Pacific Ocean getting warmer and more acidic.

http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060331-041304-9325r

SEATTLE, March 31 (UPI) -- Testing by U.S. scientists finds that the Pacific Ocean is getting warmer and more acidic, while the amount of oxygen is decreasing.

Scientists with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\'s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and the University of Washington say the ocean is becoming increasingly acidic because of its absorption of carbon dioxide, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Friday.

"You don\'t have to believe in climate change to believe that this is happening," said Joanie Kleypas, an oceanographer with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a non-profit organization based in Boulder, Colo. "Acidification is more frightening than a lot of the climate change issues."

Carbon dioxide is a byproduct of burning fossil fuels and in the past 200 years, the ocean has absorbed about half of what\'s been released into the atmosphere, the scientists say.

The pH of the saltwater has dropped 0.025 units since the early 1990s, the pH scale is exponential, so a one-unit drop is a 10-fold decrease, therefore the new measurement puts the ocean on track for a dramatic decline by the end of the century, the scientists say.

Food for thought.

[Titan]

So can we dump something in the ocean to make it less acidic?

[videoholic]

Yeah..  Let\'s just dump a bunch of basic crap into the ocean.

Also, did you noticed this, "on track for a dramatic decline by the end of the century"


Um..  I won\'t be around.  So therefor, no care.

Yeah..  Let\'s just dump a bunch of basic crap into the ocean.

Also, did you noticed this, "on track for a dramatic decline by the end of the century"


Um..  I won\'t be around.  So therefor, no care.

Your son will be around though....

[Viper_Fujax]

Your son will be around though....

thats very optimistic of you. 100 years old..

As for this problem. Its just like the bizillion other problems we got concerning this stuff..ozone layer, greenhouse effect, yadda yadda yadda. Hopefully scientists will figure something out, but as for me..im not changing my way of life over it.

[Titan]

I wonder if genetecists can come up with a genetically engineered organism that can absorb the CO2 and do other stuff too that can solve these problems.

[Viper_Fujax]

think you\'re underestimating the size of the ocean/problem.

average ocean temp went up 1 degree in the last century?

:ohnoes:

[Titan]

Hey, warmer ocean waters for me when I go to the beach

thats very optimistic of you. 100 years old..

As for this problem. Its just like the bizillion other problems we got concerning this stuff..ozone layer, greenhouse effect, yadda yadda yadda. Hopefully scientists will figure something out, but as for me..im not changing my way of life over it.

My point is that its not THAT far away and it will be a problem for the generation(s) after us.  With the mentality of, "its not my problem, I\'ll continue to live as wastefully as possible and hope that some random scientist can figure out how to clean up after me" is idiotic.  Yes, this problem might not be that big of a deal, but can you honestly say with 100% certainty that the lifestyle that we as a race, is not negatively affecting the planet?


Edit: after reading over it, looks like I\'m just attacking Viper, which I\'m not.  Sorry.

average ocean temp went up 1 degree in the last century?

:ohnoes:

I think you lost the whole point here

[Evi]

average ocean temp went up 1 degree in the last century?

:ohnoes:

So in 2,000 years it\'ll go up by 20 degrees?

[Viper_Fujax]

My point is that its not THAT far away and it will be a problem for the generation(s) after us.  With the mentality of, "its not my problem, I\'ll continue to live as wastefully as possible and hope that some random scientist can figure out how to clean up after me" is idiotic.  Yes, this problem might not be that big of a deal, but can you honestly say with 100% certainty that the lifestyle that we as a race, is not negatively affecting the planet?


Edit: after reading over it, looks like I\'m just attacking Viper, which I\'m not.  Sorry.

i know you arent attacking, but i do recycle, bought a car that takes almost 2 and a half weeks to fill up and has good smog (who buys a hybrid as their first car,lol), and small things like that..not like i go out of my way to help, but i dont think im affecting the problem like a large portion of the population. Just having a car hurts a lot of problems but cars are a necessity now.

My main point was that we have more things to worry about, that is pretty much the same as "the ocean will rise 3 inches in the nexy century" er however long it is (which has its probability of being from global warming). And i was saying its not specifically my problem because i do small things, and i will have no effect on the situation doing those things, so its up to the scientists who should be thinking right now how to fix the problem(s).

And i honestly dont think we, humans, can change our ways. The best well do is get stricter regulations on things like chemical plants that will help a decent amount. But as for things like smog and how every day people affect the problem, well never get them to do it. Some call that pessimism, i say realism.

Well.....we messed this planet up........time to find a new one

[Titan]

Well.....we messed this planet up........time to find a new one

I\'ve heard great things about Mars.