Rapid Growth of "Dead Zones" in Oceans Threatens Planet

[G_j]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0329-01.htm

Published on Monday, March 29, 2004 by the Agence France Presse

Rapid Growth of "Dead Zones" in Oceans Threatens Planet


JEJU, South Korea - The spread of oxygen-starved "dead zones" in the oceans, a graveyard for fish and plant life, is emerging as a threat to the health of the planet, experts say.

For hundreds of millions of people who depend on seas and oceans for their livelihoods, and for many more who rely on a diet of fish and seafood to survive, the problem is acute.

Some of the oxygen-deprived zones are relatively small, less than one square kilometer (0.4 square miles) in size. Others are vast, measuring more than 70,000 square kilometers.
<snip>



Global distribution of oxygen-depleted coastal zones. The 146 zones shown are associated with either majorpopulation concentrations or with watersheds that deliver large quantities of nutrients to coastal waters. (Annual – yearly events related to summer or autumnal stratification; Episodic – events occurring at irregularintervals greater than one year; Periodic – events occurring at regular intervals shorter than one year; Persistent –all-year-round hypoxia)
Sources: Boesch 2002, Caddy 2000, Diaz and others (in press), Green and Short 2003, Rabalais 2002

[thebigidea]

1. Christopher Walken could not be reached for comment.

[htuttle]

2. F*ck

This is very bad. I think we're going to run out of time.

The number of known oxygen-starved areas has doubled since 1990 to nearly 150, according to the UN Environmental Program (UNEP), holding is annual conference here.

[G_j]

3. our beautiful oceans

I can hear Rush now: There go those wacko environmental extremists whining again.

[tom_paine]

20. While we are refighting WWII with Bush as a "kinder and gentler" Hitler

We are also likely passing "the point of no return" environmentally.

Yes, we are running out of time and I think we already have.

The only question remaining is how long to extinction and/or will a "nucleus of specimens" (to paraphrase Dr. Straneglove) will survive.

My guess, knowing what I know about ecology and niches, is that we will go extinct.

[htuttle]

22. If it were only humans, I could live with that

Pun intended.

What I'm just as concerned about is the loss of all major animal life. We are already in a mass extinction event. Several whole phylum have nearly been lost already, such as amphibians. If the oceans 'die'...I can hardly imagine. I'd think that oxygen production would be severely impacted. Millions of years of evolution's work, potentially gone.

After I went through some coursework in biology and ecology in college, I came to the conclusion that humans were basically 'cancerous' as far as the biosphere is concerned. Over the years however, I'd mellowed a bit, and have seen ways where humans 'fit' into nature and could benefit the biosphere, so I started to at least accept that we weren't a complete evolutionary mistake.

Lately, however, I'm starting to think I was correct in the first place, back in college. We grow without bounds and without regard to our 'host' organism. In the process, in our greed and gluttony, we might kill this host. I can't help but feel that this is what cancer does.

[tom_paine]

23. But the Earth will survive, and so will Life on Earth

(at least I'm pretty sure it will)

Think about it:

500 million years ago, the Great Die-Off (bye-bye Trilobites)

Earth's atmosphere is (forgive if my details are off, it's been awhile, but the general gist is true) methane/sulfur dioxide or something. The creatures of that age essentially excreted oxygen. When they died, likely festering in their own waste (among the other numerous factors that probably played into their extinction), new creatures came up. Creatures that breathed the waste products of the extinct..oxygen.

60 million years ago, the age of dinosaurs, much the same thing happened, but the changes weren't quite so radical or wholesale. In any case, whatever transpired, we mammals filled the empty niches, in many case feeding off the waste products left by the dinosaurs.

Even today, in keeping with the rule, the Fossil Fuels we burn are the waste products of the last Great Dieoff.

Anyway, as I said my info on this is fragmentary and partial. Do some research to flesh out the details and correct my mistakes, if you wish.

Whatever comes next will thrive on Heavy Metals and CO2 and other complex waste products, probably.

[cryofan]

4. Don't worry--when the oceans die, we can all just eat Soylent Green

although I have heard a rumor that it is made of.....

PEEEEE-PULLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

[G_j]

5. kick

[Neecy]

6. interesting

I saw a terrific documentary on Link TV (and thanks to DU for alerting me to this channel) about the environmental hazards to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

They did a segment on coral bleaching, which is caused by global warming (the same global warming that Bush* thinks 'isn't proven scientifically) and threatens the entire ecosystem of the this reef and others around the world. Rising ocean temperatures make it a real possibility that the Great Barrier Reef will be a dead zone within the next 15 years. Lots of anger that Australia didn't sign Kyoto, either.

It was a fascinating program, if you can catch it on Link TV again I'd highly recommend it.

[IrateCitizen]

7. And yet more strands of the web of life are torn asunder....

When I read things like this, I wonder how much longer we have before the web collapses on itself, taking us down with it.

Of course, most people won't make the connection here, seeing as how we humans are separate from the environment and all.... :grr:

Maybe Kurt Vonnegut was on to something in Galapagos when he said the problem with human beings was just that their brains were too big.

[G_j]

12. a quote for you IC

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world" John Muir

we arrogant humans think ourselves above it all. Sometimes the greed and selfishness makes me so angry I can hardly think. This no joke this is IT!

[tom_paine]

21. I prefer "Hocus Pocus"

Though Hocus Pocus is a socio-poltical story and Galapagos and Breakfast of Champions are environmental books.

Among my favorite quotes from "Hocus Pocus" (and apologies if I buthcer them):

"Would I have crucified Jesus Christ if ordered to do so? You betcha!"

or

"It is more than possible that I ordered a napalm strike down on a returning Jesus Christ."

There's also some GREAT stuff about Busheviks:

"From speaking to the hostages, I got the feeling that they were wary and afraid of American. That they themselves were not Americans like the prisoners, nor like the National Guardsmen coming to save them. What that made them, I'm still not sure."

"Yale University should be called Plantation Owners' Tech..."

If you haven't read this, IC, please do so because you WON'T regret it. As he so often did, Vonnegut predicts social trends with the force and veracity of a prophet.

[IrateCitizen]

28. Hocus Pocus was the first Vonnegut book I ever read!

It's been so long ago I can't really remember it, so I should read it again.

I was never into Vonnegut growing up, but had heard of him. One of my mom's friends had lent her the book, and I saw it laying around and picked it up. I was hooked on Vonnegut from that moment forward!

I think that just about the only book he's written that I HAVEN'T read is Mother Night.

While my favorite is probably Breakfast of Champions, I always had a soft spot for Player Piano considering the fact that I have a degree in engineering.... :evilgrin:

How's the quote go? "The world will end not with a bang, but a whimper. Poo-tee-wheet."

Something like that....

[DulceDecorum]

8. Black water

in Florida in "winter" 2001-2002 was covered by only one newspaper,the Naples News.
http://web.naplesnews.com/sections/specials/blackwater/front.html

Scientists said that they would never find the cause of the black water and some dismissed it as just another red tide. Some scientists even said that they could not locate the black water. Samples taken demonstrated that the black water had normal salinity and oxygen. It also had gelatinous "threads" running through it, rather like spider-webbing.
Fishermen said that the fish were "acting funny' and trying to outrun the black water. Anything inside the black water died. The fishermen who touched the water came up with something like MRSA and had to use strong antibiotics - frequently vancomycin IV in order to get rid of lesions that opened up the skin and exposed the flesh underneath.

[BeHereNow]

9. Oh Fek!

This is so depressing.
What in the hell are we going to do?!!!?
BHN

[htuttle]

10. Well, if the oceans die, we die.

Nothing TO do in that case other than wish the upcoming generation of anerobic life the best of luck, and feel really stupid for blowing a few hundred million years of evolution all to shit. That's about it.

Maybe opposable thumbs weren't such a great idea after all.

[FreeSpeechCrusader]

11. We are going to be the species

that is responsible for the extinction of every living creature on this planet....and all of it for nothing more than greed and laziness. Our children's children will either have to look in history books or selective zoos to see the creatures that we have to luxury of witnessing in the wild. We will not stop until all areas of our planet are commercialized so that we can travel easier...so that we can enjoy excess comforts...so that we can feel superior...so that we can fulfill our ego by having the biggest, baddest gas guzzlers. Ask yourself one question...with the ability to create artificial hearts, clone animals and humans, and create whatever weapons that we can conceive...how the hell can we not develop alternative energies to run our factories and our automobiles?

[G_j]

13. It's disturbing that this hasn't been reported more widely

this is quite frightening.

And the coral takes another hit.
"At least one coral expert has said the event is the No. 1 suspect in the devastation of coral in that region."

[Kazak]

14. This scares the sh*t out of me...

What's gonna get to us first? This, Peak Oil, or global climate change? Or do they all go hand in hand?

We're fuct!

:scared:

[Coventina]

15. I hope I get the chance to say

"told you so" to all the idiots in my life before we all die.

That will bring some cold comfort to my last moments....

[oasis]

16. Kerry/staff should study this and bring it into the national spotlight.

Hopefully, Nader will mention it on today's "Crossfire" which will air shortly on CNN.

[leftchick]

17. fuck you bush*...

Since bush* was installed 3 years ago I have thought, almost on a weekly basis, was it smart to bring my two sons into this world? This is sooo saddening.... :(

[G_j]

18. Somethings I think of an analogy

if you asked people what they would do if they were in a space ship and a few of the passengers kept pouring poison into the water supply and it was slowly killing everyone. Would people tolerate that?

[leftchick]

19. that is the problem with arrogance...

these fucking lunatics in charge think the poison will never touch them or their children. fuck them all....

[oneighty]

26. Until The WTC

and Pentagon attacks the arrogant people you refer felt they were untouchable and above the frailty of the poor unwashed masses. They rested assured they are protected by the God they profess to love and by the military might of our nation.

A few fanatics showed how wrong they were and they now see that they too can die and are reminded that they will die. (Thanks Ann Coulter)

So now they will die a thousand deaths.

180

[Stone_Spirits]

24. and we all need to stop pouring household chemicals

down our drains and give up our chemically perfect lawns. It all ends up in the ocean. :-(

[9215]

25. Gulf of Mexico has/had a dead zone. This could

very well be the end of it for us and the rest of life. There is the potential for a cascade effect where one ecosystem affects another.

This specie isn't even looking at the problemin any meaningful way, much less changing their behavior to avert catastrophe.

Hard to imagine we got somebody like Bush retrenching fossil-fuels when the opposite is needed.

If the world turns into a stinking, fetid unlivable place it will be the human species fault and they will get what they deserve.


I can just see people watching "Survivor" when the news casually mentions that the Atlantic seaboard will be closing its beaches for the Summer. People will just shrug and go back to cheering Bush, never seeing the connection.

[G_j]

27. "when the opposite is needed."

ironic isn't it?
It's like calling for a Doctor and getting a serial killer instead.

[oasis]

29. kick

[EastofEdon]

30. stop using toxic chemicals, buy earth friendly products

that will help. These zones are all near populated areas.
btw, golf courses are a big problem too.