Ocean acidification topic of presentation

Ocean acidification caused by a changing climate will be the topic of a free public presentation Saturday at the First Congregational United Church, 1220 N.E. 68th St.

Richard A. Feely, senior scientist with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, will speak about carbon cycling and ocean acidification. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m. The program is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m.

Feely works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ocean acidification: The risks and challenges for Maine

Carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere over the past century is making our oceans more acidic. Bob Steneck, Professor of Oceanography, Marine Biology, and Marine Policy at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center will discuss why the cold waters of the Gulf of Maine may be most at risk. He will share potential consequences of ocean acidification for lobsters, softshell clams, northern shrimp, oysters, and other plants and animals that produce limestone shells.

Consultancy: Preparation of background document for developing joint expert review process to monitor and assess the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity

Background

In its tenth meeting, the Conference of Parties requested the Executive Secretary to develop, in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC/UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC), the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC), the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), Ramsar Convention, Antarctic Treaty, the Arctic Council, and other relevant organizations and scientific groups, subject to the availability of financial resources, a series of joint expert review processes to monitor and assess the impacts of ocean acidification on marine and coastal biodiversity and widely disseminate the results of this assessment in order to raise awareness of Parties, other Governments and organizations, and also requested the Executive Secretary, given the relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and ocean acidification, to transmit the results of these assessments to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In this regard, a consultant/consultants is/are to be hired by the SCBD, under the supervision of the Principal Officer of the division of Scientific, Technical and Technological Matters (STTM), to prepare a background document for developing a series of joint expert review processes to monitor and assess the impacts of ocean acidification on marine and coastal biodiversity and a draft policy brief on the results of this assessment.

The end of ocean acidification (our contribution to April Fools day)

This is probably the most exciting and positive news of my life.  Reading The London Times this morning I could hardly hold the tears, tears of joy and relief for once.  While I am aware there are plenty other hazards and pending threats to the environment and that this is by no means the end of all problems, the certainty that a year from now Ocean Acidification will be a thing of the past clearly constitutes a turning point for all of us, both in the way we envision our role in this planet and in the work and involvement of major corporations.

I am sure you know by now, but just in case for some reason you have not watched the news or read the papers today, giant German pharmaceutical company Bayer Schering Pharma and US GlaxoSmithKline announced last night that they have spent the past 5 years doing secretive research (over US $30 billion spent!) on Ocean Acidification and that they have found a definitive solution for it!  Thanks to over 80 years of experience on stomach acid problems and its treatment they have been to develop a simple yet efficient remedy.  The Bayer facility in Besoffendorf, north of Hamburg, is already producing the largest and most potent AlkaSeltzer and Tums pill ever, an impressive four ton giant baptized “Tumkaseltz” (very rotund and German, very appropriate, in my opinion) with the combined potency of over five trillion regular antacids.