By Whitney Peterson, Solutions Fellow
Source: NASA
Climate change will certainly transform life on land, and scientists are now discovering more about how a changing climate will transform life in the oceans. Using a computer model of historical ocean circulation and oxygen changes, scientists from the University of California, Colorado State University, and the University of Washington found dead zones — areas of extremely low oxygen — will likely expand in the Pacific Ocean because of climate change.
Dead zones, which currently take up about 5% of the ocean’s volume, are created when oxygen-consuming bacteria decompose algae and other organic matter.
Dead zones can reshape entire marine ecosystems, forcing some species out of the area and killing other species that can’t escape the low-oxygen conditions. In addition to being low in life-sustaining oxygen, dead zones are also low in nitrogen, a critical nutrient for marine plants.
Using historical ocean circulation records, the scientists found that dead zones in the Pacific have always fluctuated with natural climate variation but are now being influenced by climate change. As water temperatures climb, less oxygen is dissolved in surface waters and circulated to deeper waters. This can allow dead zones to expand throughout the lower levels of the ocean.
The somewhat good news is that the expansion of dead zones may take a while. As Curtis Deutsch, the lead author of the study, said, “Global warming will almost certainly influence the amount of oxygen in the ocean, but we expect it to be a slow effect that takes place over long periods of time.” Although we may not see the expansion of dead zones in the immediate future, this is just one example of numerous ways climate change is affecting the Earth’s oceans.
Low oxygen has become a problem even in all lakes and ponds around the world killing many species of life, most of the cause is man made from chemicals from house cleaners to farming agriculture additives, insect and weed killers.
Mow we have new threats in the Gulf of Mexico of oil, Corexit and a product called Sea Brat 4 release into the Gulf to sink oil in 2010 as well as Corexit’s used for months in the Pacific above Australia to sink oil during a 74 day gusher of oil.
Newest yet is RADIATION from Japan recorded in April being 7 and a half million times over legal limits !
The so called filter they claim to removing an isotope does not work as been reported off line and om line, so where is the radioactive 400 tons of water being sprayed daily to cool the reactors melt downs.
We are in serious shape and we will be impacted in ways unimaginable with cancers via through air, water and lands !
News about I found here is my best source.
http://enenews.com/
let this be a lesson this is no joke Oceans die we die with it there’s all ready food shortage an now the Amazon Rain Forest is being cut down next there will be a war in the UNITED STATES Because the Government wants to play hide the money an keep every thing a Secret whats to hide there hiding things like there not doing the job wright to clean up the air or try to even lower the gas prices the gas company’s an the Government pocking the money an fighting wars we don’t need to be in another thing i don’t vote for puppet’s that say they are better than the last guy an say there going to change the country either thing is this world don’t have five or ten year’s to wait for Renewed power like i say talk is cheap is a must action another thing whats going on in japan why can they get there act together they going back to nuclear i see there at fault for most polluting in the Ocean an Killing Dolphins an Whales wear’s the Nuclear wast at or what are they going to do dump it in to the Ocean the Japanese suppose to be smart not be stupid an do things wrong