[New post] Ocean acidification: one less thing to worry about

Ocean acidification: one less thing to worry about Anne-Marin Nisumaa | 13 January 2011 at 10:23 | Categories: Media coverage | URL: http://wp.me/p2Y1l-1u3

Carbon dioxide has been named as the chief culprit in rampant "ocean acidification" which, according to environmentalists on the Natural Resources Defense Council, will soon start killing off fish and dissolving coral reefs, putting a major dent in the seafood and eco-tourism industries.
According to a 2009 statement by Britain's Royal Society, co-signed by Dr. James Hansen, of NASA's Goddard Center, and Dr. Mark Spalding of The Nature Conservancy:
"Temperature‐induced mass coral bleaching causing widespread mortality on the Great Barrier Reef and many other reefs of the world started when atmospheric CO2 exceeded 320ppm.
"At today's level of ~ 387ppm CO2, reefs are seriously declining and time‐lagged effects will result in their continued demise with parallel impacts on other marine and coastal ecosystems...
"Proposals to limit CO2 levels to 450ppm will not prevent the catastrophic loss of coral reefs from the combined effects of global warming and ocean acidification. To ensure the long‐term viability of coral reefs the atmospheric CO2 level must be reduced significantly below 350ppm."
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[New post] Stanford seminar series. "Ocean Acidification as the other CO2 problem: present and future impacts on marine ecosystems"

Stanford seminar series. "Ocean Acidification as the other CO2 problem: present and future impacts on marine ecosystems" Anne-Marin Nisumaa | 13 January 2011 at 10:18 | Categories: Meetings | URL: http://wp.me/p2Y1l-1u1

Event Type: Seminar
Event Date and Time: January 13, 2011 - 3:15pm - 4:45pm

Location
Y2E2 Building, Room 300
473 Via Ortega
Stanford

Sponsor: Stanford's chapter of The Coastal Society

Abstract: Panel to discuss ocean acidification, outlining main challenges in field studies, modeling studies, and future directions in ocean acidification research that would be most effective in influencing marine policy.
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[New post] Ph.D. Fellowship, “Effects of ocean acidification on calcification and incorporation of elements and isotopes in Mediterranean Pteropods and Foraminifers”

Ph.D. Fellowship, "Effects of ocean acidification on calcification and incorporation of elements and isotopes in Mediterranean Pteropods and Foraminifers" Anne-Marin Nisumaa | 13 January 2011 at 10:08 | Categories: Jobs | URL: http://wp.me/p2Y1l-1tV

A PhD fellowship to work on "Effects of ocean acidification on calcification and incorporation of elements and isotopes in Mediterranean Pteropods and Foraminifers" is available within the EU FP7 project "Mediterranean Sea Acidification in a changing climate" ("MedSea").

Ocean acidification affects not only the calcification potential of marine organisms but also the incorporation of (trace) element and isotope fractionation. Insights in the effects of ocean acidification on calcification are necessary to project possible consequences for aragonitic organisms such as pteropods and calcitic ones such as Foraminifers. They are key players in the food-webs and biogeochemical cycles. Furthermore, the elemental and isotopic composition of fossil shells are a valuable tool to reconstruct paleoclimates and investigating the impact of ocean acidification on shell geochemistry is invaluable for a better understanding of past ocean acidification events.

Responsibilities: The applicant will carry out laboratory-controlled experiments, manipulating the carbonate system as well as other environmental parameters, to investigate how ongoing ocean acidification is affecting the calcifying potential of Pteropods and Foraminifers and how ocean acidification interacts with other stressors. The following processes will be measured on live specimens: calcification, respiration, nutrition, excretion and life cycles. The effects on the carbonate polymorph and the ultra-structure will be investigated with Raman spectroscopy, SEM and AFM. Impacts on the elemental and isotope composition will be analysed using a laser ablation multi-collector ICP-MS.
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[New post] Tipping Point: a new documentary on ocean acidification (with video)

Tipping Point: a new documentary on ocean acidification (with video) Anne-Marin Nisumaa | 13 January 2011 at 09:59 | Categories: Media coverage | URL: http://wp.me/p2Y1l-1tS

Increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are not only causing global warming. The oceans are also absorbing huge quantities of CO2 which in turn is changing their chemical composition, severely damaging the marine environment.

By following leading international researchers, "Tipping Point" takes us around the world and underwater to discover how ocean acidification is changing marine ecosystems and what scientific solutions can be found to solve the problem.
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