Ocean News

I guess the Earth and it's oceans don't have enough resources for us. The trials and tribulations of being Earth's apex predator are endless, now we're privatizing the moon.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...see-spacex-and-others/?utm_term=.80bde55fe592

 

Not a bad idea.
At least the Moon and asteroids don't have fragile, biological systems to destroy.

Its a shame that the rockets dump 440 tonnes of Co2 into the atmosphere on every launch. :-(

 

Arctic temperatures soar 45 degrees above normal, flooded by extremely mild air on all sides | Washington Post

While the Eastern United States simmers in some of its warmest February weather ever recorded, the Arctic is also stewing in temperatures more than 45 degrees above normal. This latest huge temperature spike in the Arctic is another striking indicator of its rapidly transforming climate.

Temperatures over the entire Arctic north of 80 degrees latitude have averaged about 10 degrees (6 Celsius) above normal since the beginning of the calendar year, sometimes spiking over 25 degrees (14 Celsius) above normal (the normal temperature is around minus-22, or minus-30 Celsius).

 

Global sea ice is at lowest level ever recorded | New Scientist

It’s a new low point. The area of the world’s oceans covered by floating sea ice is the smallest recorded since satellite monitoring began in the 1970s. That means it is also probably the lowest it has been for thousands of years.

In the Arctic, the low in sea ice coverage is a result of both global warming and unusual weather events probably influenced by global warming. But in the Antarctic, the current low in seasonal sea ice could just be a result of natural variability.

 

Climate change is imperiling half of all U.S. military sites globally | Think Progress

A new study from the Pentagon reveals that almost half of all U.S. military sites are threatened by climate change. The findings stand in stark contrast to the White House’s position on global warming and climate science.

Around 1,700 sites around the world, ranging from outposts to large bases, are imperiled by drought, wind, and flooding, the Pentagon study reveals. The report is the first investigation into the impact “a changing climate” might have on at least 3,500 U.S. military spaces.

 

Committed sea-level rise under the Paris Agreement and the legacy of delayed mitigation action | Nature Communications

Abstract

Sea-level rise is a major consequence of climate change that will continue long after emissions of greenhouse gases have stopped. The 2015 Paris Agreement aims at reducing climate-related risks by reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero and limiting global-mean temperature increase. Here we quantify the effect of these constraints on global sea-level rise until 2300, including Antarctic ice-sheet instabilities. We estimate median sea-level rise between 0.7 and 1.2 m, if net-zero greenhouse gas emissions are sustained until 2300, varying with the pathway of emissions during this century. Temperature stabilization below 2 °C is insufficient to hold median sea-level rise until 2300 below 1.5 m. We find that each 5-year delay in near-term peaking of CO2 emissions increases median year 2300 sea-level rise estimates by ca. 0.2 m, and extreme sea-level rise estimates at the 95th percentile by up to 1 m. Our results underline the importance of near-term mitigation action for limiting long-term sea-level rise risks.

 

Even Oil Companies Are Now Saying Climate Change Will Hurt Their Business |TIME

In its annual energy outlook released last week, BP said that it expected oil demand to peak in the next two decades as renewable energy grows and consumers purchase hundreds of millions of electric vehicles. In an outlook released in February, Exxon Mobil projected a peak in demand for gasoline in the coming decades and acknowledged that some of its assets “may not be attractive investments” as a result of the shifting energy market.

“The recognition of the energy transition has grown over the past year with the oil and gas players,” says Marie-Helene Ben Samoun, managing director of the Boston Consulting Group’s oil and gas practice. “They are not only acknowledging global warming, but they are also acknowledging the energy transition and the impact on their own portfolio.”

 

Oil companies lamenting about climate change impacting their portfolios. They are victims, not perpetrators. Sure, that makes sense.

 

These starfish should have moved to a better climate. Apparently they are too lazy.

 

C'mon Sam Sam. I'm on board with climate change, but those starfish didnt die from warmer oceans. Lets keep the science accurate.

"They said it’s a virus that’s different from all other known viruses infecting marine organisms. They’ve dubbed it “sea star associated densovirus.”"
Scientists solve mystery of West Coast starfish plague https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/scientists-solve-mystery-of-west-coast-starfish-deaths

 

Hi Rwatson
The link you posted did say climate change may of caused the star fish virus to be more susceptible to the viral infection.

"The research team also plans to continue investigating environental factors such as warming water and ocean acidification that may have caused starfish to be more susceptible to the viral infection."

 

Fair enough, but I think you'll find that virus attacks on all sorts of marine organisms are as common as humans getting the flu. Whole local populations of shellfish get wiped out seasonally as a matter of course around the world, and has been for hundreds of years.

The average drop of seawater has 10 million viruses in it, and they aint there for decoration. Its not worth "boosting" ocean warming propaganda for the sake of one or two iffy calls. We don't want more ammunitions for skeptics.

 

Changing Oceans Breed Disease
According to Drew Harvell, an expert on marine infectious diseases and professor of ecology at Cornell University, the effects of climate change are “a double whammy” because they simultaneously help pathogens while harming their hosts. Because of the particulars of their environmental preferences, “a lot of marine bacteria, viruses, and fungi grow better at warmer temperatures,” she explains. At the same time, the animals they infect are weakened by the hotter temps. “It’s a perfect storm of trouble.”

https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46386/title/Changing-Oceans-Breed-Disease/
In the planet’s warming and acidifying oceans, species from corals to lobsters and fish are succumbing to pathogenic infection.
And corals are not alone. Warming and acidifying oceans appear to be contributing to an uptick in diseases among other species, too. From 2013 to 2015, an unprecedented outbreak of sea star wasting disease decimated populations of 20 different species from Mexico to Alaska, killing 90 percent of the sea stars in some areas. Since 2000, young Caribbean lobsters have been falling victim to a viral infection that leaves them with no energy to move or eat. Oysters3 and abalone4 have been plagued by Vibrio bacteria, and numerous fish species are regularly attacked by the protozoan Ichthyophonus.5 In many of these cases, the disease outbreaks have been linked to climate change.



And the there is
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/05/the-deadly-diseases-being-released-by-climate-change/

The deadly diseases being released as ice thaws
What would happen if we were suddenly exposed to deadly bacteria and viruses that have been absent for thousands of years? We may be about to find out.
Climate change is melting permafrost soils that have been solid for thousands of years, and as the soils melt they have the potential to release ancient viruses and bacteria that may be capable of springing back to life.

 

“a lot of marine bacteria, viruses, and fungi grow better at warmer temperatures,”
V
"They said it’s a virus that’s different from all other known viruses infecting marine organisms."

So , there is NO WAY of knowing the effect that warmer temperatures or PH have had. You can't go making uninformed guesses.

 

Its logic so, there is YES WAY of knowing bacteria, viruses, and fungi grow better at warmer temperatures "global warming" human pollution and acidification etc. etc to help rot the ocean.
The worst virus,fungi and bacteria to plague the ocean are humans.