[CINC] Ocean Acidification Workshop

[paul jr petrich]

Hi Ocean and Way Beyond People,
 Adding a few tid-bits to Tara's excellent summary Tara left out her personal inquiry about how each and every one of us can act "right now' to stave off ocean acidification in a realistic manner, Her question was about real-life choices we can make now, whereby we can start measuring our carbon footprint individually, comparing accurately deductions in its size between choices we make. For example: What is the difference between traveling on a  trip by air, bus, rail, or car in terms of our footprints ( given a comparison based on average capacity of each method of transport ). Also, what about our use of various appliances: How do they compare? And, specifically, if we are discouraged to replace things we use merely for style, what are the  carbon footprint multipliers that need to be replaced NOW to be upgraded in efficiency  ? Another example: We need to know how using something like a dishwasher, compares in making a footprint to unplugging appliances when not used? As outstanding as the symposium was, answers to this inquiry were vague.
 However, if you google "Carbon Footprint Calculator" you will find help with these specifics, although you have to click through hoops. The Nature Conservancy has one, which will cover the type of home you live in from a large abode to a mobile home. And NOAA's website has a great overall and updated coverage of all of this specifically related to Ocean Acidification.
 ALSO, specific to baleen whales ,research shared at a very recent symposium on ocean acidification indicates that krill abundance can indirectly be imperiled by ocean acidification. Recent research has found that the food sources for krill are beginning to be negatively impacted by ocean acidification. On the positive side, eel grass and kelp are acting as  buffers to ocean acidification, but need lots and lots of help now!    Paul Petrich
  
 
  
On Oct 8, 2012, at 7:15 AM, TARA BROWN wrote:
> Saturday, October 6th, Maria Ornelas, Paul Petrich and I attended an educator workshop on Ocean Acidification and its effects on marine life presented by the Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellent - West and UCLA. This interactive workshop opened my eyes and expanded about understanding of the urgency of our messages as members of the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps. Here are some important things I learned:
>  
> CHEMISTRY: Water and Carbon form Carbonic Acid. H20 + C02 = H2CO3.
> Dry ice is solid CO2, and to see it dropped in water, and bubble with its sour, zesty order and cloud like a witches brew is a very dramatic way to illustrate the risk! For some reason, 90% of the Hydrogen atoms spin into the atmosphere leaving bicarbonate, which leaves fewer carbonate ions available for shell building and coral production, mostly in the larvae (reminds me of egg shell thinning with the DDT).
>  
> LOGARTHYMIC SCALE: The pH scale is not linear - a drop from pH 8.2 to 7.9 indicates a 150 percent increase in acidity! Bottom line: Relate it to earthquakes so that people understand that a small-sounding change in ocean pH is quite large. That said, pH changes with photosynthesis, so it is more acidic at night and less during the day when oxygen is being produced (especially by the kelp). This is called the "diurnal cycle of pH due to respiration"
> NOTE: Seawater is slightly basic now, around 8.1.
>  
> CHANNEL ISLANDS/CALIFORNIA RISK: Acidity is greatest in polar regions and East Coast Upwellings (CA/OR/WA coast) that bring the colder waters down from the north! Sea urchins, squid, and sperm whales are at risk. Best suited for an acidic environment is jellyfish and algae, including domanic acid.
>  
> URGENCY: Ocean Acidification has changed 100 times faster than any change in the past 21 million years. 30% of the CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed by the oceans. It takes centuries to remove it naturally. Swimming sea snails, called peteropods, shells are expected to dissolve by the end of this century! They are critical to the marine food web, ultimately feeding whales and humans.
>  
> WHAT WE CAN DO: Decrease/Eliminate Carbon burning into the atmosphere. Give positive messages such as (from the NPS website):
> TRANSPORTATION: Avoid traveling by airplane. Walk, ride or take the bus.
> ENERGY: Turn off lights/appliances/electronics when not in use. Install solar.
> HEATING/COOLING: Install a tankless water heater, weatherize your home.
> WASTE: Buy secondhand items. Don't replace items that are still useful.
> FOOD: Chose local, seasonal food. Become vegetarian.
> YARD: Use natives, reduce water usage - give birds and wildlife a home.
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