Article: Global warming threatens marine life

By Jim Lobe

As if overfishing and coastal pollution were not destructive enough, global warming posed a potentially lethal threat to many marine species.

From tropical coral reefs to polar-ice edge communities, and from tiny zooplankton to polar bears, scientists have documented worrying declines in marine life which they believed could be at attributed, at least partly, to the impact of global warming.

The new report, "Turning Up the Heat: How Global Warming Threatens Life in the Sea" - compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) - warned that whole species could be wiped out by warmer waters.

The report was based on an extensive review of studies and a meeting earlier this year of some of the world's leading marine researchers. It said that warmer surface air temperatures, which most scientists blamed on the emission of greenhouse gases, also were gradually warming the world's oceans.

Surface water temperature had risen by about one degree Celsius over the past century and were expected to increase by up to another three degrees in the next 100 years if emissions - caused mainly by the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas - continued at current rates.

Marine life already was threatened by a number of human activities, the report pointed out. Overfishing had resulted in the collapse of major fisheries, and destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling had devastated the habitat of the sea floor.

Coastal development and other activities that resulted in the pollution of coastal waters had converted whole areas of the oceans into so-called "dead zones," while the invasion of alien species, often carried in ships' ballast water to distant habitats, has wiped out many native marine species around the world.

"Global climate change is an additional stress on already stressed species and ecosystems, and may be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for many types of marine life," according to the 47-page report.

The increasingly frequent appearance of the El Nino weather phenomenon during the past 20 years provided a glimpse into the impact that can be expected from long-term global warming, the report said.

El Nino results from changes in atmospheric pressure in the Pacific Ocean and is associated with higher sea surface temperatures and sea levels, lower nutrients, and increased intensity of storms and storm surges.

Recent El Ninos have proved lethal to marine life, with the death of up to 98% of coral reefs in some regions. El Nino also has wreaked havoc in stocks of sardines and anchovies in Perua, marine iguanas and kelp forests off California and some species of seals, sea lions and seabirds.

Some scientists believe that global warming itself may be increasing the frequency of El Nino.

It occurred in five of the first seven years of the 1990's, a sharp increase from its pattern of the previous 7,000 years of every two to 8.5 years. The 1997-98 El Nino was the strongest on record.

Rising marine temperatures, according to the report, influence all kinds of ocean conditions, including sea levels, critical to the survival of microscopic phytoplankton, the base of the food web; and the circulation of the deep ocean between the poles and the tropics.

Because polar regions will experience the greatest overall temperature change from global warming, the biological impacts - many of which have already been observed - will be greatest there.

Sea ice, which provides a platform for many marine mammals and penguins, as well as a surface for algae that produce phytoplankton, is diminishing in both the Arctic and the Antarctic, according to the report.

"As this area diminishes, so does the food available to each higher level on the web, from zooplankton to seabirds," the report says. Penguins in Antarctica and Crabeater seals are already declining in some areas as the ice recedes.

Reef fish and intertidal invertebrates, such as anemones, crabs and snails in California provide evidence that fish and other species are shifting toward the poles in response to ocean warming, the report said.

In Europe, researchers also have observed a trend of species of butterflies and birds to gradually move north to live out their live cycle. A University of Leeds study found that many bird species in Britain had moved an average of 12 miles to the north over the past 20 years.

Coral reefs have proved to be particularly sensitive to warming.

As surface temperatures have risen in recent years, many reefs have bleached - meaning they expel the colourful algae that produce the foods on which they rely - and, if temperatures remain too high for too long and bleaching persists, the corals die.

That is happening around the world, according to the report. "In 1998, the hottest year in at least six centuries, coral suffered the most extensive and severe bleaching and subsequent mortality in the modern record."

New studies have found that Pacific salmon, especially sockeye, are particularly vulnerable to temperature changes which affect their metabolism. The warmer the water, the more food they need to stay alive.

In 1997-1998, higher sea temperatures during the winter may have led to the collapse of western Alaskan salmon populations, according to the report which concluded that the Pacific sockeye and other salmon species may soon be at risk of extinction.

Similarly, reductions in phytoplankton caused by warmer sea temperatures have devastating effects on predators, such as seabirds and marine mammals, at the top of the food web.

Scientists already have established a connection between warmer water and declining reproduction and increased mortality among different species of seabirds and seals and sea lions along the US Pacific coast affected by the El Nino phenomenon. (IPS)

 

 

Interview with Faculty person Dr. Muhammad Atiq-ur-Rahman B.Sc. CRP (UET), M.Sc. UDP & EM (Bangkok), Ph.D. S.E.(Japan) Post-Doc. (Japan) Associate Prof. of Environmental Sciences Department Lahore College for Women University on Global Warming Issue.

Rabia Yousaf: As you think about the range of threats facing the world today–specifically those that have the potential to cause cataclysmic harm–such as climate change, global pandemics, and your particular expertise, nuclear disaster, where on the field do you place the nuclear risk in relation to other critical challenges?

Dr. Muhammad Atiq-ur-Rahman : We face many challenges in our personal lives, our communities and our nations.  But two stand out in their seriousness and consequences:  global warming and nuclear weapons.  Both threaten destruction on a planetary scale.  Both are caused by machines we built. Both are preventable and reversible.  But both require new ways of thinking and new leadership to find solutions.  Continuing with current policies courts global catastrophe. Other problems also cause or could cause massive human suffering, such as war in the Middle East or the poverty conditions of much of humanity.  And others can have global consequences, such as pandemics.  But only nuclear weapons and global warming have the potential for fundamentally altering or even ending all that human civilization has accomplished over the past millennia.

Rabia Yousaf:  What do you think should or can be done to improve the effects of global warming going forward?
 

 Dr. Muhammad Atiq-ur-Rahman:  I’m in favor of air capture, not just sequestering carbon dioxide at power plants, but actually sucking it out of the air and burying it.  Klaus Lackner at Columbia has devised a system for doing this with membranes.  The membranes love to bind CO₂ when they’re dry, but then it can easily be washed out (Sometimes called “artificial trees,” Lackner’s technology can reportedly remove about 1000 times more carbon dioxide from the air than could a real tree of the same size).  

Rabia Yousaf:  I can’t imagine who will pay for that…

Dr. Muhammad Atiq-ur-Rahman:  This technology won’t change the playing field for the energy companies, so some sort of carbon tax will have to be charged, when people use carbon-based fuels.  Of course, the consumer will pay it.  When people start feeling the real effects of global warming, they will be ready to do something.

Rabia Yousaf: Lastly, what is the core driver for you to work on this issue day in and day out, and what is truly at stake if we don’t get it right?

Dr. Muhammad Atiq-ur-Rahman: People often fail to realize just how completely destructive these weapons are. Mankind has the power to destroy human life as we know it. The use of one nuclear weapon would be devastating, ten would be unimaginable, and one hundred would cause destruction beyond anything humankind has ever seen. We have thousands. I do not believe that fallible human beings can control this destructive power indefinitely.

Our troops, our public and our nation deserve a smarter, safer policy.  If we miss this opportunity to modernize our security policies to meet the needs of the 21^st Century, we could slip back into a world of more nuclear states, more nuclear arms races, and greater risk of nuclear terrorism.  I believe we are smarter than this.  I am optimistic that over the next few years we will make the right choices, choose the right strategies and budgets and move step by step towards few weapons and greater security.  That is not just my vision, it is my passion.

Global Warming Awareness Poster. (Designed by Rabx Malik)

Global Warming Awareness Poster. Designed By Rabx Malik

Global Warming Awareness Broucher (inner+outer side) Designed By Rabx Malik

Global warming solutions - "Saving the earth: For next generation”

By:  Rabia Yousaf

Saving earth is everyone's responsibility. The damages done to the earth resources have to be slowed-down and eventually stop if we want our children and grand-children to enjoy a healthy outdoor life like we can.

The big polluters have been pointed and rules and regulations to diminish the toxic gas emissions have been put into place. Manufacturers are now targeted to ensure they lower their pollution production.

The best change is to try and teach our next generation of kids to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient. We have to stop all forms of mainstream utilization of fossil fuels. And to most who believe their one small appliance doesn't do much damage, they are wrong. You are a contributing factor that is capable of producing several tons of Carbon Dioxide every year, how much you expel depends on your lifestyle. The problem is the Earth has reached it's carrying capacity for the human population. We are slowly taking over and have already impacted EVERY piece of wildlife known to man, either directly or indirectly through pollution, farming, Logging, habitat fragmentation, construction, and hunting/poaching. We just all need to play our part to help the right people (who have the power to change things) understand the value and ecological importance of the factors nature contributes to us.

Its about time to give back to our wonderful planet by taking good care of her.

It is now the high time to do our own share in protecting Earth and her wonderful creatures for next generation.

Our planet is indeed gasping for breath right now, our harmful pollutions is indeed choking her slowly and continues to stripped her with her ozone layer. I think it is about time to give our timely response to this alarming state of the only planet we live in, by doing our own share of protecting her with doing simple things that will surely stir big difference. For if not, we might be harming ourselves in the years ahead as well, for nature has its own destructive way of getting back at us humans, the signs of earth's displeasure with inappropriate and harmful activities of humans are now seen and felt all across the globe like the global warming, climate change, acid rain, drought, flash floods and other forms of natural catastrophes. Here are some practical and small ways that could help our planet get a sigh of relief. Collective small efforts by those who are genuinely concerned with earth's welfare will inevitably help her by great leap and bounds.

1. Don’t allow your children to free those colorful balloons in mid air. Teach your children not to release these balloons. For balloons that escaped the grasps of your children that will get into oceans and seas will be mistaken as yummy jellyfish by sea turtles. Sea turtles takes a lot of years to mature and unfortunately some of them got killed by eating balloon or plastic bags. Sea turtles are part of the delicate cycle and if their population is affected other species of marine creatures are also under threat.

2. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Make it a habit to reduce the things we need or we consume. Purchase only things that we only need and eat only what you can. Let us do our share not to be part of the problem or should I say part of the garbage problem. Reuse all the things that can still be repaired/fixed or those things that are still okay.

Recycle things to conserve our resources, collect old newspapers, books, magazines, used papers, bottles (plastic and glass), and any other things that you could sell in junkyards. There is money in garbage and at the same time we’re doing our part in recycling process.

3. Be kind to trees. As much as possible use forests products and timber very well with optimum efficiency. You may use the back of coupons, use pencils until it become as small as possible, and don’t play with matches. Try to get involved in tree planting in your local conservation program. This could be fun as trees can give us added oxygen, shades for people and a refuge to different insects and birds.

4. Broken scientific apparatus like thermometer, barometers, manometers, sphygmanometers, and float valves and other things that have mercury on it should be disposed properly. Avoid throwing this in rivers for mercury is toxic and poisonous.

5. Minimize the use refrigerators, foam blowers, solvents, aerosol spray propellants, fire extinguishers, and chemical reagents for these contains chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that are responsible to the climate change and depletion of our precious ozone layer. Do not burn plastic please this habit is also harmful to our ozone layer.

6. Do not buy exotic and endangered animals. These animals are intended to be in the wild not as mere decorations to your home or as pets or playthings.

7. Educate our children, friends and even our local community about the harmful effects of dynamite fishing, illegal logging, animal poaching, over reliance to wood products and other environmental issues.

8. Do not even bother to try eating exotic and endangered animals for they are not intended to be part of human’s diet. Let the other predatory animal do the stalking and eating hehehe you’re not fit to be a lion. One of the most badly hit by these human's hunger for delicious foods are the sharks (shark fin soup), sturgeon (sturgeon roes - caviar- are valued for their great taste and one of the most prized eats in the world), snakes, sea turtles and many other animals.

9. Do not patronize things (coats, purse, belt, etc.) that are made up of an endangered animal or animal part (like skin, fur, bones, tusks, antlers, etc.).

10. Be responsible with your garbage, dispose them properly. Also try to use segregation scheme with your trashes, separate those decomposable from those that are not. You may utilize a compost pit to house all of your organic trashes and eventually use this as your fertilizer for your backyard garden or to your plants.

11. Do the traditional way of helping to conserve our environment by virtue of avoiding smoke-belching, saving electrical energy by employing tips (like regular cleaning of our bulb and fluorescent light in our home, use only appliances when needed, avoiding dripping of water from our faucets, and reporting any case of broken water pipelines to local government).

12. Support any environmental conservation in your community, you may give some donations if this will not bother you to support their cause. You may also join them in their information dissemination drive and campaign as well. You may also do things that can benefit our environment. If you're living in nearby beaches try putting old tires in the sea, this will serve as sanctuary for fishes to lay their eggs and for a place to hide from predators. You may have some vegetation (vegetables, trees or ornamental plants) in your own backyard, for extra oxygen in your area.

13. Support and visit eco tours near you, these may promote awareness about the importance of ecology to your children, relative and friends.

14. When visiting any tourism site/protected parks please be responsible with your trashes as much as possible adhere to the rules and regulations of the park even if no one is looking at you.

15. Learn how to appreciate nature and her gifts to mankind and support any environmental campaigns that will help nurture and protect the only planet we live in.

Article: global warming - "Climate Changes Due to Global Warming"

By: Nathalie Fiset

While the drastic effects of global warming has been discussed in many scientific circles, had their run on TV and even had major exposure through well-meaning (but sadly inaccurate) Hollywood films, it's a concern that has a broad political, economic, social and geographical significance to countries all over the world. Quite literally, for all of us, there is nowhere to hide, nowhere to run and we can't stop the climate from changing. It's just way too big for us.

How to recognize global warming Whether or not it's brewing something good or something bad, Nature always tries to warn us through many signs. The slow process involved in global warming results in many different things and some of its signs include:

Melting of glaciers Most of the mountain glaciers on our planet that have been monitored for the past 150 years are reportedly shrinking. The glaciers most affected by global warming those located in the lower latitudes and many of them are disappearing. If glaciers continue to shrink, it could affect water supply in areas that depend heavily upon mountain watersheds.

If the scenarios of global warming continue, most of the glaciers that still stand today will disappear by 2100.

Ocean warming Sea level increase is attributed to warmer temperatures, which in turn result to the melting of ice glaciers. Over the last 100 years, sea level has increased from 10 cm to 25 cm. Projections over the next hundred years indicate that sea level will rise higher, from about 15 cm to 90 cm. Based on the higher figure, that's about 3 feet.

Translated, this could mean that beaches lose about 50 feet of area for every foot of increase in sea level. Some islands may even disappear beneath sea water completely.

Heat waves Heat waves and periods of weather that are unusually warm are also signs of global warming. These may come about with varying degrees of their severity and frequency, causing concerns in the economics and health on a global scale.

How global warming brings climate change and what it means to us The earth's climate has always been changing, although not at an abrupt rate. There had been periods of warming and cooling in the earth's 4.65 billion-year history. Strange as it may sound to some, this is the reason why life became possible on this planet millions of years ago. Unfortunately, not all of the changes in climate brought about by global warming may be beneficial to many of us.

For one, global warming will raise the temperatures in some regions of the Northern Hemisphere, causing the melting of mountain glaciers. This means that areas that are currently experiencing light snow may no longer experience snowfall anymore. Snowlines found in mountains in temperate regions may also be higher and packs of snow will melt earlier than before.

Spring may be experienced earlier and temperatures during night time and in winter will rise. The world will experience a more humid atmosphere since sea water will have a higher rate of evaporation. With greater humidity, rainfall is expected to increase on average.

Storms will also occur with more frequency and intensity. Ironically, water in the soil will evaporate faster, causing dryness between rains. Regions that are already considered dry will experience more dryness. Some semi-arid regions in the African continent, for example, may suffer more while areas that depend on their region's mountain snow packs for irrigation will not benefit from earlier melting between growing seasons.

With warmer weather, some hurricanes will be more severe and winds are expected to blow stronger. It is also possible that wind patterns may shift. Extremely cold periods may be experienced as well.

The phenomenon known as El Nino may occur in more frequency and severity. This is expected to affect different regions in many countries. All in all, scientists will have some difficulty in predicting weather patterns.

With changes in climate brought about by global warming, health concerns and risks may also increase. Heat stress and diseases may become common in places that did not have any problems with them before.

Global warming is an issue that requires immediate action. Even plants and animal species are adversely affected by it. While many of the changes that occur in our planet are totally out of our hands, we have been direct contributors to events that have had negative effects on our environment. This is why many leading social and scientific organizations have urged nations to cooperate in the move to counter this worldwide problem before it's too late.