The article this week involved the strongest El Nino in a generation. In Asuncion Paraguay there was extensive rainfall which disrupted the lives of many South Americans. This El Nino also affected farmers in India, they were forced to stop farming because the monsoons did not hit the fields hard. This dramatic change in weather put 60 million people at risk for malnutrition, water and mosquito borne disease and other illnesses.  This article went into great depth on the effects of El Nino in different parts of the world. In addition, it compared previous El Ninos to current ones. Overall, El Nino has been getting worse over the years due to the change in the world’s climate.

The current rate of acidification is a concern to scientists because there are a lot of organisms of marine life that are very vulnerable to this acidification due to their shells. Also coral reefs are extremely vulnerable to ocean acidification, and since reefs are a vital part to the marine life’s food chain this could cause marine life to begin to die off. It is said that the Australian coral reef has been cut in half since 1985.

Acidification inhibits shell growth in marine animals and is thought to be a cause of reproductive disorders in some fish.

“The oceans currently absorb about a third of human-created CO2 emissions, roughly 22 million tons a day. Projections based on these numbers show that by the end of this century, continued emissions could reduce ocean pH by another 0.5 units. Shell-forming animals including corals, oysters, shrimp, lobster, many planktonic organisms, and even some fish species could be gravely affected.” 

With increased global temperatures, the coral reefs around the world are started to die off and it is creating an interesting dilemma for ocean ecosystems. Ocean life is thriving in some unlikely places and this article shows how offshore oil rigs are starting to become homes for reefs and wildlife. The article highlights how ocean life is thriving at the Eureka oil rig off the coast of Long Beach, California. Scientists say this is one of the healthiest marine ecosystems in the world and people are hoping more rigs can be turned into reefs to promote healthy life. One of the reasons the Eureka oil rig is promoting healthy life is because of the cold water current that comes down from British Columbia and creates a perfect environment for wildlife to grow. Scientists also say that wildlife is growing better here than in estuaries.

More than 400 oil rigs have been converted to reefs since the year 1985. California has passed a law to encourage more rigs being turned into these reefs. More bills have been passed to encourage more reefs to be placed around the rigs. This is becoming a big issue because environmentalists don’t like to support oil companies after multiple huge spills that damaged the ocean life. It will be interesting to see how the reefs around oil rigs start popping up and to see if more are as successful as the Eureka rig.

References:

Olsen, Erik. “Marine Life Thrives in Unlikely Place: Offshore Oil Rigs.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/science/marine-life-thrives-in-unlikely-place-offshore-oil-rigs.html?_r=0>.

Throughout this course we have discussed the various ways in which the human race is impacting the environment.  We have looked at its effect amongst various species in the ocean and on land, and how the future of our environment is drastically changing for the worse, year by year.  While we spend most of our time looking at how these changes are effecting other species within our world, we have not really discussed how these dangers are currently effecting the human race.  In the article I have chosen to write about “Environmental Factors Like Pollution Cause a Quarter of Deaths” discusses the 2012 results from the World Health Organization.  The article states that nearly 12.6 million deaths out of 55.6 million are the result of environmental risk factors.  The biggest factor is stated as air pollution, which is responsible for lung and respiratory infections, heart disease, and cancer.  Also, water pollution is a major contributor as it leads to diarrheal diseases and infant mortality.

In my opinion, these statistics are astonishing.  I had never realized how severe the air pollution and water pollution really was to our health and how large of an impact it was having on death tolls.  It is sad to see that our own companies and population are impacting the deaths at such a high level by polluting the earth.  There needs to be a change in the future from the current system and hopefully we can decrease these factors to live in a more environmentally safe world.

Tavernise, Sabrina. “Environmental Factors Like Pollution Cause a Quarter of Deaths, W.H.O. Says.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/15/health/environmental-factors-like-pollution-cause-a-quarter-of-deaths-who-says.html>.

In September of 2015, Ohio experienced an algae outbreak worse than any other in the Rivers history. Toxic blue and green algae covered two thirds of the 981 mile river. The toxin that overwhelmed the River was called microcystin. In Lake Erie the year prior to the outbreak in Ohio, the yearly bloom took place during the peak municipal water intake for Toledo which caused the city to shut down drinking water supplies to over 400,000 people for 4 days in August. This is a problem for humans who depend on drinking water, but is even worse for the animals living in the water.

The blooms of blue-green algae that covered the Ohio River last year are from cyanobacteria as described in Module 7. Also known as CyanoHABs, are known to cause gastrointestinal, respiratory, allergic and neurological responses, and potential liver damage in humans. The reason why these blooms are harmful to organisms is because the cyanobacteria can block incoming solar radiation which causes lack of oxygen to organisms. In this particular bloom that effected the Ohio River, the cause was known. Tides of phosphates and nitrates enter the river from fertilized fields, cattle feedlots and leaky sewers, and provide food for the algae.

Having a house in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay, I am highly concerned with blue-green algae blooms. Much like the Ohio River, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is surrounded by farms that produce the runoff that is needed to fuel the outbreak. As an Earth Science Policy major, a long term goal of mine is to work on tightening up regulations for agriculture that takes place where it could potentially end up in the watershed. Scary to think about swimming in a bay with cow poop surrounding you, but also great motivation to work towards a cleaner, healthier watershed in years to come.

Reference:

Wines, Michael. “Toxic Algae Outbreak Overwhelms a Polluted Ohio River.” New York Times. 30 September 2015. Web. Retrieved: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/us/toxic-algae-outbreak-overwhelms-a-polluted-ohio-river.html

The E.P.A. carries out and enforces regulations under existing laws like the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.  The upcoming elections will have a dramatic result on the agency largely responsible for environmental regulation.  Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have both threatened to dismantle the agency over concerns of overreach on state rights.   The Republican platform no matter the nominee will likely try to decrease the power of the E.P.A. Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are not out spoken in support for the agency either after the Flint water crisis.  Other Democrats have argued that the E.P.A completely failed in regulation of Flint’s water supply.

President Obama has used and stretched the Clean Air Act to help fight global warming. Although a Republican president could not repeal the act, they could cut back on the way President Obama has used it to combat global warming.  The EPA while acting on the President Obama’s wishes has faced a substantially decreased budget going from 10.6 billion under Bill Clinton to 8.8 billion dollars now form a Republican congress.  This also causes the EPA to have the smallest staff since 1989. Making the EPA less effective.

The upcoming elections will influence the EPA at two levels, the executive branch will determine whether global warming policies stay in place with the election of Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton.  Congressional elections will determine how much of a budget the EPA will receive, democrats will most likely supporting a higher budget.  A larger budget will hopefully avoid major issues like Flint, Michigan.

Module 8 discusses the effects of human impact on the oceans. I have found an article titled, “Wind Farm May be Built off Long Island”, regarding the discussion of whether or not to build this wind farm. The article states that that, “The process of planning the wind farm, which could take several years, involves environmental assessment, an auction, further assessments of the site and construction plans, and an environmental impact report”. The site that has been chosen is around 127 square miles. The site is currently under auction and is not allowing oil or gas drilling in surrounding areas, along the Southeastern Atlantic coast. This specific site could maintain 194 wind turbines which would essentially provide enough electricity to run 300,000 homes. Many wind farms have faced issues regarding funding, and disagreements from residents, fishermen and businesses.

Even though there are many negative issues regarding the construction of wind farms, there are most definitely some notable pros as well. The government has a program called “Smart from the Start”, which now promotes the building of wind farms in the Atlantic Ocean. President Obama has also helped out the wind farm industry by not allowing off shore drilling on the Atlantic coast. It would be truly amazing if New York could channel all of that wind off the coast into pure rich and renewable energy.

References:

As outlined in the lecture, global warming leads to ocean acidification, which is lowering the ocean’s pH level and causing damage to coral and other ocean life. Many animals in the ocean use calcium carbonate to create their protective shells and exoskeletons, but lower pH levels reduce their ability to create them. While much of ocean life will suffer from ocean acidification, one animal is adapting and fighting back against ocean acidification with mixed results.

The ordinary mussel is adapting to lower pH levels. The mussel is creating more amorphous calcium carbonate to compensate for lower pH levels destroying their shells. Since amorphous calcium carbonate is much more unstable than regular calcium carbonate, the shells are becoming much more brittle and less flexible than previously. This can lead to more breakage in heavy seas and leaves them more susceptible to predators.

While it does seem that mussels are fighting back, it probably is not enough to prepare them for even lower pH levels. This experiment also does not take into account the other effects if ocean acidification and how this can reduce the mussels food source. In addition, the repair function of amorphous calcium carbonate is still lacking. I think the takeaway message from this article is that even with climate change, some animals are trying to adapt. If we slow down climate change or halt it where it is at, there may be ways for the world to adapt.

Resource:
http://phys.org/news/2016-02-mussels-oceanic-acidification.html