BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Acid oceans 'need urgent action'

[Roger Bagula]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7860350.stm
BBC NEWS
Acid oceans 'need urgent action'

The world's marine ecosystems risk being severely damaged by ocean
acidification unless there are dramatic cuts in CO2 emissions, warn
scientists.

More than 150 top marine researchers have voiced their concerns through
the "Monaco Declaration", which warns that changes in acidity are
accelerating.

The declaration, supported by Prince Albert II of Monaco, builds on
findings from an earlier international summit.

It says pH levels are changing 100 times faster than natural variability.

Based on the research priorities identified at The Ocean in a High CO2
World symposium, held in October 2008, the declaration states:

"We scientists who met in Monaco to review what is known about ocean
acidification declare that we are deeply concerned by recent, rapid
changes in ocean chemistry and their potential, within decades, to
severely affect marine organisms, food webs, biodiversity and fisheries."

'The other CO2 problem'

It calls on policymakers to stabilise CO2 emissions "at a safe level to
avoid not only dangerous climate change but also dangerous ocean
acidification".

The researchers warn that ocean acidification, which they refer to as
"the other CO2 problem", could make most regions of the ocean
inhospitable to coral reefs by 2050, if atmospheric CO2 levels continue
to increase.

The also say that it could lead to substantial changes in commercial
fish stocks, threatening food security for millions of people.

"The chemistry is so fundamental and changes so rapid and severe that
impacts on organisms appear unavoidable," said Dr James Orr, chairman of
the symposium.

"The questions are now how bad will it be and how soon will it happen."

Another signatory, Patricio Bernal, executive secretary of the UN
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, outlined how the marine
research community intended to respond to the challenge.

"We need to bring together the best scientists to share their latest
research results and to set priorities for research to improve our
knowledge of the processes and of the impacts of acidification on marine
ecosystems."

Prince Albert II used the declaration to voice his concerns, adding that
he hoped the world's leaders would take the "necessary action" at a key
UN climate summit later this year.

"I strongly support this declaration. I hope that it will be heard by
all the political leaders meeting in Copenhagen in December 2009."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/7860350.stm

Published: 2009/01/30 15:42:37 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Print Sponsor

[Sjouke Burry]

http://news.bbc.co.uxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxtm
BBC NEWS
Acid oceans 'need urgent action'

And you want to cure that with a fractal base??

[Roger Bagula]

There have been in geological time and the fossil record,
periodic great times of dying in the oceans and on land.
In most cases one of the signs of these population collapses
is large concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere.

These are part of the sand pile/ fractal theories of how evolution
actually works.
The results are called Levy jumps by Dr. Mandelbrot or Levy distributions.

[Roger Bagula]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7890988.stm
BBC NEWS
Global warming 'underestimated'

The severity of global warming over the next century will be much worse
than previously believed, a leading climate scientist has warned.

Professor Chris Field, an author of a 2007 landmark report on climate
change, said future temperatures "will be beyond anything" predicted.

Prof Field said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
report had underestimated the rate of change.

He said warming is likely to cause more environmental damage than forecast.

Speaking at the American Science conference in Chicago, Prof Field said
fresh data showed greenhouse gas emissions between 2000 and 2007
increased far more rapidly than expected.

"We are basically looking now at a future climate that is beyond
anything that we've considered seriously in climate policy," he said.

Prof Field said the 2007 report, which predicted temperature rises
between 1.1C and 6.4C over the next century, seriously underestimated
the scale of the problem.

He said the increases in carbon dioxide have been caused, principally,
by the burning of coal for electric power in India and China.

Wildfires

Prof Field said the impact on temperatures is as yet unknown, but
warming is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace and cause more
environmental damage than had been predicted.

He says that a warming planet will dry out forests in tropical areas
making them much more likely to suffer from wildfires.

The rising temperatures could also speed up the melting of the
permafrost, vastly increasing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere,
Prof Field warns.

"Without effective action, climate change is going to be larger and more
difficult to deal with than we thought," he said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/science/nature/7890988.stm

Published: 2009/02/15 02:11:44 GMT

© BBC MMIX

Print Sponsor