The impact of Global Warming & Greenhouse Gases

[MUCHO REEF]

Do you think Global Warming/Greenhouse Gases will eventually deplete the oceans of the world from further production of what we all love so much, Zoanthids and Palythoas as well as other corals? Unfortunately the answer is yes. 70 % of the Earth's surface is covered by water, 97.5% of the world's water is saltwater. Carbon emissions, Greenhouse Gases ( methane and carbon dioxide ) and Global Warming is having and will continue to have a major oceanic, ecological/environmental and economic impact throughout the world. The question is not if corals will be adversely affected, but when.

A direct quote, "The United States has one of the highest per capita rates of emissions of GHGs, at about 6.6 tons per person, according to the Environmental Protection Agency data from 1995. It also generates about a quarter of the world's economic activity."

GW and GHG are causing heat to remain trapped in the earth's atmosphere, thus having a direct impact on the ocean's temperature. As the oceans continues to warm, corals will continue to bleach. This is truly a sad day, not for America, but the world.

I hope we can find a way to turn this problem around before it's too late.


Below are a few interesting articles to read.


http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science/early-warning-signs-of-global-warming-coral-reef-bleaching.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/warming-coral.html

http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-climate_change_debate/2558.jsp

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/16/greenhouse_gases_make_ocean_acidic_report_says/

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/ENVIRONMENT/0,,contentMDK:21586506~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:244381,00.html

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/04/08/earth.trading.carbon/index.html

http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_evd.htm


Mucho Reef

[george albert]

I agree Mucho, Ive been reading a lot into this .If we don't do something future generations won't be able to enjoy this hobby like we are.Very sad indeed.global warming is something all of us need to address. Thanks for the info.

[Agu]

As the temperature changes I would expect there to be some migration of species. Corals for example, that are at the areas where it's currently almost too cold will begin to thrive as the environment warms. As one area dies off another area can thrive.

Also, some species will adapt better than other species. To use Zoanthids as an example, they grow from tropical Indo Pacific waters to the coast of Florida which is really a subtropical environment. We will lose those species that can't adapt or reproduce in new locations quickly enough.

Bottom line is that we may lose many reefs while other areas of corals evolve. And as it is with evolution it may be nothing like what we know today.

If the predictions are right, in another 100 years I can stop doing water changes because the zoanthids will be growing on my house in SW Florida instead of in it :eek1:

[MUCHO REEF]

Trust me, in 100 years, you won't be able to do water changes, LOL. JK


Mucho

[geoxman]

My man- do you just like stirring the pot?

Next thread by me in the SPS forum will be "I have heavily stocked 400 gallon tank that is skimerless and uses an algae scrubber with a plenium."

[MUCHO REEF]

LOL, you dah man Geo, you dah man, LOL.

I was only sharing my friend.

MR

[Siffy]

Oh bugger. I plan to refrain from the temperature discussion. Because I disagree with it and this isn't the venue for a debate.

But I am pretty curious how much affect the extra CO2 floating around has on the pH of the Oceans/Reefs.

The most interesting article I've read on CO2/GW/etc was about how planting trees under certain latitudes actually cause more harm than good with regard to temperatures in the region. The dark foliage of the trees converted so much more light into heat the reduction of CO2 wasn't worth it.

Like already said, I expect most plants and animals to adapt to the changes in climate. They have thus far, and they've been around a long, long time. This year here in the south we had an unusual frost near the end of April that ruined most crops and caused most trees to shed their buds. Most oaks didn't produce acorns or thus new oaks this year, but they lived and will be fine next year.

[NanoReefWanabe]

[pessimistic view of the world]
i have to say that to think things will adapt is a little ignorant to say the least...sure things will evolve and some will adapt..and sure they have done so in the past..but you have to remember, that we as humans on the planet are nothing more then a bad cause of diarrhea as far as the planet is concerned..we stirreed the pot and spread like a virus over the planet...any plants and animals that have evolved on this planet have done so over thousands and thousands...some cases millions of years...

especially in the last hundred years or so...since the industrial revolution have we begun to really impact the plant in an adverse way...to think that plants and animals can adapt to change so abruptly is just dumb...i am quite certain we as humans will adapt...and survive for the most part...but i am heavily saddened that this beautiful planet we take advantage of every day is suffering and suffering badly..we see it everyday...species of insect and plant surrender to extinction or placed on the endangered species list...

perhaps global warming is a cleansing process the planet undergoes naturally every million years...temps rise to a degree to wipe out god only know how many species only to repopulate with a newer..geological studies have shown a trend in global warming...what also show is the planet has undergone several other warming periods...did the plants and animals survive? some did a lot have not...

eiteher way i tend to think that we have impacted the world so abruptly that the changes the planet would normally undergo are so skewed off course, that havent begun to see the damage yet...and there are going to be many, many more innocent animals succumbing to pressures of global warming...

[/end pessimistic view of the world]

we can only hope the things we regularly enjoy and take advantage of are around for our children's children to enjoy...

[DaveJ]

If you believe in Global Warming yes.... I don't buy it..... so no.

[brandon7491]

global warming i do believe is happing but nothing that is going to ever be dretremental. the polar ice caps are melting but that is a natural thing its nothing that people are doing, if that were the case the world would have already been destroyed. its a big bunch of bs. the liberals are trying to use their scare tactics to try and control the mind of the american people to put their trust in the government. garbage garbage garbage. we are fine our oceans are fine

[DaveJ]

Here is another link that should be included in this thread...

US Senate Report on Global Warming (http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=f80a6386-802a-23ad-40c8-3c63dc2d02cb)

[jjmcat]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269033,00.html

[mixed_reefer]

Great link DaveJ.

[glee]

global warming is happening but not at a pace we can discern. the polar ice cap melting is natural, but when does it become unnatural? temperatures are rising and as ice melts, the earth loses its ability to reflect light back to space. as the earth absorbs more radiative heat, more ice will melt, and temperatures will continue increasing.

as temp increase and more ice melts, more land will become available to grow trees. trees act as a carbon sink and will decrease the amount of co2, a major ghg, in the atmosphere.

many different types of positive and negative feedbacks will occur and hopefully balance out and control global warming.

i would avoid using certain news services or government funded websites to formulate your opinion on global warming, but rather use reports from scientists that give weight to their argument. have you read the IPCC?

in regards to the coral reefs, i do not think their potential demise is strictly due to ocean temps rising. i think siltation and pollution in conjunction with rising sea temps is the problem. corals need to breathe too.

[MUCHO REEF]

Just wanted to say that I am glad to see the increase in feedback and opinions in this thread and throughout this forum. We need each of you to continue the great responses as it does great things for this forum.

Thanks to everyone who contributed.


Mucho