Acidic Seawater From Climate Change Hurting Keys

Scientists are seeing evidence that the Coral Reefs around the Florida Keys are starting to dissolve due to ocean acidification; as the world warms, seawater gets more and more acidic. According to the article, Scientists predicted this would happen to the coral reefs but not this soon. Apparently, things are heating up; literally!

So far the effect is subtle, not noticeable to the eye, and can only be detected by intricate chemical tests. But as ocean acidification increases, scientists expect more reefs to dissolve and become flatter, and that fish will leave, Langdon said. Also, increasing acidity eats away at the shells of the shellfish, making them easier prey for other fish and harder for humans to harvest. Acidification occurs when oceans absorb more carbon dioxide from the air, altering seawater chemistry. Scientists expected limestone to dissolve, but not until the second half of this century. It's about 40 years early, Langdon said. "This is another one of those cases where we're finding that we're underestimate the level of damage caused by excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reef watch coordinator Mark Eakin, who wasn't part of the research.

I see the environmental catastrophe as a boulder rolling downhill, getting faster and more dangerous the longer it goes on unimpeded. Well, man has done hardly anything to impede nature's downward tumble...Some will say this has happened before and it's just a natural part of the Earth's process(es). However, the rate at which this is occurring is what alarms me. The domino effect to the environment and the lifeforms within the environment are the main worry for me. What says ATS?

www.usnews.com...

Well this is just great. I'm going to be sitting on a beach in the Florida keys very soon and now I have to worry about taking a dip in an acid bath.

I'm being facetious, but this does highlight the fact we need to stop denying what is happening and work to find solutions.

Not to be a smart ass or anything but the article says the following.

"The northern part of the Florida Keys reef has lost about 14 pounds (6.5 kilograms) of limestone over the past six years"

An 8" X 8" X 16" cinder block weighs 28 pounds.

So is the loss a total for the reef or just in one tiny area?

How is warming oceans responsible for acidification in the tropics, again?

I thought runoff from chemical fertilizers change the PH, cause algae blooms, which de oxygenate the water and kill biological life?

Article

a reply to: intrptr

From the OP:

Acidification occurs when oceans absorb more carbon dioxide from the air, altering seawater chemistry.

originally posted by: introvert
a reply to: intrptr

From the OP:

Acidification occurs when oceans absorb more carbon dioxide from the air, altering seawater chemistry.

industrial run off dumps chemicals into the oceans, "altering sea water chemistry". IMO, another reason to invoke climate change, i.e., to protect big industry.

a reply to: lostbook

Many things can cause changes in the PH of water. To say it is due to climate change is ignoring all other things that may contribute such as some of the things mentioned HERE

Let's also not forget the millions of gallons of Corexit dumped into the Gulf after the BP oil spill.

a reply to: intrptr

I was just answering your question.

We have to look at many aspects of this topic to find solutions. All areas are fair game, including big industry.

That is chemistry flowing into the sea that causes most of that. Keep pouring concentrated chemistry into the environment and it will eventually go to the sea.

When will we finally realize that global climate change causes every ill effect that is known to man? Bernie Sanders has even said that ISIS is the result of climate change. Radical religion started by global climate change and it is caused by the United States. If I remember that the middle east has always been a desert well before the US was around.

I really miss the poor polar bears that have drowned. Where was PETA? They said nothing about all the dead bears. All the bears at the south pole are not there anymore...I'm heartbroken! What will we do?

There are those who have denied it form the start. There will be no denying soon.

a reply to: lostbook

Climate change?

Do me a favour, the huge amounts of Oil and specifically corexit poured into the sea would be all that's required to poison the waters for decades...any damage to the keys can be laid firmly at the feet of those who thought it a good idea to further massively pollute already tragically massively polluted waters.

Climate change my arse.

a reply to: lostbook

The denialists keep on harping about "climate alarmists". In truth, most actual scientists are fairly conservative in their predictions in public.

Now, we're starting to see actual observations and results sometimes come out worse than previously predicted.

Mother Nature doesn't care about political balance. It cares about numbers of molecules.

a reply to: MysterX

Explain how petroleum and corexit would dissolve limestone and bleach coral for decades.

(there isn't any).

There is a physical scientific explanation why ocean acidifcation does. Chemistry & physics matter.

originally posted by: MysterX
a reply to: lostbook

Climate change?

Do me a favour, the huge amounts of Oil and specifically corexit poured into the sea would be all that's required to poison the waters for decades...any damage to the keys can be laid firmly at the feet of those who thought it a good idea to further massively pollute already tragically massively polluted waters.

Climate change my arse.

It IS climate change but it's an accelerated change because of man's activities. Oil spills, Corexit, Fukushima, etc are all bad and definitely making a contribution. Things are happening faster than scientists predicted.