8.1; this is already about 0.1 lower than before the industrial age and the large-scale human emissions of greenhouse gases associated with it. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that by the end of the century, emissions may have risen so much that pH may fall to 7.8.

In the Papua New Guinea site, few types of coral grew at pH7.8. Reefs still formed, but were dominated by one particular type, the Porites, which form massive shapes largely devoid of the branches and fronds that characterise reefs rich in species. "We saw only a few speces of coral, and none of the structually complex ones that provide a lot of cover for fish," Professor Langdon told BBC News. "The much simpler forms support many fewer species, and theory suggests they create an environment that would be very vulnerable to other stresses."

More BBC News - Bubbling sea signals severe coral damage this century

 

[RWatt]

Corals in Peril | Climate Change

 

[wirebender]

Coral reefs around the world could be teetering on the brink of extinction by the end of the century as the oceans become more acidic, scientists have warned.

New evidence from volcanic seeps - fissures in the ocean floor that leak gases and minerals - suggests a bleak future for the reefs that harbour the world's richest marine ecosystems.

Three natural carbon dioxide (CO2) seeps in Papua New Guinea have given scientists a snapshot of how coral reefs may look in 100 years.

Like man-made sources of carbon dioxide, the seeps are making the water around them more acidic.

The study showed reductions in reef diversity and complexity as pH values fell from 8.1 to 7.8, indicating greater acidity. At values below 7.7, reef development ceased altogether.

Climate change experts estimate that by the end of the century, ocean acidity worldwide will change in a similar way because of CO2 emissions.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast predicts that rising concentrations of CO2 will reduce worldwide ocean pH from its present level of 8.1 to 7.8.

Authors of the new research, writing in the journal Nature, said the effect of a pH drop below 7.8 would be "catastrophic" for the coral.

Coral reefs 'on edge of extinction' - *Environment | MSN News - MSN UK

Really? The peer reviewed material doesn't seem to agree with you.

Coral reef calcification and climate change: The effect of ocean warming

SpringerLink - Marine Biology, Volume 155, Number 2

Ecosystems: Reef corals bleach to survive change : Abstract : Nature

ScienceDirect - Marine Environmental Research : Scleractinian coral population size structures and growth rates indicate coral resilience on the fringing reefs of North Jamaica

Multi-Science Publishing - Journal Article

ScienceDirect - Marine Pollution Bulletin : Bikini Atoll coral biodiversity resilience five decades after nuclear testing

 

[Old Rocks]

Now Bentwire, none of these papers address the problem of acidification on corals. All but two state that after a dieback from thermal stress, what is left of the colony is somewhat resistant to additional thermal stress.

The second to the last one claims that the studies of the Great Barrier Reef are irrelevant because it is a relitively new reef. And the last addresses the recovery of the Bikini Reef after nuclear testing there.

So what you have done is brought in a bunch of links that are not related to the problem of acidification. Perhaps you should learn how to read?

 

[polarbear]

Now Bentwire, none of these papers address the problem of acidification on corals.

What kind of "scientist" would call a pH of 7.8 acidic..?
........ "climate scientists" do ....so now we know they don`t even know what the meaning of "pH" is...
I knew that they are grand standing dumb fucks, but it never ceases to amaze me how low their level of education is, or that of their following

pH values fell from 8.1 to 7.8, indicating greater acidity

Acidity does nor even start unless the pH drops below 7.0 Anything above pH 7 is ALKALINE not acidic
That alone should tell you what kind of moron "science" that is.
Also CO2 in Ocean water does not remain as H2CO3...unless you or your "climate scientists" found a yet undiscovered ocean of distilled water, free of Calcium Ions.

And then this crock of shit...:

with a drop of about 0.1 on the pH scale (which in itself is not terrible, but the rate of change is greater than ever as far as paleo records can tell us)

.

Just how did they establish what the "oceanic pH" was 20 million years ago..?

And then the usual hyper exaggerations...:

Although a small pH difference so far, this can correspond to some 30% change in the hydrogen ion concentration, as shown with pH = -log [H+]

This Hoegh-Guldberg et al garbage science, quoted here seems to have dazzled yet again the likes of "OldRocks" with their "knowledge of buzz word science" by pasting a wikipedia definition pH=-log[H+]l

And then this garbage about the "30% change in the hydrogen ion concentration"...

For fucks sake, there is no Chemist or real scientist that would sensationalize a change 8 places behind the decimal point
0.000000079 and that is in grams per liter, or ppt.
So the final numbers we are looking at is a difference between 0.0000000000079 and 0.000000000015...eleven places behind the decimal point...



So we are looking at a difference or a "change" 14 fucking places behind the decimal point and you figure this will wipe out coral reefs...?

Coral reefs around the world could be teetering on the brink of extinction by the end of the century as the oceans become more acidic, scientists have warned.

LESS ALKALINE would have been the correct scientific terminology, but the OCEANS ARE BECOMING MORE ACIDIC...

That`s fucking typical fodder for CO2 "climate change" morons



Seems to me that you alarmists weirdos like "OldRocks" and thunderfarts.. have nothing better to do than sit there all day every day, scavenging the internet for ridiculous trash like this, 22 | December | 2007 | Climate Changecorals-in-peril/"

I don`t care what kind of garbage "information" you guys read, but what makes you think that others should read the same crap you read...?

 

[wirebender]

Now Bentwire, none of these papers address the problem of acidification on corals. All but two state that after a dieback from thermal stress, what is left of the colony is somewhat resistant to additional thermal stress.

I would point out to you that the oceans are not in the least acidic, but polar bear has already said it all. There is no acidification problem; none at all. Your hand wringing hysterics are not based in anything like real science.

 

[Douger]

Good points.
So tell us Bear. What is the optimal PH for keeping corals in a tank ?
What is the average PH off of Ambergris Key ?
What can a person do to raise or lower the PH as needed ?
Do corals have any affect on the PH levels of the worlds oceans ?
Can plankton thrive in a sea where the PH leans toward basicity ?
(Douger hears Canuk removing mittens and Googling basicity)
OMG ! It cant be a word !!! Spell check caught it ! OMG !
BTW. I know all of the answers to the questions I asked.

Tell me. How long ago did you move to Canada from murka ?

 

[Old Rocks]

Now Bentwire, none of these papers address the problem of acidification on corals.

What kind of "scientist" would call a pH of 7.8 acidic..?
........ "climate scientists" do ....so now we know they don`t even know what the meaning of "pH" is...
I knew that they are grand standing dumb fucks, but it never ceases to amaze me how low their level of education is, or that of their following

pH values fell from 8.1 to 7.8, indicating greater acidity

Acidity does nor even start unless the pH drops below 7.0 Anything above pH 7 is ALKALINE not acidic
That alone should tell you what kind of moron "science" that is.
Also CO2 in Ocean water does not remain as H2CO3...unless you or your "climate scientists" found a yet undiscovered ocean of distilled water, free of Calcium Ions.

And then this crock of shit...:
.

s ago..?Just how did they establish what the "oceanic pH" was 20 million year

And then the usual hyper exaggerations...:

Although a small pH difference so far, this can correspond to some 30% change in the hydrogen ion concentration, as shown with pH = -log [H+]

This Hoegh-Guldberg et al garbage science, quoted here seems to have dazzled yet again the likes of "OldRocks" with their "knowledge of buzz word science" by pasting a wikipedia definition pH=-log[H+]l

And then this garbage about the "30% change in the hydrogen ion concentration"...

For fucks sake, there is no Chemist or real scientist that would sensationalize a change 8 places behind the decimal point
0.000000079 and that is in grams per liter, or ppt.
So the final numbers we are looking at is a difference between 0.0000000000079 and 0.000000000015...eleven places behind the decimal point...



So we are looking at a difference or a "change" 14 fucking places behind the decimal point and you figure this will wipe out coral reefs...?

Coral reefs around the world could be teetering on the brink of extinction by the end of the century as the oceans become more acidic, scientists have warned.

LESS ALKALINE would have been the correct scientific terminology, but the OCEANS ARE BECOMING MORE ACIDIC...

That`s fucking typical fodder for CO2 "climate change" morons



Seems to me that you alarmists weirdos like "OldRocks" and thunderfarts.. have nothing better to do than sit there all day every day, scavenging the internet for ridiculous trash like this, 22 | December | 2007 | Climate Changecorals-in-peril/"

I don`t care what kind of garbage "information" you guys read, but what makes you think that others should read the same crap you read...?

Well for sure we know that you will read nothing useful, BiPolar.

Foraminiferal boron isotope ratios as a proxy for surface ocean pH over the past 21 Myr

Foraminiferal boron isotope ratios as a proxy for surface ocean pH over the past 21 Myr


Arthur J. Spivack, Chen-Feng You & H. Jesse Smith


Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Oilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA


THE pH of the surface ocean is a sensitive function of its alkalinity and total inorganic carbon concentration, properties which also control the partial pressure of atmospheric carbon dioxide17. Thus, an accurate proxy for past ocean pH could yield information about variations in atmospheric CO2. Recently, it has been suggested that the boron isotopic composition of foraminiferal tests depends on the pH of sea water as well as its isotopic composition1,2. Here we present boron isotope and elemental data for sedimentary pore fluids and isotope data for bulk foraminiferal samples from a deep-sea sediment core. The composition of the pore waters implies that sea water boron concentrations and isotopic composition have been constant during the past 21 Myr, allowing us to reconstruct past ocean pH directly from the foraminiferal isotope data. We find that 21 Myr ago, surface ocean pH was only 7.4 0.2, but it then increased to 8.2 0.2 (roughly the present value) about 7.5 Myr ago. This is consistent with suggestions3–5 that atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have been much higher 21 Myr ago than today.

 

[Old Rocks]

It would seem that most scientists use the term 'acidification' for the change in the ocean's PH.

Pacific Science Association - PSA Working Group on Ocean Acidification

PSA Task Force on Ocean Acidification

The Pacific Science Association is facilitating international scientific collaboration on ocean acidification, an emerging issue of critical regional and global significance. PSA has formed a Task Force on Ocean Acidification led by acting co-chairs Dr. Yoshihisa Shirayama and Dr. Peter Brewer. The Task Force convened sessions at the 21st Pacific Science Congress in Okinawa, Japan in June 2007, as well as the 11th Pacific Science Inter-Congress in Tahiti in March 2009, which combined expertise in biogeochemistry, ocean ecology, and socio-economics.

Scientific data collected over many years are conclusive that oceanic absorption of atmospheric CO2 is causing chemical changes in seawater, making them more acidic (i.e. lowering pH). Increasing levels of anthropogenic CO2 are causing this process to accelerate. The average pH of the world’s oceans has dropped by about 0.1 pH units since the beginning of the industrial age. Without deep and early reductions in global carbon emissions, oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon will cause a further drop of 0.3 to 0.7 pH units by the year 2100. The degree and rapidity of these changes in ocean chemistry have not occurred in millions of years.

 

[Old Rocks]

Universities even have job titles with the term 'Ocean Acidification' in them. But of course, BiPolar is so much smarter than all those fellows at the University of Glasgow.

Research Assistant/Associate in Ocean Acidification : Glasgow, UK : Naturejobs

Research Assistant/Associate in Ocean Acidification : Glasgow, UKEmployer: University of Glasgow
Website: University of Glasgow :: About us :: Jobs at Glasgow
Location: Glasgow, UK
Type: Research Assistant
Posted: May 25, 2011
Expires: June 10, 2011
Jobs by tag(s): geography earth sciences ocean
Requisition number: E20098
Science jobs from University of Glasgow: job description

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Warmers are a Doomday Cult

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So now a 60PPM increase in atmospheric CO2 can change ocean Ph by .3 degrees? Really? And you can show us how this works in a lab, right, or is it yet another system too complex to replicate?

 

[Big Fitz]

Coral reefs around the world could be teetering on the brink of extinction by the end of the century as the oceans become more acidic, scientists have warned.

New evidence from volcanic seeps - fissures in the ocean floor that leak gases and minerals - suggests a bleak future for the reefs that harbour the world's richest marine ecosystems.

Three natural carbon dioxide (CO2) seeps in Papua New Guinea have given scientists a snapshot of how coral reefs may look in 100 years.

Like man-made sources of carbon dioxide, the seeps are making the water around them more acidic.

The study showed reductions in reef diversity and complexity as pH values fell from 8.1 to 7.8, indicating greater acidity. At values below 7.7, reef development ceased altogether.

Climate change experts estimate that by the end of the century, ocean acidity worldwide will change in a similar way because of CO2 emissions.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast predicts that rising concentrations of CO2 will reduce worldwide ocean pH from its present level of 8.1 to 7.8.

Authors of the new research, writing in the journal Nature, said the effect of a pH drop below 7.8 would be "catastrophic" for the coral.

Coral reefs 'on edge of extinction' - *Environment | MSN News - MSN UK

Good gawd. This farce again?

 

[Big Fitz]

So now a 60PPM increase in atmospheric CO2 can change ocean Ph by .3 degrees? Really? And you can show us how this works in a lab, right, or is it yet another system too complex to replicate?

I love how it can do all this simultaneously. The power of magical manmade CO2 is multiplying! It heats! It cools! It acidifies the oceans!

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So now a 60PPM increase in atmospheric CO2 can change ocean Ph by .3 degrees? Really? And you can show us how this works in a lab, right, or is it yet another system too complex to replicate?

I love how it can do all this simultaneously. The power of magical manmade CO2 is multiplying! It heats! It cools! It acidifies the oceans!

http://www.ronco.com/index.aspx

New line of CO2 based products now in R&D phase

 

[Old Rocks]

So now a 60PPM increase in atmospheric CO2 can change ocean Ph by .3 degrees? Really? And you can show us how this works in a lab, right, or is it yet another system too complex to replicate?

I love how it can do all this simultaneously. The power of magical manmade CO2 is multiplying! It heats! It cools! It acidifies the oceans!

Ol' Fritz demonstrating his willfull ignorance again.You really don't have to remind us, Fritz, we are well aware of it.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So now a 60PPM increase in atmospheric CO2 can change ocean Ph by .3 degrees? Really? And you can show us how this works in a lab, right, or is it yet another system too complex to replicate?

I love how it can do all this simultaneously. The power of magical manmade CO2 is multiplying! It heats! It cools! It acidifies the oceans!

Ol' Fritz demonstrating his willfull ignorance again.You really don't have to remind us, Fritz, we are well aware of it.

And you can show us how this happens in a lab?

 

[Old Rocks]

Ol' fucking dumb Frank. Is a carbonated beverage acidic?

Carbonated water - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carbon dioxide and water form carbonic acid (H2CO3),[2] which gives the water a slightly sour taste with a pH between 3 and 4.[3] An alkaline salt, such as sodium bicarbonate, may be added to soda water to reduce its acidity.

Carbon dioxide dissolved in water at a low concentration (0.2%–1.0%) cannot be tasted by humans, but the sour flavor of carbonic acid can be. The addition of a sodium or potassium salt can neutralize some of the acidic flavor of drinks that are made with soda water.