Oceana reported today that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which are absorbed by the oceans could lead to an accelerated deterioration of coral reefs.  Heightened levels of CO2 raise acidity levels in the ocean, creating an unhealthy environment for coral life, and threatens to create a domino effect on the fragile oceanic ecosystem that relies on it. Oceana explains:

The process, which is known as ocean acidification, reduces the ability of marine animals such as corals, crabs, lobsters, clams and oysters to create calcium carbonate skeletons and shells, which will likely reduce their survival rates, and their ability to mature and reproduce.

Acidification deteriorates the shells and skeletons of marine animals, and if the levels continue to rise could corrode them completely.  If this were to happen on a widespread scale, we could lose the important barrier that coral provides our shores as well as the larger marine life we depend upon for food.

The only way to decrease ocean acidification is to reduce the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases we release into the air.
takepart by helping Oceana reduce our carbon emissions.

Related: Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to levy a tax on plastic bags within New York City. “The most beautiful thing” that kinda creepy, kinda deep guy next door from American Beauty ever filmed (watch the clip below) is not going to come for free anymore in the Big Apple, if Hizzona has his way, with Bloomberg proposing adding a 5 cent tax for each bag.

The Mayor says the plan could raise $16 Million in revenue each year while encouraging shoppers to cut down on the number of the plastic bags they use from retail stores and move toward using their own reusable bags for their shopping needs.

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A few months back, I wrote about the unexpectedly welcome news that President Bush asked his cabinet for a plan to protect the waters around some of the most remote islands in the Pacific Ocean, including the Mariana Trench, the deepest spot on earth.  We read that, and we thought, “Huh.  That’s pretty awesome.  We’ll put this one in the win column for this administration.”

Aaaaaannnnnd…not so fast.  There are objections to the plan.  And, not from the most helpful of places.  Richard Dreyfuss The Penguin Vice President Dick Cheney is not onboard with this idea, at all.  The Washington Post reports (and, yes, sorry about the cheap dig at the Vice President…they’re not even original jokes, and all joking aside, I have heard he’s a nice man, in person):

Vice President Cheney and some officials in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands have argued that the plan could hurt the region’s economy by barring fishing and energy exploration.

Ah, yes.  Money.  It always comes down to money.

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European Space Agency reports that the thickness of sea ice in large parts of the Arctic declined by as much as 19% last winter compared to the previous five winters. This date data comes from ESA’s Envisat satellite.

They measured sea ice thickness over the Arctic from 2002 to 2008 and found that it had been fairly constant until the record loss of ice in the summer of 2007.

You can read the full report here.

takepart with We Can Solve It

I’ve long been a fan of fresh fish, but the question of sustainability has always gnawed at me when it comes to sushi. Increasingly consumers are demanding more sustainable choices for dinner, and Gourmet Magazine shows that sushi is no exception. Unfortunately the sushi industry has been slow to address the devastating environmental impact of overfishing, bottom trawling, and pollution, not to mention the carbon-footprint of transporting your sashimi.

Hoping to make a smaller impact on the ocean, while still saddling up to the sushi bar? Download the handy wallet-size Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood from the Blue Ocean Institute, look for the Marine Stewardship Council’s seal of approval at the fish market and Take Part by getting involved with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.

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Dead zones in the ocean are caused by low levels of oxygen, and said low levels of oxygen are caused by increased amounts of chemicals in the water, most often fertilizers. Air pollution is often a factor. By now, I’m pretty sure you can see where I’m going with this: dead zones are on the rise.

But not just one the rise. Seriously very much so on the rise. In fact, the number of dead zones has roughly doubled every decade since the 1960’s, according to a Washington Post report. In turn, these dead zones are killing all sorts of fish and crab and marine life that serve as the bottom of the food chain.

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A group of Israeli scientists have found a way to “listen” to plants in order to detect the presence of different types of water pollution. By shinning a laser beam on small pieces of algae floating in the water, they’re able to hear sound waves that describe the types and levels of water contamination.

Algae is a “red light” for pollution because it’s the first thing to be affected. Scientists note that the sound method for testing for water contamination could become a faster, more accurate and less expensive way to detect deteriorating water conditions than those available now.

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Dead zones in the ocean refer to vast stretches of water that cannot sustain marine life.   A study published today reports that dead zones have been doubling every 10 years since 1960s and 400 coastal areas now have periodically or permanently oxygen-starved bottom waters. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico alone has more than doubled in the last 20 years and is nearly the size of Massachusetts.

Scientists are blaming  nitrogen-rich nutrients from crop fertilizers that spill into coastal waters.

Here is what 3 experts told the NY Times:

“Dr. Boesch, who was not affiliated with the study, said that the global proliferation of dead zones, once mainly a problem of the developed world, had been fueled by industrialization, changing eating habits and population growth, which has led to more fertilizer use and more waste  in the world’s watersheds.”

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Sounds good to me!

The U.S. Navy must restrict its use of low-frequency active sonar during trainings to prevent harm to whales, dolphins and and other marine life.

Yesterday, the federal court in San Francisco issued this ruling that limits this type of sonar use areas of the Pacific Ocean particularly within 12 nautical miles of the California coast and also forbade sonar use in the Catalina Basin, an area with many marine mammals.

Joel Reynolds, who argued the case for the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups, called the ruling “the most significant environmental mitigation that a federal court has ever ordered the U.S. Navy to adopt in its training with mid-frequency sonar.”

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Jellyfish look peaceful and beautiful as they glide through the water. Unless of course they touch you and release their venom instantly onto your skin. Not a great day at the beach, that’s for sure.

The New York Times reports that jellyfish are becoming more numerous and more widespread, and they are showing up in places where they have rarely been seen before. And not only are they a pest for beach-goers and fisherman but their growing population is an alarming sign of our ocean’s health.

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