[cogitator]

I've heard similar news to this before, but this is a fairly detailed press release. I'll have to find the issue of Nature that the actual report is in to read it.

[cogitator]

** ping **

[BadAndy]

"that the ocean's coldest surface waters, such as in the Weddell Sea of Antarctica, will become corrosive to pteropods much sooner than thought. Shells of these marine organisms may simply dissolve as soon as atmospheric CO2 reaches the levels that are expected to occur in about 50 years under the IS92a business-as-usual CO2 emissions scenario. "

Put some pteropods in a tank, lower the pH, see what happens. This should be an easy experiment to do.

[ClearCase_guy]

The amount of acid that humans have dumped into the ocean has altered the Ph of the ocean by 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001%

The ocean is pretty damn big.

[Blueflag]

Basic chemistry tells us that increasing dissolved CO2 increases acidity.

Basic oceanography and biology tells us that increasing CO2 in the photic zone will increase phytoplankton growth, particularly when coupled with rising photic zone mean temperatures. NET: It's a good thing to increase CO2 levels in the photic zones of the world's oceans.

The limiting factor of phytoplankton growth is CO2 (presuming temp and sunlight are constant).

[lilylangtree]

Coming from the movie "Day After Tomorrow", eh.

[AdmSmith]

Take your gun, hunt a deer and roast it over a fire from some logged trees, deposit the ash in the sea - the pH is 9 - 13.5

Now you have had fun and saved the environment.

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1142.htm

[SAJ]

This doesn't pass the smell test of Chem 101. To form an acid, you must have hydrogen ions. CO₂ has none, and so is adding no hydrogen in any form to seawater. Are we supposed to believe:

H₂O.NaCl + CO₂ ==> something acidic? Or are we supposed to believe that the addition of carbon dioxide somehow strips out non-hydrogen-bearing compounds, and in that way renders the oceans more acidic?

Now, my chemistry is pretty rusty, so I'd appreciate one of FR's bottomless talent pool correcting me on this if I'm in error. Until then, this article sounds a lot like more Chicken Little horse puckey.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Someone please save the Hasidics in the oceans! How they got there, who's to know?

[far sider]

Plants in the ocean are just like land plants. They take in CO2 and photosynthesize it. If there is more CO2 it won't change the CO2 level. There will just be more plant growth. Sheesh.

[Bar-Face]

"Marine Organisms Threatened By Increasingly Acidic Ocean"

This is serious. Is it caused by the cold? Or all that ice? Have they had this problem in the tropics or in desert regions? How about the army or navy?

Oh wait, I Thought the headline read:

MARINE ORGASMS THREATENED BY INCREASING ARTIC OCEAN.

[dennisw]

I doubt we can impact on the oceans in such a way. They are much too big. We can over fish the ocean. We can over exploit fisheries. But the oceans are too big for mankind to turn acid. But perhaps some scientists can get research grates and employment from this non-issue

[Bernard Marx]

If C02 is the enemy, I'm sure this group of scientists will be at the forefront of a movement to replace fossil fuels with clean nuclear energy -- NOT!

Reading between the lines it's clear the only solution they have in mind is a drastic reduction in the number of human beings. Let them volunteer to be the first to go.