The term “global warming” has become so politicized that when people hear it, they think of how those running the country are just trying to get over on them instead of realizing the seriousness of the issue. Focusing on the message and what we can see happening around us in our environment and listening to scientists who have studied the effects of large quantities of CO2 entering the environment through a number of different ways is very important. The onslaught of CO2 in the atmosphere has reached a critical point recently, hitting a level of 400 parts per million, which will have unforeseen consequences to one of the factors keeping humans alive, air, but it may also affect another critical aspect of our existence, our food supply.
An international team of scientists commissioned by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme found the Arctic Ocean is acidifying at a rapid rate. The surface of the ocean, the top 330 feet, is now about 35 percent more acidic than it was at the start of the Industrial Revolution. According to Richard Bellerby of the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, “The sea ice has been a lid on the Arctic, so the loss of ice is allowing fast uptake of CO2.” Ocean waters in the north are more vulnerable to acidification because cold water absorbs CO2 at higher rates and more exposure to freshwater runoff from rivers and melting land ice.
Arctic acidification also impacts the ecosystem. Simple food webs found in the Arctic are extremely vulnerable to changes in the environment and what impacts ocean life will eventually impact land animals and humans beings. The commercial fishing industry is expected to feel the blow of the disrupted ecosystem which will eventually have consequences for the almighty bottom line.
Giovanni Whaley @The GCollective
The GCollective 