Krill kill in Antartica? Another victim of ocean acidification
Sorry, just couldn’t resist that headline. But the story’s no joke. It seems krill are another species extremely susceptible to changes in ocean pH, or ocean acidification. Why do we care, as humans? These are tiny creatures we can barely see. Well, they are right at the bottom of the food chain, just like pteropods […]
Legal protection for endangered corals in Florida
An Oct. 28 press release from the Center for Biological Diversity reports that the US government is now protecting two species of coral, elkhorn and staghorn.Found in Florida and the Caribbean, these corals were once the most numerous and important reef builders in this area. They have now declined by more than 90 percent in […]
Liquefied coal not a solution to climate change
Burning oil looks like it’s less problematic than burning liquified coal, vis a vis climate change. For one thing, coal is more abundant than oil and gas. South African industries are already making use of liquefied coal, big time. China and the US are considering liquefaction technology. Another problem with liquefied coal: it releases 40 […]
McKenzy Haber Eco Drives at IUCN World Conservation Congress
He may be only 12 years old, but McKenzy Haber held first place atthe Toyota Eco Drive exhibit in Barcelona. Here he explains and testdrives for us. Turns out he’s also in third, fifth, seventh &eighth places. What’s that about "and a little child shall lead them?"Mind you, in two years McKenzy can drive legally […]
More data on coral vulnerability to increasing CO2
New Australian research suggests some coral reefs could be gone before 2050. Previous studies have underestimated the damaging effect of excess carbon dioxide on coral. Bleaching, or destruction of coral, caused by other factors such as pollution, evidently interacts with and is exacerbated by, the effect of ocean acidification, according to Ove Hoegh-Gulberg of the […]
More location stills for A Sea Change
Are you a member of the press? Or just curious to see more of the gorgeous locations we shot in? Check out our photo album.
More words of support for A Sea Change
"Your wonderful film is still resonating deeply with me. I love the way you have created a journey of discovery that is so real and so current in its telling. The use of googling . . traveling . . visiting grandchildren . . . scientists . . . venture capitalists . . . and mentors […]
New study focuses on Caribbean ocean acidification
Research just published confirms significant ocean acidification across much of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. It reports strong natural variations in ocean chemistry in some parts of the Caribbean that could affect the way reefs respond to future ocean acidification. "Such short-term variability has often been underappreciated and may prove an important consideration when […]
Next US President, you’re invited to the UN climate meeting
350.org has set up a super-quick way to ask the next U.S. president to join the rest of the human race at the upcoming UN climate meetings.You can generate an email to both McCain and Obama in just about three seconds. What the heck, why not give it a try? Then for good measure, maybe […]
Not the earth we know
How geology is informing our notions of climate change: a discussion between Jan Zalasiewicz, author of The Earth After Us: What legacy will humans leave in the rocks? and Matthew Knight (for CNN). We definitely want to read this fully, but a glance is enough to let us know it’s fascinating: the possible human legacy, […]
Obama promises presence at December climate talks
At a rope line in Columbus, Ohio on Nov. 2, Barack Obama says hewill either go to the U.N. climate talks in Poland this December, orsend a team in his place. Greenpeace has a campaign urging the President-Elect to go in person. Which would be huge. We’ve signed up: how about you?
Obama promises to address climate change Nov. 18
In a web video produced for the Bi-PartisanGovernors Global Climate Summit, President-elect Barack Obama pledgednew leadership to address global climate change. (Nov. 18)
Obama to Poland? Final invite from 350.org
We think 350.org is running a canny campaign. Can Obama really resist this invite? Want to send one of your own?
Ocean acidification
Coral may be the canary in a coal mine, as far as ocean acidification goes, but more far-reaching disruptions of ocean biology may be in store. Donald Potts, US Santa Cruz professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, expanded on this at the AGU Fall Meeting. His talk was entitled "Geobiological Responses to Ocean Acidification." Potts […]
Ocean acidification symposium in October
Okay, we missed it. What can we say, we can´t be everywhere at once, even with the internet. Though Prince Albert II of Monaco almost was, presiding as he did over both the opening of the IUCN World Conservation Congress and the Second Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World. (We obviously need to […]
Ocean acidifying 10 times faster than previously thought
A just-published BBC article reports that ocean chemistry is changing 10 times faster than previously thought, in response to increased CO2 absorption. Researchers measured the acidity of seawater off the Pacific Northwest coast for eight years. Every half hour, so there’s plenty of data. "Professor Timothy Wootton from the department of ecology and evolution, University […]
Ocean Champion to Head NOAA
President-Elect Obama has put forward Jane Lubchenco to head NOAA. This is awesome news for marine conservationists: a marine biologist herself, Lubchenco has frequently spoken publicly about the importance of restricting carbon dioxide emissions. Lubchenco has "a passion for improving public understanding of science." She would be the first woman to lead the National Oceanic […]
Possible suit against EPA under Clean Water Act to address ocean acidification
The Center for Biological Diversity may bring suit against the EPA for not upholding water standards in the face of ocean acidification. The NGO will take legal action if the EPA fails to act promptly on a petition submitted last year, in which the agency was asked to "impose stricter pH standards for ocean waterquality […]
Scenic Hudson blurb on A Sea Change
"Immense and profound." Ned Sullivan, PresidentScenic HudsonScenic Hudson is a non-profit organization which protects and restores the Hudson River.
Scientists confirm rapid ocean acidification
Remember that conference we missed in Monaco? Environmental Expert.com published a nice summary of the proceedings. To wit, 250 marine scientists from 32 countries agreed that ocean chemistry is changing rapidly. More specifically, it’s "accelerating at an unprecedented rate," becoming more acidic. What can we expect? No one is yet sure, but a significant loss […]
Squids and ocean acidification
Yet another species which may be vulnerable to ocean acidification: Humboldt squid. These giant creatures—they can grow up to seven feet long—dwell in the Pacific Ocean. They play a key role in the food chain, both as predators and as prey for fish and marine mammals. Scientists from the University of Rhode Island report, in […]
Support for A Sea Change from Rob Moir, Ocean River Institute
"A Sea Change [the documentary] could not be more timely. I believe acidification of our oceans is actually a greater threat to our survival than is temperature or sea level rise, the conventional "global warming" threats. Acidification is confusing and difficult to even imagine for most people–we need your film. To imagine a world without […]
That pesky elephant in the room–wait, there’s more than one
Courtesy of Google alerts (yet another reason to be grateful to Google, and I’m wondering when they’re going to ask for my first-born child), I discovered the Gerry’s Elephantine Blog. Loving the name and the writing. Intelligent analysis laced with dark humor: my favorite cocktail. Gerry recently posted on climate change and ocean acidification. To […]
US to lead the world in climate change effort?
Well, we had to read that headline twice. Awesome how much a day can change things: from denying climate change, the US government may be doing an about-face and now leading efforts to diminish emissions. Senator John Kerry, speaking in Poznan, Poland, at the current climate conference, said the USA will take the lead, if […]
Valerie Burgener sums up Sailing to Barcelona
Click to Play Valérie Burgener was instrumental in coordinating the activities of Sailing to Barcelona, one of the initiatives of the IUCN World Conservation Congress. Here she sums up the successes of the initiative. One big problem: the boats were a 40-min. metro ride away from the bulk of the Congress activities (at the Forum). […]