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Seas turn to acid as they soak up CO2
The Bay of Naples is renowned for its breathtaking beauty and glittering clear waters. For centuries, tourists have flocked to the region to experience its glories.
But beneath the waves, scientists have uncovered an alarming secret. They have found streams of gas bubbling up from the seabed around the island of Ischia. 'The waters are like a Jacuzzi - there is so much carbon dioxide fizzing up from the seabed,' said Dr Jason Hall-Spencer, of Plymouth University. 'Millions of litres of gas bubble up every day.'
The gas streams have turned Ischia's waters into acid, and this has had a major impact on sea life and aquatic plants. Now marine biologists fear that the world's seas could follow suit.
'Every day the oceans absorb more than 25m tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,' said Hall-Spencer. 'If it were not for the oceans, levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would be far higher than they are today and the impact of climate change would be far worse. However, there is a downside: it is called ocean acidification.'
Scientists calculate that the seas are absorbing so much carbon dioxide that they are 30 per cent more acidic than they were at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The change is three times greater and has happened 100 times faster than at any other time during the past 20 million years.
Tomorrow hundreds of scientists will gather in Monaco for the 'Second International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World'. One focus of debate is likely to be the Plymouth study. The seas off Ischia - which are affected by carbon dioxide from volcanic activity - offer a first-class opportunity to investigate what might happen in the next few decades.
Scientists found that in Ischia's highly acidic water:
• Biodiversity of plants and fish has dropped by 30 per cent
• Algae vital for binding coral reefs have been wiped out
• Invasive 'alien' species, such as sea-grasses, are thriving
• Coral and sea urchins have been destroyed, while mussels and clams are failing to grow shells.
The conference will also tackle the dangers posed to fish larvae, which are sensitive to high levels of acid, as well as the threat to commercial fish stocks.
'Many developing countries have seafood as their prime source of food,' said Dr Carol Turley, of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. 'If they lose that, the result could be famine.' The Bay of Naples is renowned for its breathtaking beauty and glittering clear waters. For centuries, tourists have flocked to the reg... more -
Phase out coal plants if we want to affect climate change
To better understand how emissions might change in the future, Pushker Kharecha and James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York considered a wide range of fossil fuel consumption scenarios, which shows that the rise in carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels can be kept below harmful levels as long as emissions from coal are phased out globally within the next few decades.
Global warming has plunged the planet into a crisis and the fossil fuel industries are trying to hide the extent of the problem from the public, Hansen, NASA's top climate scientist says.
"We've already reached the dangerous level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," according to James Hansen. "But there are ways to solve the problem" of heat-trapping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which Hansen said has reached the "tipping point" of 385 parts per million.
Hansen calls for phasing out all coal-fired plants by 2030, taxing their emissions until then, and banning the building of new plants unless they are designed to trap and segregate the carbon dioxide they emit.
The major obstacle to saving the planet from its inhabitants is not technology, insisted Hansen, named one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2006 by Time magazine.
"The problem is that 90 percent of energy is fossil fuels. And that is such a huge business, it has permeated our government," he maintained. "What's become clear to me in the past several years is that both the executive branch and the legislative branch are strongly influenced by special fossil fuel interests," he said, referring to the providers of coal, oil and natural gas and the energy industry that burns them.
"You need a new Kyoto protocol with all the major emitters committed to it. Then you are cooking with gas." To better understand how emissions might change in the future, Pushker Kharecha and James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for ... more -
Atmospheric Concentrations Carbon Dioxide Animation
by Andy Jacobson, postdoctoral research staff member in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program at Princeton University.
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EPA warns Bush: Adaptation to climate change may not be possible.
The EPA has issued its "Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6; Analyses of Effects of Global Climate Change on Welfare and Human Systems"
which anticipates a wide range of negative impacts on human health over the coming decades, including "increased mortality"
This excerpt, which I found on page 94, states the following:
"there is no guarantee that future changes in climate will not present a threshold that poses technological or physical limits to which adaptation is not possible."
The Bush administration has rejected proposals to cap C02 or impose carbon taxes to limit global warming. The EPA has issued its "Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6; Analyses of Effects of Global Climate Change on Welfare and Human S... more -
It could be earlier than 2013, say some scientists
4 paragraphs:
1. Fuck! 2013 for an ice-free Arctic may even be too conservatively estimated.
2. Holy Shit! Estimates of those estimates might even be too conservative (having not taken into account 2005 and 2007)
3. This is why, goddamit: they didnt look at the 'ice-albedo feedback effect', which occurs when water is heated by solar radiation, leading to more warming and melting
4. HOLD UP: 2030 may still be a more level-headed estimate. Chill, bro. But still, no ice in our lifetimes.... bummer.
The passage of time has not been kind to the Arctic's fortunes: Where scientists once predicted the Arctic would be ice-free by the end of the century, they revised their estimates in recent months to 2030 and now - stunningly - to 2013. Presenting the findings of his modeling studies at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, Wieslaw Maslowski, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, explained that earlier projections had low-balled the real values by not accounting for some of the processes driving the ice loss.
Even worse, he conceded that his own estimates may be on the optimistic side, explaining that the models he had run - using data from 1979 to 2004 - did not take into account the ice cover minima reached in 2005 and 2007. "Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007. So given that fact, you can argue that may be our projection of 2013 is already too conservative." said Maslowski.
Maslow believes earlier estimates missed out on some key melting processes; those issues could be partially resolved if future models incorporated more realistic representations of warm water movement into the Arctic from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University remarked that past models did not sufficiently take into account the ice-albedo feedback effect, which occurs when water is heated by solar radiation, leading to more warming and melting.
Mark Serreze, a scientist with the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), still believes 2030 is a reasonable estimate, deeming Wieslaw's projections as "a little aggressive . . . simply because the luck of the draw means natural variability can kick in to give you a few years in which the ice loss is a little less than you've had in previous years." Either way, the melting of the Arctic ice cap within our lifetimes now seems inevitable. 4 paragraphs: 1. Fuck! 2013 for an ice-free Arctic may even be too conservatively estimated. ... more -
The Tipping Point - is it here?
This is a fascinating and dynamic article concerning the state of global warming and the number everyone must know and encourage: 350 This is a fascinating and dynamic article concerning the state of global warming and the number everyone must know and encourage: 35... more
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Environmentalists Target Snack Food Makers Over Palm Oil Use
What do Oreo cookies made by Nabisco (KFT, Fortune 500), Cheez-It crackers from Kellogg's (K, Fortune 500) or General Mills' (GIS, Fortune 500) Fiber One Chewy Bars have to do with global warming and the destruction of tropical rainforests? A lot, say environmental activists.
The link between the supermarket shelf, climate change and shrinking rainforests is palm oil, a controversial ingredient that may now be the most widely-traded vegetable oil in the world.
Here's the problem: Demand for palm oil, which is found in soaps and cosmetics as well as food, has more than doubled in the last decade as worldwide food consumption has soared. Farmers, in turn, are expanding their plantations, burning forests in Indonesia and Malaysia, where nearly all of the palm oil imported to the United States originates. Deforestation is the primary reason that Indonesia's greenhouse gas emissions are the third-highest in the world.
The Rainforest Action Network, Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Science in the Public Interest are all campaigning against palm oil. Last week, RAN asked about 2,000 volunteers to sneak into food stores across the United States and attach stickers to products made with palm oil.
"Warning!," the stickers said. "May Contain Rainforest Destruction." What do Oreo cookies made by Nabisco (KFT, Fortune 500), Cheez-It crackers from Kellogg's (K, Fortune 500) or General Mills'... more -
Coal fired power plants rated worldwide - lots of useful info
repost this link with more creativity if you wish.
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China's Changsha city plans to trade dust and CO2
The city of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in south-central China, is preparing to launch an emissions trading scheme, its mayor said on Tuesday.
Changsha's plan is a local version of a tentative outline drawn up by the central bank, for a domestic emissions trading scheme that could cover everything from greenhouse gases to water pollutants, and speed China's push for greener growth.
Changsha would assign its local districts quotas for dust, carbon dioxide and chemical oxygen demand (COD), a measure of water pollution, Zhang Jianfei told a news conference.
"We are considering innovations like an emissions trading market," Zhang said, as he listed other pollution-reducing measures like taxation and pricing schemes.
Changsha will assign levels to each district and then fine them if they exceed the level or give incentives if they are under. They could then trade those quotas, Zhang said, estimating the system could be in place as early as next year.
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This may be the first dust trading market in the world! Companies will probably pump water from the local river and spray it on their factory roads to decrease dust. Nevertheless, kudos to the Chinese for getting with it and innovating in the world of pollution! The city of Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in south-central China, is preparing to launch an emissions trading scheme, its ma... more -
'Gulf dead zone bigger than ever' & ~A Pollution Solution~
Problem:
"A "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas-Louisiana coast this year is likely to be the biggest ever and last longer than ever before, with marine life affected for hundreds of miles, a scientist warned."
"The phenomenon is caused when salt water loses large amounts of oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia that is typically associated with an area off the Louisiana coast at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The fresh water and salt water don't mix well, keeping oxygen from filtering through to the sea bottom, which causes problems for fish, shrimp, crabs and clams."
source: AP via - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_sc/dead_zone
Solution:
"Restorers" / Ocean Island Oasis / Hip Fishy Oxygen Bar
-Use solar or wind energy to pump oxygen down to the poor little fishies!
-Install John Todd's "Restorers"! to serve as a fishy oxygen bar oasis.
(images via - http://www.toddecological.com/services/lake.html)
*Build the floating forest 'raft', tow it out to sea, drop anchor, erect the windmill and water proof/corrosion proof solar panels, attach the water pump, descend the oxygen life support tube to the depths, (add fish eggs too?), and you're ready to rock and roll!
(Hurricane Preparedness: Install a remote activated wench that submerges the oasis below surface waves until the storm passes ;)
~My solution to run-away pollution..
Any other bright ideas out there? Problem: ... more -
John Todd Wins Buckminster Fuller Challenge!
Permaculture, Paul Stamets, and John Todd have the tools to thrust us in a more sustainable direction. They enable 'natural' solutions, commonly by employing the 4 billion yrs experience of mother earth. Their outputs are beyond sustainable.. they are regenerative.
Congratulations JT! Permaculture, Paul Stamets, and John Todd have the tools to thrust us in a more sustainable direction. They enable 'natural'... more -
Adding lime to seawater may cut carbon dioxide levels back to pre-industrial level...
Scientists say they have found a workable way of reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere by adding lime to seawater. And they think it has the potential to dramatically reverse CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere, reports Cath O'Driscoll in SCI's Chemistry & Industry magazine.
Shell is so impressed with the new approach that it is funding an investigation into its economic feasibility. 'We think it's a promising idea,' says Shell's Gilles Bertherin, a coordinator on the project. 'There are potentially huge environmental benefits from addressing climate change -- and adding calcium hydroxide to seawater will also mitigate the effects of ocean acidification, so it should have a positive impact on the marine environment.'
Adding lime to seawater increases alkalinity, boosting seawater's ability to absorb CO2 from air and reducing the tendency to release it back again.
However, the idea, which has been bandied about for years, was thought unworkable because of the expense of obtaining lime from limestone and the amount of CO2 released in the process.
Tim Kruger, a management consultant at London firm Corven is the brains behind the plan to resurrect the lime process. He argues that it could be made workable by locating it in regions that have a combination of low-cost 'stranded' energy considered too remote to be economically viable to exploit -- like flared natural gas or solar energy in deserts -- and that are rich in limestone, making it feasible for calcination to take place on site.
Kruger says: 'There are many such places -- for example, Australia's Nullarbor Plain would be a prime location for this process, as it has 10 000km3 of limestone and soaks up roughly 20MJ/m2 of solar irradiation every day.'
The process of making lime generates CO2, but adding the lime to seawater absorbs almost twice as much CO2. The overall process is therefore 'carbon negative'.
'This process has the potential to reverse the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. It would be possible to reduce CO2 to pre-industrial levels,' Kruger says.
And Professor Klaus Lackner, a researcher in the field from Columbia University, says: 'The theoretical CO2 balance is roughly right...it is certainly worth thinking through carefully.'
The oceans are already the world's largest carbon sink, absorbing 2bn tonnes of carbon every year. Increasing absorption ability by just a few percent could dramatically increase CO2 uptake from the atmosphere. Scientists say they have found a workable way of reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere by adding lime to seawater. And they... more -
Acidifying oceans pose danger to coral reefs
The carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere by factories, cars and power plants is not just raising temperatures. It is also causing what scientists call "ocean acidification" as around 25 percent of the excess CO2 is absorbed by the seas.
The pH value of the oceans has been around 8.2 for hundreds of thousands of years, but since the start of the industrial age in 1800, it has dropped by 0.1. The carbon dioxide spewed into the atmosphere by factories, cars and power plants is not just raising temperatures. It is also causing... more -
USB power strip makes it easy to save up to 70% energy
This is a pretty smart new product that can be used in your home, office, government building, school, etc. to save energy and money at computer workstations.
It shuts off all your devices when you're not using them and shows you the money and CO2 savings on your computer.
Great idea! This is a pretty smart new product that can be used in your home, office, government building, school, etc. to save energy and money a... more -
China Gets Dubious Honor Of World's #1 CO2 Emitter
In a report released Friday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China has stepped into first place as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, edging ahead of the United States. China's supernova economy contributed to an eight percent rise in its domestic emissions, which in turn makes up two-thirds of the global growth of emissions last year. That trend is likely to continue due to China's massive use of coal-fired energy and its huge cement industry.
The U.S. still maintains the highest per person CO2 emissions (19.4 tons), followed by Russian (11.8 tons), and Western Europe (8.6 tons) compared to China's 5.2 tons per inhabitant. But China now releases 24% global GHG emissions compared to the US' 21%.
What's unfortunate is that with one year to go until UN-sponsored talks in Copenhagen try to cobble together a Kyoto Protocol replacement treaty, the world's leaders aren't coming up with the kind of innovative ideas needed to creatively reduce everybody's emissions. As Yvo de Boer, executive secretary for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change puts it:
"With a little more than a year to go to Copenhagen, the challenge to come to that agreement remains daunting."
Article by: April Streeter In a report released Friday by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China has stepped into first place as the world's... more -
Climate change: A report from Antarctica
Antarctic ice contains a record of climate change and greenhouse gases. Travel to Antarctica and see how we collect the ice, what we do with it, and what it tells us about future climate. Antarctic ice contains a record of climate change and greenhouse gases. Travel to Antarctica and see how we collect the ice, what we d... more
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EcoSutra Movie Trailer!
The answer to our energy crisis! Yea! Permaculture + Renewable Energy Technologies = Good clean sustainable communities :)
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Greenhouse gases highest in 800,000 years
A study of Antarctic ice shows more proof that man is disrupting the climate. We need real answers on cutting back on the pollution. The next administration must make this a priority. A study of Antarctic ice shows more proof that man is disrupting the climate. We need real answers on cutting back on the pollution. T... more
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Global Toxicity threatens the Koala's
Ian Hume suggests we will see "noticeable reduction in Australia's koala population" in 50 years, due to the high amounts of Carbon Dioxide in the air. Ian Hume suggests we will see "noticeable reduction in Australia's koala population" in 50 years, due to the high amoun... more
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Video Animations Of U.S. Carbon Dioxide Pollution
Just where is all that global warming pollution coming from?
The Northeast pumps out an awful lot of carbon dioxide, but the Southeast, Midwest and Southern California are also responsible for voluminous pollution that billows out each day.
The precise sources of carbon dioxide have now been mapped, with 100-times more detail than was previously available, by Vulcan project researchers at Purdue University.
The high-resolution, interactive maps combines emissions data from power plants, factories and vehicles, and produces maps and movies that compare the relative contribution of pollution from various parts of the country on an hourly basis. One of the most striking things one sees when watching the animations is the day-night "breathing" cycle of our pollution, with a long exhale of pollution all day, followed by a sharp decline each night. Seasonal spikes – such as those when hot days prompt millions of Americans to turn up their air conditioners – are also evident.
The maps also highlight an important political reality: While states in the Northeast, upper Midwest and West have agreed to state-level compacts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the nation's pollution won't be significantly cut until the South joins in. Depending on the estimate, the U.S. is the world's biggest, or second-biggest (next to China) producer of greenhouse gas emissions; it produces 25% of the world's carbon dioxide pollution, the key ingredient in atmospheric change fueling global warming. Just where is all that global warming pollution coming from? ... more
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Carbon Dioxide
