Holiday shopping
Oh, my goodness. We are so excited. Last weekend a friend was wearing an awesome T-shirt reading: "Plastic bags blow." And on the back: "BYOB. Bring Your Own Bag." We sourced them at ResusableBags.com. American Apparel. Organic cotton. Water-based ink. $4.95! We usually refuse to wear or give T-shirts with a slogan (though we made […]
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 […]
Jeff Ardron explains ocean acidification
A simple, straightforward explanation of ocean acidification, thechange in ocean chemistry caused by excess carbon dioxide in the air,which in turn comes from the burning of fossil fuels. (Just in case you’re new here: welcome, if so.) Jeff Ardron is a conservation oceanographer with the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI), and director of their High […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
30 years earlier then we thought
This just reported on mongabay.com: "The Southern Ocean may be 30 years closer to a tipping point for ocean acidification than previously believed, putting sea life at risk, according to research published in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. Analyzing seasonal changes in pH and the concentration of carbonate in the Southern […]
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 […]
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 […]
A marine census in the works & some early findings
Remember our rant about ocean ignorance? In fact, at a cocktail hour put together by Oceanblue Divers this summer, Dave Gallo (Woods Hole Director of Special Projects) said that when he first started studying the ocean in the 70s, we had explored 3 percent. And now, in 2008, we’ve explored 3.5 percent. No wonder we’ve […]
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 […]
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 […]
A Sea Change at American Geophysical Union fall meeting
Plans are finalizing to screen an excerpt of A Sea Change at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting this December. We’ll be part of a panel including Vicki Fabry, who first documented the effects of acidic seawater on pteropods. The AGU expects at least 15,000 geophysicists from around the world to attend. Awesome. The meeting’s […]
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.
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 […]
A Sea Change at the 2008 Waterfront Conference in New York
ASC has just joined the Waterfront Alliance in New York. We’ll betabling at the 2008 Waterfront Conference on Nov. 13 with posters &flyers, showing the trailer to anyone who’s interested. "From thepaddlers of the Sebago Canoe Club on Jamaica Bay to the InternationalShippers of the New York Shipping Association, over 300 organizationsdedicated to a healthy, […]
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 […]
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 […]
A Sea Change at the Seafood Summit next February
We’ve just been invited to screen A Sea Change in a session at the Seafood Summit. Following will be a panel discussion, including Brad Warren of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and scientist Vicki Fabry (queen of the pteropods). We’re thrilled. This is exactly the sort of opportunity we hoped for: to present the film to its […]
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 […]
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 […]