Science: Ocean Acidifying So Fast It Threatens Humanity’s Ability to Feed Itself

[babylonsister]

Science: Ocean Acidifying So Fast It Threatens Humanity’s Ability to Feed Itself

By Joe Romm on Mar 2, 2012 at 4:13 pm

The world’s oceans may be turning acidic faster today from human carbon emissions than they did during four major extinctions in the last 300 million years, when natural pulses of carbon sent global temperatures soaring, says a new study in Science. The study is the first of its kind to survey the geologic record for evidence of ocean acidification over this vast time period.

“What we’re doing today really stands out,” said lead author Bärbel Hönisch, a paleoceanographer at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “We know that life during past ocean acidification events was not wiped out—new species evolved to replace those that died off. But if industrial carbon emissions continue at the current pace, we may lose organisms we care about—coral reefs, oysters, salmon.”

That’s the news release from a major 21-author Science paper, “The Geological Record of Ocean Acidification” (subs. req’d).

We knew from a 2010 Nature Geoscience study that the oceans are now acidifying 10 times faster today than 55 million years ago when a mass extinction of marine species occurred. But this study looked back over 300 million and found that “the unprecedented rapidity of CO2 release currently taking place” has put marine life at risk in a frighteningly unique way:

more...

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/03/02/436193/science-ocean-acidifying-so-fast-it-threatens-humanity-ability-to-feed-itself/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

[freefall]

1. Better stock up on nonperishables before it's too late. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. What various forms of baking soda are available?

Whatever they are, maybe we should farm and dump it somewhere where there are little signs of sea life and hope it makes a difference?

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. And this was predicted decades ago!

I swear mankind was developed so it would die out.
The benefit of a bigger brain seems to be over ridden by the capability of gigantic denial.