Posted on 10/04/2012 11:37:55 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
We already know that pH varies naturally across the oceans of the world. In some sites, it varies more in a single day than global oceans are likely to face in a century.
But cold water corals live in deep water, are slow growing, and hard to study.
Six years ago, experts in cold water corals were telling us how they would be likely to fall victim to ocean acidification first, and that they believed this for good reasons but with little experimental data. But about a year ago data came out (by one of those same experts) showing that rather than being the badly affected, cold water corals adapted to effectively very high levels of CO2 and possibly even increased their calcification rates. Eight days after the pH was changed suddenly, the corals did worse. But when the experiment was continued for six months, the results turned right around. The researchers pointed out how useful longer studies are: “This is the first evidence of successful acclimation in a coral species to ocean acidification, emphasizing the general need for long-term incubations”. The paper is called “Acclimation to ocean acidification during long-term CO2 exposure in the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa.” The pH fell as low as 7.75 in the long term study (from the normal pH of about 8.1).
It’s highly unlikely the atmospheric levels of CO2 will reach 1,000 ppm in the next couple of centuries, but if they did, it appears that at least one major and widespread species of cold water coral can adapt within six months. Co2 feeds plant life above the water, and atmospheric levels were much higher during the time that corals evolved. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but suggests scientists could have been more cautious in predicting a disaster ......
(Excerpt) Read more at joannenova.com.au ...
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The claim that increased CO2 in the atmosphere could acidify sea water is outrageously stupid. Just as one molecule among another 2500 cannot affect the properties of the majority without increasing its number, nor can changing he composition of water by changing 1 molecule in 9400 or so will change the pH to any detectable difference.
What most of the scientists who are on this frolic don’t get (apart from pretty much everything) is that every time they make one of these daffy claims, they breach the theory of general relativity. Just as no-one can claim to hear a penny bunger go off 25 km away, neither can the RELATIVE amount of CO2 in the atmosphere have enough properties to affect it via the retention of radiation, or change the pH characteristics of water, to make any noticeable differences.
When someone buys the $5 calculator and does the mathematics on these over the top claims, there is going to be a lot of scraping of egg off faces.
fyi
The ocean isn’t being acidified. It’s being made slightly less alkaline.
This dbag has no f*n clue what he is talking about. If you want details...I’ll give them.
Other posts on Ocean Acidification
Scripps blockbuster: Ocean acidification happens all the time — naturally
Here’s a good start...
“It turns out that far from being a stable pH, spots all over the world are constantly changing. One spot in the ocean varied by an astonishing 1.4 pH units regularly. All our human emissions are projected by models to change the world’s oceans by about 0.3 pH units over the next 90 years, and that’s referred to as “catastrophic”, yet we now know that fish and some calcifying critters adapt naturally to changes far larger than that every year, sometimes in just a month, and in extreme cases, in just a day.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2940495/posts
Good to see you, Ernest. I love the Caribbean...especially St. John.
Maui has one undersea state preserve left. If you want to snorkel there, you can’t even touch the rocks. It’s a beautiful place to snorkel, but very shallow, and looks dead. Tons of fish, though...beautiful fish and in great numbers. Get into a little deeper water, and it’s absolutely even more beautiful, and very much alive...and colorful.
Ahihi...the first place where we were able to be up close, and personal, with a humpback whale mama, her calf and her escort. Very memorable.
digital-olive, I would love your take on this. Please...details. But, not too wonky. ;o)
I take these things with a grain of salt. No pun intended.
Excellent and thanks.
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