2 ms·
I can't find a link to the it now but in the late 90s/early 00s there was a great research paper that found that we have lost a significant fraction of our phyt
by civilitty 8y ago
I can't find a link to the it now but in the late 90s/early 00s there was a great research paper that found that we have lost a significant fraction of our phytoplankton biomass, estimated at about 10-20% of the population between 1970 and 1995 due to pollution in the oceans. Our most important oxygen producers are also the most vulnerable to pollution and ocean acidification.
The sky isn't "falling" but combined with all of the other trends we've been seeing, we have no idea just how bad it can get it or if there is a cliff where our economic/political systems begin to rapidly collapse under the pressure of environmental effects. From what I can tell from the last few years of research, our best climate models have been woefully underestimating negative second order effects and since our ecosystems and economies are interdependent there are few to no positives.
- mkempe 8y agoActually, calcifying plankton have been increasing 10x in abundance (i.e. an order of magnitude) in the North Atlantic over the last 45 years, as carbon input into ocean waters has increased. ... "This finding was diametrically opposed to what scientists had expected since coccolithophores make their plates out of calcium carbonate, which is becoming more difficult as the ocean becomes more acidic and pH is reduced." [1] [1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160116215419.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160116215419.h...
- cokernel 8y agoIs this the paper you have in mind? * Daniel G. Boyce, Marlon R. Lewis & Boris Worm. Global phytoplankton decline over the past century. Nature 466, 591–596 (2010). https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09268 https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09268