4 ms·

"So acidic" is somewhat misleading when the ocean isn't "acidic" at all, at least based on conventional usage of the word as we typically refer to liquids with

"So acidic" is somewhat misleading when the ocean isn't "acidic" at all, at least based on conventional usage of the word as we typically refer to liquids with PH levels below 7 as acidic and above 7 as basic or alkaline. Also the use of the word 'dissolving' seems somewhat suspect as the crabs with shell defects simply didn't form their shells properly, it wasn't adult crabs melting away in an acidic slurry... A less misleading title would be "PH changes in ocean affect crab shell formation" or something like that.

CriticalCathed 7y ago
The ocean acidifying is perfectly fine terminology. You're looking at this through a politicized lens.
- Mikeb85 7y ago
  It is perfectly fine. It's also not what the headline says.
happytoexplain 7y ago
No offense, but is it possible your life experiences have you subconsciously looking for a political angle? I could be wrong, but the idea that "so acidic" is misleading because we're talking about values on the basic half of the ph meter is just way out there to me. Again, I can't see the difference between this and saying that 40 degree F water is "so warm" in some specific context, where in an information void that sounds cold. Similarly, acidity and alkalinity are purely relative in all my experience of the usage of those terms, both scientifically and colloquially.
- Mikeb85 7y ago
  Yeah, my life experiences are such that I've lived long enough to remember several times people thought the world was going to end, WW3 would happen, and a bunch of doomsday predictions that should have but haven't happened. Or maybe it's the fact I'm Canadian and we generally push back against extremism, alarmism, most isms really. I've heard there's a hole in the ozone and we're all going to die from cancer and I've heard that New York will be underwater and all the glaciers will be gone by 2020. I've lived through 2 US presidents everyone has said are Hitler and somehow, despite the uproar being the loudest today, the world hasn't come to an end and things actually don't seem that bad. So yes, when I see headlines that are obviously click bait it hits this little part of my brain that feels compelled to say that maybe, just maybe things aren't all that bad.
  - scarygliders 7y ago
    And your quite reasonable view is, as usual, being downvoted, despite there being nothing controversial in what you posted, as you posted your personal life experience. And no doubt this post too will suffer the same fate for coming to your defence. So be it.
    - Mikeb85 7y ago
      Yeah, it seems nowadays either you're with Trump/Brexit/Jesus/KKK or Greta/ElizaBernieBidenOC/Stalin and anything in between can't be fathomed. Like I dunno, I like the environment (and have probably spent more time lost in the wild than 99% of this sub ever will) and I also like economic development. I also believe that some political goals maybe should be pursued carefully lest opinion shift too far the other direction and the masses wind up crucifying you... Global warming is tough because we could destroy our economy in order to not emit any CO2 and nothing would happen unless we get cooperation from everyone else because CO2 levels are cumulative. It's very much a prisoners dillema sort of game and I really don't think most 'environmentalists' really want to do what it takes.
      - happytoexplain 7y ago
        >either you're with Trump/Brexit/Jesus/KKK or Greta/ElizaBernieBidenOC/Stalin and anything in between can't be fathomed. Is that realistically why you think you were downvoted? That seems oversimplistic/self-pitying.
        Mikeb85 7y ago
        I personally don't care, someone else commented on it though. And yes, pretty much all nuance has been eliminated from discussions on a lot of topics these days.
  - wcoenen 7y ago
    > I've heard there's a hole in the ozone and we're all going to die from cancer The reason you don't hear that anymore is not because there was no problem, but because the problem has been fixed by the implementation of the Montreal protocol. The ozon layer has been gradually recovering ever since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol

CriticalCathed 7y ago

The ocean acidifying is perfectly fine terminology. You're looking at this through a politicized lens.

Mikeb85 7y ago
It is perfectly fine. It's also not what the headline says.

happytoexplain 7y ago

No offense, but is it possible your life experiences have you subconsciously looking for a political angle? I could be wrong, but the idea that "so acidic" is misleading because we're talking about values on the basic half of the ph meter is just way out there to me. Again, I can't see the difference between this and saying that 40 degree F water is "so warm" in some specific context, where in an information void that sounds cold. Similarly, acidity and alkalinity are purely relative in all my experience of the usage of those terms, both scientifically and colloquially.

Mikeb85 7y ago
Yeah, my life experiences are such that I've lived long enough to remember several times people thought the world was going to end, WW3 would happen, and a bunch of doomsday predictions that should have but haven't happened. Or maybe it's the fact I'm Canadian and we generally push back against extremism, alarmism, most isms really. I've heard there's a hole in the ozone and we're all going to die from cancer and I've heard that New York will be underwater and all the glaciers will be gone by 2020. I've lived through 2 US presidents everyone has said are Hitler and somehow, despite the uproar being the loudest today, the world hasn't come to an end and things actually don't seem that bad. So yes, when I see headlines that are obviously click bait it hits this little part of my brain that feels compelled to say that maybe, just maybe things aren't all that bad.
- scarygliders 7y ago
  And your quite reasonable view is, as usual, being downvoted, despite there being nothing controversial in what you posted, as you posted your personal life experience. And no doubt this post too will suffer the same fate for coming to your defence. So be it.
  - Mikeb85 7y ago
    Yeah, it seems nowadays either you're with Trump/Brexit/Jesus/KKK or Greta/ElizaBernieBidenOC/Stalin and anything in between can't be fathomed. Like I dunno, I like the environment (and have probably spent more time lost in the wild than 99% of this sub ever will) and I also like economic development. I also believe that some political goals maybe should be pursued carefully lest opinion shift too far the other direction and the masses wind up crucifying you... Global warming is tough because we could destroy our economy in order to not emit any CO2 and nothing would happen unless we get cooperation from everyone else because CO2 levels are cumulative. It's very much a prisoners dillema sort of game and I really don't think most 'environmentalists' really want to do what it takes.
    - happytoexplain 7y ago
      >either you're with Trump/Brexit/Jesus/KKK or Greta/ElizaBernieBidenOC/Stalin and anything in between can't be fathomed. Is that realistically why you think you were downvoted? That seems oversimplistic/self-pitying.
      - Mikeb85 7y ago
        I personally don't care, someone else commented on it though. And yes, pretty much all nuance has been eliminated from discussions on a lot of topics these days.
- wcoenen 7y ago
  > I've heard there's a hole in the ozone and we're all going to die from cancer The reason you don't hear that anymore is not because there was no problem, but because the problem has been fixed by the implementation of the Montreal protocol. The ozon layer has been gradually recovering ever since. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Protocol