Published on Monday, May 6, 2013 by Common Dreams
New comprehensive study outlines rapidly acidifying Arctic Ocean caused by CO2 emissions
The three-year assessment from a team of international scientists is being released at the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme's (AMAP) International Conference on Arctic Ocean Acidification starting Monday in Bergen, Norway, and details how the phenomenon dubbed "climate change's evil twin" is causing a global problem.
– Richard Bellerby, NIWR"Arctic ocean acidification is happening at a faster rate than found in other global regions. This is because climate change such as warming and freshening of the oceans is acting in tandem with the enormous oceanic uptake of C02," said Bellerby.
“Continued rapid change is a certainty,” Bellerby told BBC News.
“We have already passed critical thresholds," warned Bellerby. "Even if we stop emissions now, acidification will last tens of thousands of years. It is a very big experiment.”
Sam Dupont, Researcher at the University of Gothenburg, says that "something really unique is happening. This is the first time that we as humans are changing the whole planet; we are actually acidifying the whole ocean today."
"The most optimistic prediction," Dupont says, "tells us that within few decades, by the end of this century, the ocean will be two times more acidic. And we also know that it might be even faster in the Arctic."
The impacts of this acidification will be widespread, as Dupont explains.
See more in the Arctic Ocean Acidification video from AMAP:
Arctic Ocean Acidification (2013) – Full (12 minute) version from AMAP on Vimeo.
__________________________
Thanks for posting this “science story”. This is another bit of scientific information that can be seen and then ignored by the pro-LNG people in the area. How hard is it to understand that these people pushing for LNG and recently coal are choosing profits for the fossil fuel industries over life for future generations. Its especially disappointing to find them being lead locally by a former “teacher”(Arnie Roblan) and promoted locally by a part-time “teacher”(Mark McKelvy). These two in particular have let down the public that they want to represent by selling out to these LNG promoters using their educational background as part of their resume. The Governor has his hand in the cookie jar with these locals that he lets run the port with this agenda..Shame on them all for pretending to give a damn about the future, while promoting for corporate profits.