Polar Bears

This has been the first post in a while as I have been away over the break. Anyways, I have been interested in the news about the impacts of climate change on polar bears in the oceans. It is crazy what is happening to these animals. Many websites provide statistics to this issue and it is unbelievable what the impacts are. I wanted to get some more local results to understand these impacts close to home. On a site for the Times there was an article that stated that since 1987, the population of polar bears in Hudson Bay has dropped by 22% due to climate change. With the increase in temperatures, the ice is melting and the bears are forced to swim long distances. Four carcasses were found in a one month period from bears that had drowned off Alaska (in 2005). It makes me wonder what other types of impacts these temperature changes will have on other marine life and also humans. I know that there are many warnings from scientists and such, but to see these deadly results just proves the threat that climate change can pose.

Arrrr

Since the annotated bibliography was due today, I have been kicking my research for my project into high gear lately. I am covering the history of the Caribbean Sea. Interestingly, most of the history that I have found covers the pirates of the area. Even accounts and logs of exploration and travel are those that were kept by pirates. I hope that the information kept by these pirates is valid and factual for my research. Anyways, it is interesting to find out that the pirates of the area did a better job at keeping records and logs than the actual explorers from Britain (Chritopher Columbus, etc). Either that or I just haven't been able to find these other accounts.

Climate Change...

This is a figure that I found that describes the process of carbon dioxide with the ocean. The paragrah below does a good job in explaining it. I thought it was interesting as a follow up to what we discussed in class on Monday about climate change and carbon dioxide levels as we dicussed last week. The explanation below it says:

There is ongoing chemical "dialogue" between the ocean and atmosphere that influences regional and global climate change in many ways. Sea spray and water vapor from low clouds ultimately cool temperatures at the surface. Meanwhile, desert dust and carbon dioxide settle into the ocean and act as a "fertilizer" to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, thereby enhancing the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere- a process kown as the "biological pump". Over geological time, more than 90 percent of the world's carbon has settled into the deep ocean.

Acidification

I was very interested in ocean acidification after we discussed it in class, and did a little research of my own. Most websites refer to studies conducted by scientists and the predictions made for the future. Many examples include the desrtuction of reefs and extinction of various species. However, I found this interesting diagram pictured above on the website for the Green Car Congress. At first glance it can seem a little confusing, but I think that it does a good job at showing the rapid increases in acidity expected for the future. The part that I found most interesting was the p.p.m. (parts per million), which predicts an increase from about 500 to 2,000 within the next 50 years. That's incredible. It is also interesting to see the pattern in which the acid levels reach below the surface over time. This must be very important when considering the life on different levels of the ocean. It is crazy to think of all of the effects of global warming, and at first thought, most people wouldn't think of the acidity in oceans as being a major factor. But knowing that warmer water can hold less carbon dioxide than warm, I can see the danger that is produced.