Climate Change

Carbon dioxide is polluting the ocean: tackling ocean acidification under the Clean Water Act

Submitted by eloury on Wed, 2010-12-01 15:58
in

Animals like corals that depend on calcium carbonate to construct their skeletons are on the frontlines of the ocean's rising acidity. (photo: M. Fox)

by Melissa Foley, Science Early Career Fellow and Erin Loury, Science Communication Intern.

Ocean acidification, or the increase of low-pH, corrosive ocean waters, certainly qualifies as a process that impairs water quality.   Now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created guidance to address ocean acidification under the Clean Water Act. 

On November 15th, the EPA released a Memorandum to guide regions and states in reporting the impacts of ocean acidification under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, which requires states to submit a list of impaired water bodies that do not meet water quality standards, and develop total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for these waters.  A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a body of water can receive and still safely meet water quality standards.  In the case of ocean acidification, the main pollutant in question is carbon dioxide (CO2).  Read more...

Status Update for California's Wetlands: Some Loss, Some Gain

Submitted by eloury on Fri, 2010-10-22 13:55
in

Researchers in the mudflats of the Morro Bay Estuary. (photo: Mike Baird)

by Erin Loury, Science Communication Intern

Buffer in a storm, migratory rest stop, water filter, crucial habitat and protected nursery ground – California’s wetlands perform many roles at that special zone where land and water meet.  Neither fully terrestrial nor completely aquatic, these unique habitats grace every California landscape, from desert playas to mountain meadows.  Now the California Natural Resources Agency has released the second State of the State’s Wetlands report (pdf), which summarizes efforts to protect, monitor, and restore our wetlands between 1999 and 2009.  

This current chapter in the wetlands story unfolds against a historical backdrop of great destruction: between 1780’s and 1980’s, California lost over 90% of its wetland area. The 2.9 million acres that remain encompass mostly freshwater sources, such as lakes, vernal pools, marshes and springs.  Recognizing the many valuable services that wetlands provide, California voters have approved at least five bond measures, and invested billions of dollars over the past ten years to protect and restore wetlands.  The report notes substantial wetland increases in San Francisco Bay, along California’s south coast, in the Central Valley and in the Sierras. Read more... 

Tribute to a “Climate Warrior” – Stephen Schneider dies at 65

Submitted by eloury on Tue, 2010-07-20 08:19
in

Stephen Schneider, a leading climate expert from Stanford University, is dead at 65.

by Erin Loury, Science Communication Intern

The world of climate change science mourns the loss of a great spokesman.  Stephen Schneider, a leading climatologist, died July 19th at the age of 65.

Schneider, a professor at Stanford University, served on the international research panel on global warming that received the 2007 Nobel Prize along with former Vice President Al Gore.  He also worked closely with Center for Ocean Solutions staff during the 2009 climate negotiations in Copenhagen.  According to his wife, Stanford professor Terry Root, Schneider suffered a heart attack while onboard a plane as it landed in London.  Read more...

Fiji’s Call to Arms for the Pacific

Submitted by ahemphill on Thu, 2010-07-01 16:13
in

Fiji's Pacific Coast (photo: Arlo Hemphill, Center for Ocean Solutions)

Arlo Hemphill by Arlo Hemphill, Communications Specialist 

Suva, Fiji.  Thunderous clapping from the seated meke dancers, a solo chant and then silence as a lone dancer, dressed in the grass skirt-like liku vau, delivers a bowl of kava to Meg Caldwell, Center for Ocean Solutions' Executive Director and one of a dozen special guests of honor at this traditional Fijian ceremony.  Ms. Caldwell is seated next to Joketani Cokanasiga, Fiji’s Minister of Fisheries, Forests and Agriculture, who greets the guests assembled from across the Pacific basin with a call to arms, a challenge for all the Pacific - nations and citizens alike - to work in unison in response to the major threats on the largest of our planet’s oceans.  The call now made, the bowls of kava are downed, and the dancers retake center stage, leading the group into a night of revelry and celebration of our shared future.  Read more...

Syndicate content