Ocean Acidification

[tonyjd34]

Any one can say climate change is our fault but whom on here is honestly not utilizing fossil fuels and raising the carbon output... Please.
All i want to say is things change...
like, the weather, especially over longer time frames... its scientifically verified.
The desire some have to push accepting or denying "climate change" is mostly a splendid waste of time. Are humans causing forms of climate change? We'd have to be somewhat crazy to truthfully answer no....

Now what we all should be spending our time doing is raising a voice towards the governments of the world, willful and determined, demanding the study and implementation of clean energy sources, because we all know our energy needs will only continue to multiply. And then thusly when those cleaner energy sources become available, we all as a society and individually act responsibly as consumers to utilize that source........... Good luck.. Pthpth.. Cant even get people to throw away their trash and recycle.

 

[saf1]

Any one can say climate change is our fault but whom on here is honestly not utilizing fossil fuels and raising the carbon output... Please.
All i want to say is things change...
like, the weather, especially over longer time frames... its scientifically verified.
The desire some have to push accepting or denying "climate change" is mostly a splendid waste of time. Are humans causing forms of climate change? We'd have to be somewhat crazy to truthfully answer no....

Now what we all should be spending our time doing is raising a voice towards the governments of the world, willful and determined, demanding the study and implementation of clean energy sources, because we all know our energy needs will only continue to multiply. And then thusly when those cleaner energy sources become available, we all as a society and individually act responsibly as consumers to utilize that source........... Good luck.. Pthpth.. Cant even get people to throw away their trash and recycle.

Food actually, then power. We already have two very good sources of clean energy. Nuclear and Hydro. Wind is also there but honestly an eye sore and probably not to the same levels of Hydro or nuke - although not sure.

Have to feed the growing population. Just look at what the crazy California gov did this past week with regards to beef / cows.

Edit: Forgot to say I'm not sure water is the concern either. It makes up over 70 of the earths surface with the ocean's part well over 90 percent. Just to put this into perspective.

 

[CStrickland]

To OPs question, CO2 certainly affects the ph of our tanks. It is common practice to increase the aeration of water in our tanks to correct low ph. This is because many of our organisms consume O2 and contribute CO2 to the water. Without sufficient gas exchange (either by surface agitation, or running a protien skimmer airlaine to the fresh air outdoors) the CO2 will build up and the ph will drop. However, in our tanks ph is not the full story, as we are more concerned with alkalinity, water's ability to buffer acid.

In any case, it's not just the acidification anyway. Our carbon inputs are causing temps to rise as well. Most of us have had an issue in our own tanks which illustrated how delicate these ecosystems are. We frequently see stressed fish succumb to disease that a healthy fish would shake off, or a coral get one too many cuts in its flesh and be lost to brown jelly disease that was there all along but not a prob until our alk dipped or our ato knocked salinity down. To me it seems more likely that when the reefs disappear it will be due to a confluence of factors arising from our activities, which is harder to problematize that a simple .1 decrease in ph. Maybe also an increased frequency and severity of tropical storms, who knows.

I am curious if the climate change deniers have an alternate explanation for the global reef-bleaching events that began in the last 30 years or so. Or do they agree we did it and just not care?

 

[saf1]

I am curious if the climate change deniers have an alternate explanation for the global reef-bleaching events that began in the last 30 years or so. Or do they agree we did it and just not care?

Just early September they just discovered the new reef in Australia behind the great barrier. Why would you be so upset if somebody questions the data or has a different opinion? I personally find these discussions interesting because it tells me people are not ready for this discussion and can't look past their personal biasness. Furthermore, we has hobbyist really are not helping when we purchase coral and/or fish instead of those limited to propagation or captive bred. Sort of like throwing stones in a glass house.

Point is, most people would agree agriculture and river / waste water treatment run off does impact areas of the ocean. I will say this year my dives in Hawaii showed more coral and fish than what I've seen previously. That was a pleasant surprise.

 

[ThRoewer]

...
I am curious if the climate change deniers have an alternate explanation for the global reef-bleaching events that began in the last 30 years or so. Or do they agree we did it and just not care?

I'm by no means a climate change denier or even close to that kind of mind-set, but I know of another factor that definitely contributes to bleaching: oxybenzone in sun screen!

Toxicopathological Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter, Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured Primary Cells and Its Environmental Contamination in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Chemicals In Sunscreen Are Harming Coral Reefs, Says New Study

The impacts of sunscreens on our coral reefs

That's without any question a man-made cause!

PS: maybe that fanatical aquarium trade hater Snorkel Bob should have a look at what's really destroying the Hawaiian reefs: Tourists that lather up with sunscreen and then go snorkeling in the ocean - his primary customers!

 

[CStrickland]

Just early September they just discovered the new reef in Australia behind the great barrier. Why would you be so upset if somebody questions the data or has a different opinion? I personally find these discussions interesting because it tells me people are not ready for this discussion and can't look past their personal biasness. Furthermore, we has hobbyist really are not helping when we purchase coral and/or fish instead of those limited to propagation or captive bred. Sort of like throwing stones in a glass house.

Point is, most people would agree agriculture and river / waste water treatment run off does impact areas of the ocean. I will say this year my dives in Hawaii showed more coral and fish than what I've seen previously. That was a pleasant surprise.

What part of my post makes you think I am so upset?
And then please explain how you find the cause of my distress to be someone questioning data, or having a diff opinion.

This deflection about how if anybody in the hobby buys a wild fish, we should all shut up about global warming is so tired. I mean, you're inferring a whole set of biases on me out of whole cloth, and then positing that they indicate that I'm not 'ready for this discussion.' and on top of that, you're implying that anyone with a fish tank is so drastically culpable as to preclude them from participating in this discussion at all. I wonder who is left to talk to?

You quoted my question, but failed to answer it. Instead, you invented a bunch of characteristics about me, and argued against them instead. Maybe you're right and "people aren't ready for this discussion." At least that's true of people who only have straw men, and begged questions to contribute.


You're right ThRoewer! The sunscreen issue is a big deal too.

 

[ThRoewer]

... We already have two very good sources of clean energy. Nuclear and Hydro. ...

You're kidding right?

Nuclear is neither clean nor cheap if you calculate in everything, let alone where to store the highly radioactive waste. The worst thing about that is that you can't even ship that off to some 3rd world nation as they may just send it back in the form of nukes or dirty bombs.

And there is hardly any power generation as destructive to the environment than hydro power with it's dams. Just look what's happening to the Colorado river and it's delta in the Sea of Cortez.

There is simply no way of sustaining 7 billion people on this planet at our way of life. If you want everyone to live at a standard like in the western world you would need to dial the world population back to the level it had at the peak time of the Roman Empire.

 

[ThRoewer]

...
You're right ThRoewer! The sunscreen issue is a big deal too.

Probably bigger than most realize:

"We may not realize that the products covering our skin wash off when we enter the water, and
it adds up! Research tells us that 4,000 to 6,000 TONS of sunscreen enters reef areas annually.
This does not spread out rapidly or evenly over the entire ocean, but concentrates on popular
tourist sites. It is estimated that 90% of snorkeling/diving tourists are concentrated on 10% of the
world's reefs. This means that our most popular reefs, such as those in our national parks, are
exposed to the majority of sunscreens."
Source: https://cdhc.noaa.gov/_docs/Site Bulletin_Sunscreen_final.pdf

 

[MiNdErAsR]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2535924