{"id":16007,"date":"2011-10-21T14:58:15","date_gmt":"2011-10-21T21:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kqed.org\/climatewatch\/?p=16007"},"modified":"2011-10-21T14:58:15","modified_gmt":"2011-10-21T21:58:15","slug":"noaa-chief-the-climate-crisis-the-media-is-missing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.kqed.org\/climatewatch\/2011\/10\/21\/noaa-chief-the-climate-crisis-the-media-is-missing\/","title":{"rendered":"NOAA Chief: The Climate Crisis the Media is Missing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carbon Emissions and Osteoporosis of the Sea<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ocean Acidification<\/a> topped the list of concerns for a panel of marine scientists opening the annual Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Miami this week.<\/p>\n

The topic was oceans, and when moderator Nancy Baron<\/a> of the science education group, COMPASS asked the scientists to \u201cTell us how it is, really,\u201d panelist and top NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said that rapidly rising acidity in the ocean is a \u201chuge challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the most important under-reported global environmental story today,\u201d she said. \u201cThe ocean has become 30% more acidic over the last century, and this massive change is likely to have serious impacts, and it\u2019s likely to get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

And where it\u2019s playing out first<\/a>, said Lubchenco, is the Pacific Northwest. Coastal Washington and Oregon, she said, are \u201cground zero\u201d for ocean acidification, due to upwelling from the deep ocean<\/a> and local runoff that exacerbates the already acidifying sea.<\/p>\n

An increasingly acidic ocean, she said, is sometimes referred to as \u201costeoporosis of the sea\u201d because it affects the \u201chard parts\u201d of organisms, causing shells to break down, or not form at all. This is not only lethal for the organisms themselves, she said, but it also disrupts the entire food chain. Lubchenco said new research is showing that rising acidity also affects organisms\u2019 sense of smell and impacts reproduction. \u201cThis is an unfolding story,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lubchenco said more research and monitoring is needed, but that\u2019s unlikely to happen in this tough economic climate. She recommended that action be taken at the local level to reduce runoff into the sea, particularly nitrogen pollution, and to prevent overfishing and invasive species.\u00a0 But the only long-term solution, she said, is for the world to reduce carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

For an explanation of how carbon emissions influence ocean acidification, and what that means for the world\u2019s marine ecosystems, check out this four-minute video from NOAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n