Marine Life Cut By Almost Half In 32 Years

[Captain Obvious]

It's a hoax...

http://news.sky.com/story/1553278/marine-life-cut-by-almost-half-in-32-years


A study of data of global data on 1,234 species - ranging from sea birds to sharks - shows populations declined by 49% on average between 1970 and 2012.

The figure is 10% higher than conservationists' previous best estimate.

WWF claims the Living Blue Planet report, which is based on work carried out by the Zoological Society of London, shows a catastrophic loss of marine life which amounts to a crisis.

"By over-exploiting fisheries, degrading coastal habitats and not addressing global warming, we are sowing the seeds of ecological and economic catastrophe," said Dr Louise Heaps, chief advisor on marine policy at WWF-UK.

[Peter1469]

Why do you think it is a hoax?

[Captain Obvious]

Why do you think it is a hoax?


http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/ximages/texts/wordmessages/SarcasmService.jpg

[Tahuyaman]

If marine life has been cut in half over the last 30+ years, it must have all come here to my region. We are experiencing a proliferation of sea life here. Species recovering in tremendous numbers which were nearly fished out just a few years ago.

[Captain Obvious]

If marine life has been cut in half over the last 30+ years, it must have all come here to my region. We are experiencing a proliferation of sea life here. Species recovering in tremendous numbers which were nearly fished out just a few years ago.

Right, and it's cool where you're at now so that debunks climate change.

Idiocy

[Common Sense]

If marine life has been cut in half over the last 30+ years, it must have all come here to my region. We are experiencing a proliferation of sea life here. Species recovering in tremendous numbers which were nearly fished out just a few years ago.


...and it's raining here. Disproving the drought hoax in California.

[Tahuyaman]

Right, and it's cool where you're at now so that debunks climate change.

Idiocy

Actually, we have had a warmer and drier year than normal.

Yes, you sometimes can democpnstrate true idiocy.

[Tahuyaman]

...and it's raining here. Disproving the drought hoax in California.

Do you consider it a bad thing that marine sea life is recovering and proliferating in the pacific NW?

[Matty]

I liked the first response posted in the article. It's 42 years not 32. If they cannot do the math why should we believe them on climate change?

[Private Pickle]

I thought this was a PSA on not smoking in the military...

I'm outta here.

[Common Sense]

Do you consider it a bad thing that marine sea life is recovering and proliferating in the pacific NW?


Of course not. But is it?

http://enenews.com/emergency-statewide-fishing-closures-pacific-northwest-unprecedented-weve-never-anything-like-before-disease-causing-very-alarming-mass-die-100-infection-rate-areas-rotting-gills-distended

http://enenews.com/giant-whales-found-dead-pacific-northwest-scientists-baffled-25-carcasses-reported-month-west-coast-govt-troubling-definitely-pulse-deaths-expert-exceptionally-rare-dead-humpback-concerns

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/22/us/pacific-ocean-blob/

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/once-common-marine-birds-disappearing-from-our-coast/

[decedent]

These climate scientists think they know so much about science.

[Captain Obvious]

Of course not. But is it?

http://enenews.com/emergency-statewide-fishing-closures-pacific-northwest-unprecedented-weve-never-anything-like-before-disease-causing-very-alarming-mass-die-100-infection-rate-areas-rotting-gills-distended

http://enenews.com/giant-whales-found-dead-pacific-northwest-scientists-baffled-25-carcasses-reported-month-west-coast-govt-troubling-definitely-pulse-deaths-expert-exceptionally-rare-dead-humpback-concerns

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/22/us/pacific-ocean-blob/

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/once-common-marine-birds-disappearing-from-our-coast/

Don't waste your time, he's a mindless zombie.

I really don't post these here for actual productive discussion, there are too many fools who are just reciting RW radio talking points.

I really need to start more threads in the serious discussion forum to filter out the idiocy so the adults can talk.

[Peter1469]

These climate scientists think they know so much about science.

Computer models with incomplete data..... :shocked:

[Chloe]

If marine life has been cut in half over the last 30+ years, it must have all come here to my region. We are experiencing a proliferation of sea life here. Species recovering in tremendous numbers which were nearly fished out just a few years ago.

What part of the PNW are you in if I may ask?

[Chloe]

Do you consider it a bad thing that marine sea life is recovering and proliferating in the pacific NW?

It's not proliferating in the "pacific NW" as a whole like you are implying though. Climate change and its affect on marine life is not just about a species or two recovering, the temperature outside or the weather that you may or may not be experiencing. An increase in global temperature means higher sea levels and higher sea level can decimate freshwater ecosystems on the edge of where salt/fresh mix. It can destroy breeding grounds that would normally depend on a lower water level and a more constant low/high tide. It can destroy wetlands and marshes that can't handle the change in salinity when that water slowly merges in, and since wetlands are vital then their transformation can negatively transform an entire ecosystem. Not only that but with more carbon being produced and entering the ocean and with higher temperatures it has led to coral bleaching and the lowering of ph in various marine ecosystems, including in the PNW. A dead coral reef for example can lead to more erosion on the beach, or the destruction of that beach in general, and without a living reef then the biodiversity in that part of the ocean disappears and then dead spots form. The lowering of the ph due to more carbon entering the marine ecosystem can lead to the deaths of many animal species that are a detrimental part of the marine food web and are sensitive to changes in water chemistry. If those small animals that depend on things like shell formation die off then so do the small fish that feed on them, and if those fish go then the larger fish such as salmon that feed on them go, and if those fish species go then sea birds go, and so on and so on. Climate change is soooooo much more than a hot summer or a cold winter.

[Tahuyaman]

Shellfish of all kinds, salmon, cod, octopus. All making a huge comeback

[Captain Obvious]

Shellfish of all kinds, salmon, cod, octopus. All making a huge comeback

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5349/7072264583_07ab8ed5ef_z.jpg

[Chloe]

Shellfish of all kinds, salmon, cod, octopus. All making a huge comeback

I wish that were true, but everything I mentioned above is happening (I studied it) and will happen to a greater extent as long as we continue to slowly alter our environment through irresponsible behavior, actions and ignorance of our impact. I'm an admitted passionate hardass when it comes to the importance of biodiversity and our affect on it. It was my main focus during my college career. It's not something that you can just dismiss away.

[Captain Obvious]

I wish that were true, but everything I mentioned above is happening (I studied it) and will happen to a greater extent as long as we continue to slowly alter our environment through irresponsible behavior, actions and ignorance of our impact. I'm an admitted passionate hardass when it comes to the importance of biodiversity and our affect on it. It was my main focus during my college career. It's not something that you can just dismiss away.

Yes he can, lol - and will again.

All you need to do for first-hand proof is talk to a small time fisherman who has to live off of the seas.

Suggesting otherwise is pathetically ridiculous.

[Chloe]

Yes he can, lol - and will again.

All you need to do for first-hand proof is talk to a small time fisherman who has to live off of the seas.

Suggesting otherwise is pathetically ridiculous.

He can't see the forest for the trees, or in this case he can't see the food web for the fish.

[Captain Obvious]

He can't see the forest for the trees, or in this case he can't see the food web for the fish.

A major disruption in the sea food chain could be catastrophic, this is a fairly serious issue IMO.

I know you foo foo eating meat and others look down on farm raised seafood but I'm for it because it's really the only way aside from seafood abstinence to be sustainable.

[Chloe]

The way an efficient, interdependent and viable ecosystem works is just uber fascinating to me. For example take how the interdependence of species along the pacific coast determines its fate...if the simple sea snail, or really any basic pteropod, were to die off due to the water's ph being too acidic for shell formation due to increased carbon then the tiny fish, crabs, and so on that prey on those animals would either die off due to starvation or be forced out of that ecosystem. If those tiny fish, crabs and other animals left or died off then larger predatory fish such as salmon and other larger fish and sea birds would also either starve or be forced to move (which in many cases wont happen due to migratory patterns). If those larger fish died or left then even larger fauna such as sharks and orcas would be left with the same fate/decision. A whole ecosystem can die or be altered for decades due to the actions of human being on dry land thousands of miles away. Remove a keystone species, even the smallest of one, and it can be just like a game of jenga. We are playing a very dangerous game of it right now with our lifestyle and our collective apathy in my opinion.

[Captain Obvious]

The way an efficient, interdependent and viable ecosystem works is just uber fascinating to me. For example take how the interdependence of species along the pacific coast determines its fate...if the simple sea snail, or really any basic pteropod, were to die off due to the water's ph being too acidic for shell formation due to increased carbon then the tiny fish, crabs, and so on that prey on those animals would either die off due to starvation or be forced out of that ecosystem. If those tiny fish, crabs and other animals left or died off then larger predatory fish such as salmon and other larger fish and sea birds would also either starve or be forced to move (which in many cases wont happen due to migratory patterns). If those larger fish died or left then even larger fauna such as sharks and orcas would be left with the same fate/decision. A whole ecosystem can die or be altered for decades due to the actions of human being on dry land thousands of miles away. Remove a keystone species, even the smallest of one, and it can be just like a game of jenga. We are playing a very dangerous game of it right now with our lifestyle and our collective apathy in my opinion.

Right, that's my point about it being potentially catastrophic. The chain reaction moves inward to species that thrive off of sea animals.

[Chloe]

A major disruption in the sea food chain could be catastrophic, this is a fairly serious issue IMO.

I know you foo foo eating meat and others look down on farm raised seafood but I'm for it because it's really the only way aside from seafood abstinence to be sustainable.

I will say that when it comes to fish farming there are still a lot of concerns I have especially when it comes to the waste generated that enters into wild ecosystems which can then harm wild populations and cause even more harm to the ecosystems. If fish farming, like salmon farming, were to unfortunately continue then in my opinion they need to do a much better job of keeping the farmed population as wild and healthy as possible with natural diets and in natural conditions. Spreading disease to wild populations of salmon and altering the chemistry and health of large swaths of marine ecosystems through massive saltwater farming to satisfy the crave of the human population is still very wrong to me, I do see your point, I'm just saying that fish farming can and does still harm wild populations in a number of ways.

[Tahuyaman]

I wish that were true,

It is true. It happening. There must be an explanation.

[Tahuyaman]

There sure are a lot of doom and gloomers out there. How do you people go through life without committing suicide?

[Chloe]

There sure are a lot of doom and gloomers out there. How do you people go through life without committing suicide?

Having an understanding of ecology and respecting and understanding the importance of biodiversity to all life on earth is not doom and gloom. If you can't identify your shortcomings so that you can fix them and improve as a human being then you probably also fail to see our negative affect on the planet as a whole. Noticing those shortcomings and actively wanting to fix them isn't focusing on doom and gloom it's focusing in making the planet better. I'm a very happy person and a very optimistic person, but I don't wear blinders to hide the bad and I don't look away to avoid being involved.

[Tahuyaman]

Having an understanding of ecology and respecting and understanding the importance of biodiversity to all life on earth is not doom and gloom. If you can't identify your shortcomings so that you can fix them and improve as a human being then you probably also fail to see our negative affect on the planet as a whole. Noticing those shortcomings and actively wanting to fix them isn't focusing on doom and gloom it's focusing in making the planet better. I'm a very happy person and a very optimistic person, but I don't wear blinders to hide the bad and I don't look away to avoid being involved.

Why is it that some people can't seem to come to terms with the fact that humans are also part of the natural order of things? Why do so many people believe that human progress always results in environmental destruction?

[Tahuyaman]

It is obvious that there are many people out there who consider the environmental cause their religion.

It seems to me that most environmentalists are not conservationists. They do not believe that man can utilize natural resources to our benefit while simultaneously conserving them and ensuring their sustainability.

[Chloe]

Why is it that some people can't seem to come to terms with the fact that humans are also part of the natural order of things? Why do so many people believe that human progress always results in environmental destruction?

You don't seem like you actually want to talk about this. One sentence responses of vagueness, what's the point?

[Chloe]

It is obvious that there are many people out there who consider the environmental cause their religion.

It seems to me that most environmentalists are not conservationists. They do not believe that man can utilize natural resources to our benefit while simultaneously conserving them and ensuring their sustainability.

It's probably more of a religion to me personally than my actual religion. I can admit to that without fear or embarrassment.

[Matty]

Why is it that some people can't seem to come to terms with the fact that humans are also part of the natural order of things? Why do so many people believe that human progress always results in environmental destruction?


Humans have the ability to think, act, assess, re think and modify their behavior. We can change our impact on Mother Earth. soon we will be the only species with the where withall to pick up and leave the mess we've made.

[Tahuyaman]

You don't seem like you actually want to talk about this. One sentence responses of vagueness, what's the point?


What do you want? Long winded rambling statement which state only clichés like yours? You just repeat environmentalist whack-o stuff which is meaningless. Nothing other than emotionally based dogma.

[Tahuyaman]

It is obvious that there are many people out there who consider the environmental cause their religion.


It's probably more of a religion to me personally than my actual religion. I can admit to that without fear or embarrassment.

Isn't that what I just said? Environmentalism is your religion. You worship the pagan idol of environmentalism.

[Tahuyaman]

Humans have the ability to think, act, assess, re think and modify their behavior. We can change our impact on Mother Earth. soon we will be the only species with the where withall to pick up and leave the mess we've made.

And we've been doing that for generations.

[Chloe]

What do you want? Long winded rambling statement which state only clichés like yours? You just repeat environmentalist whack-o stuff which is meaningless. Nothing other than emotionally based dogma.

Explaining in detail how climate change can and is affecting a regions biodiversity and in turn its food web is "cliche" and "dogma" to you?

[Tahuyaman]

Explaining in detail how climate change can and is affecting a regions biodiversity and in turn its food web is "cliche" and "dogma" to you?


I dont do clichés.

[Tahuyaman]

One thing is for sure. I am an animal lover. If my dog was drowning and a person I do not know was drowning at the same time in the same vicinity, I'd rescue my dog first.

[Chloe]

One thing is for sure. I am an animal lover. If my dog was drowning and a person I do not know was drowning at the same time in the same vicinity, I'd rescue my dog first.

are you mocking me or are you being sincere?

[Tahuyaman]

are you mocking me or are you being sincere?

I'm being sincere. It has nothing to do with you. A dog's unconditional love and loyalty should be rewarded.

[waltky]

Human activity increasing acidity of oceans...
:shocked:
Report: Acidic Oceans Tied to Human Activity
September 08, 2016 - Scientists have known for a while that the world's oceans play a big role in the climate because they absorb carbon dioxide, both naturally occurring and the carbon we put in the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels. But some new research is sounding the alarm about what all that carbon is doing to the oceans.


How much carbon is too much?

The new findings were researched by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. Lead scientist Sophie Chu from MIT and her team went into the Northeast Pacific initially to test how carbon in the water was affecting pteropods, animals like free-floating sea snails and sea slugs. They chose this area because, according to Chu, it is the end of the world's ocean circulation system and contains a lot of the ocean's naturally occurring carbon. “This puts the Pacific at this already heightened state of high carbon and low pH,” Chu says. The lower the pH, the more acidic the water.


http://gdb.voanews.com/E947AA99-0847-4FC2-B8ED-31865163C7BE_cx0_cy10_cw0_w250_r1_s_r1.jpg
Lead author Sophie Chu at work.

Her team's concern was that excessive carbon and higher acidity in the oceans could be lowering the amount of a mineral called aragonite, which is essential for many marine species’ shells. They found that it was, which is bad news for the pteropods. But their work also allowed them to see just how much human-created carbon dioxide was being absorbed by the ocean.

Good news, bad news

And when they ran those numbers they found that up north, the amount of carbon dioxide being absorbed the ocean was rising, at roughly the same rate humans are pumping it into the atmosphere, called anthropogenic emissions. “The ocean has been the only true sink for anthropogenic emissions since the Industrial Revolution,” Chu says. “Right now, it stores about one-quarter to one-third of the anthropogenic emissions from the atmosphere."

The good news is that her work suggests that the ocean can, for the moment, continue to absorb some of the excess carbon we are pushing into the atmosphere. But Chu notes, it can't keep doing that forever. “It would take hundreds of thousands of years for the ocean to absorb the majority of CO2 that humans have released into the atmosphere,” she says. “But at the rate we’re going, it’s just way faster than anything can keep up with.”

And that means at some point, the oceans will hit capacity. "We’re expecting at some point, the storage will slow down," Chu says. "When it does, more carbon dioxide will stay in the atmosphere, which means more warming. So it’s really important that we continue to monitor this.”

http://www.voanews.com/a/ocean-acidification/3499326.html