The Green Grok Blogs on Oceans
Arctic Plankton Sing the Global Warming Blues
by Bill ChameidesOct 28, 2009
filed under: climate change, Arctic, oceans, Pulse of the Planet, global warming, research, phytoplankton, science
The canary in the climate change mine is singing a new and slightly different tune.
Living on the Edge
by Bill ChameidesSep 28, 2009
filed under: social science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, climate change, nutrient runoff, water pollution, climate disruption, agriculture, Anthropocene, The Limits to Growth, boundaries, particulate matter, ocean acidification, carbon dioxide emissions, oceans, global warming, water, chemical pollution, Holocene, climate, biodiversity, Thomas Malthus, ozone hole, Club of Rome, pollution
Are there limits to how much we can grow as a society and survive?
You Are What Your Farmed Fish Eat
by Bill ChameidesSep 14, 2009
filed under: food, science, fish, oceans, Pulse of the Planet, paper, aquaculture, waste, farmed fish, overfishing
You can take the fish out of the ocean and raise them in a farm, but you don’t necessarily get the ocean’s protein from the farmed fish.
Medieval Warm Period and Hockey Stick Revisited
by Bill ChameidesAug 31, 2009
filed under: hockey stick, Medieval Warm Period, climate change, oceans, Pulse of the Planet, global warming, Michael Mann, Delia Oppo, temperatures, carbon dioxide emissions, U.S. National Academy of Sciences
Were global temperatures during the beginning of the last millennium as warm as today? New study says ”yes.“ But what does it mean?
Ocean Acidification Time Bomb Is Ticking
by Bill ChameidesAug 05, 2009
filed under: climate, oceans, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, calcifier, global warming, Svante Arrhenius, ocean acidification, carbon dioxide emissions
While the world argues about the effects of and solutions to carbon dioxide (CO2) on climate, the ocean is slowly but inexorably becoming more acidic.
To Stabilize a Shoreline or Not - and Why (Not)
by Orrin PilkeyAug 04, 2009
filed under: sea level rise, Orrin Pilkey, shoreline, The Corps and the Shore, erosion, The Rising Sea, oceans, jetty, terminal groin, Bogue Inlet, Presque Isle, beach, seawall
Ocean shorelines are eroding virtually everywhere. But seawalls and artificial beaches — the main methods used to halt erosion — often make long-range problems worse by encouraging more development (read high rises). A bad idea at a time of rising sea level.
It’s High Tide Along the East Coast Side
by Bill ChameidesAug 03, 2009
filed under: sea level rise, ice sheets, El Nino-Southern Oscillation, oceans, El Nino, NAO, global warming, East Coast, high tides, North Atlantic Oscillation, temperatures, climate change, ENSO, science
It’s been a very strange summer for East Coasters. Lots of rain and, while the globe has experienced record warm temperatures, it’s been relatively cool on the East Coast. In fact New York City is on track to have the coolest summer on record.
To Geo-engineer or Not to Geo-engineer
by Bill ChameidesJun 24, 2009
filed under: fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions, geo-engineering, climate change, oceans, phytoplankton, global warming, ocean acidification, science, carbon dioxide emissions
Imagine tinkering with the climate system to cancel out global warming — the stuff of mad scientists or global saviors?
Day After Tomorrow Not Any Time Soon
by Bill ChameidesJun 03, 2009
filed under: abrupt climate change, climate, Geophysical Research Letters, oceans, Pulse of the Planet, ice, research, ice sheets, ice age, Younger-Dryas, climate disruption, Amy Bower, climate change, Susan Lozier, science
Model simulations predict a global warming-induced ice age is not in the cards this century. Cool ... or should I say, "Neat"?
Two Bits of Good News on the Climate Front
by Bill ChameidesMay 27, 2009
filed under: Caribbean, climate change, oceans, American Samoa, global warming, coral reefs, United States, paper, ocean acidification, climate disruption, science, carbon dioxide emissions, research
Some encouraging developments: lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and a chance for coral reefs.
Deep Ocean Revisions Do Not Spell Global Warming Rethink
by Bill ChameidesMay 20, 2009
filed under: climate, climate change, oceans, Pulse of the Planet, global warming, research, science
A new paper suggests that our model for the circulation of the deep ocean may be wrong. But claims that all global warming science should therefore be thrown overboard just don’t hold water.
Staring Down the Double-Barrel Climate Shotgun
by Bill ChameidesApr 29, 2009
filed under: wetlands, climate change, oceans, Pulse of the Planet, global warming, research, climate disruption, science, carbon dioxide emissions, permafrost, methane
Surprises in the climate system can very quickly make global warming a whole lot worse than predicted. One such surprise could come from a sudden release of methane, from one or both of two major sources. Thanks to a new paper, we probably know which barrel of that double-barrel shotgun to worry about first.
Statistically Speaking: How Much Exxon Valdez Oil Remains?
by Bill ChameidesMar 20, 2009
filed under: crude oil, wildlife, oil, Statistically Speaking, fish, oceans, Exxon Valdez, oil spill, birds
Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill continues to threaten wildlife and fish in the Prince William Sound ecosystem (see our post from Wednesday). But how much oil is left?
Exxon Valdez 20 Years Later
by Bill ChameidesMar 18, 2009
filed under: oil, waste, oil company, oil spill, oceans, Exxon Valdez, Prince William Sound, ecosystems, fossil fuels, pollution
Prince William Sound, 2009. Pictures of picturesque beaches and icy-blue waters might suggest that the effects of the 1989 oil spill are long gone. Dig a little deeper, and a very different picture emerges.
Update: Thinner Shells Put Ocean on Thin Ice
by Bill ChameidesMar 12, 2009
filed under: climate change, fish, oceans, global warming, ocean acidification, carbon, carbon dioxide emissions, seafood
Some argue that more carbon dioxide is a “good thing.” I guess they just can’t get their minds around the whole climate change thing. OK, but what about ocean acidification? If you like seafood, ocean acidification is definitely not a good thing.
Obama: The Environmental President?
by Bill ChameidesJan 21, 2009
filed under: cap and trade, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Fish & Wildlife Service, Diane Feinstein, water pollution, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Clean Air Act (1990), air quality, legislation, Clean Water Act, National Park Service, Kyoto Protocol, Clean Air Act, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, oceans, global warming, Barack Obama, Endangered Species Act, Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, air pollution, Woodrow Wilson, Montreal Protocol, George W. Bush, Environmental Protection Agency, Yosemite
It's official: there's a new U.S. president. Will Barack Obama be able to advance an environmental agenda? If so, he will have distinguished himself from Democratic administrations that promised a lot but delivered little on the environment.
See also comments on Huffington Post (36)
Globe Trotters: Trash Mars a Monument and a Rare Bird Visits Texas
by Bill ChameidesJan 13, 2009
filed under: animals, oceans, pine flycatcher, plastic, Northwest Hawaiian Island Marine Monument, trash, birds, Texas, pollution
They say it’s a small world. Apparently if you are a bird or a bunch of trash that is the case.
President Bush Enhances His Environmental Legacy
by Bill ChameidesJan 06, 2009
filed under: Pacific Ocean, animals, oceans, coral reefs, Line Islands, Northwest Hawaiian Island Marine Monument, Rose Atoll, Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, Mariana Trench
Today President Bush adds a triumvirate to his environmental legacy - the establishment of three new national marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean. Despite the rest of his environmental record, Bush should be credited for these green jewels.
As the World Turned: Environmental News During the Holidays
by Bill ChameidesJan 05, 2009
filed under: oceans, animals, air pollution, Clean Air Interstate Rule, global warming, moon, coal, global economy, China, Apollo 8, Wall Street Journal, sulfur oxide, octopus, nitrogen oxides
Welcome back. Here's a quick review of what happened while we were celebrating the holiday season with family and friends.
News Flash: Two Stellar Appointments by Obama
by Bill ChameidesDec 19, 2008
filed under: John Holdren, climate change, energy, oceans, Barack Obama, Jane Lubchenco, science, policy, politics
The unofficial word is that President-elect Obama will announce two stellar science appointments today. John Holdren of Harvard University and the Woods Hole Research Center is his pick for White House science adviser, and Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University has been selected to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
