Latest news with #PML
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Yikes: We Just Crossed a Planetary Boundary 66 Million Years in the Making
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: Planetary boundaries outline how far past pre-industrial conditions Earth can get before anthropogenic activity has detrimental effects on the environment. While we have been dangerously close to the ocean acidity boundary for some time, it is now being breached, and the shells of some organisms are dissolving because of chemical reactions that deprive them of calcium carbonate. The boundary for ocean acidity was originally at 20% post-industrial, but researchers have now moved it back to 10% as a call to action before entire ecosystems start to disappear. When the asteroid that triggered the end-Cretaceous Mass Extinction crashed to Earth (and decimated the dinosaurs), it hit rocks that released sulfur and caused pH levels in the oceans to plummet. Ocean acidity levels became intolerable and led to more than half of all marine life dying out. 66 million years later, it's happening again. This time, there is no asteroid—just us humans. Anthropogenic activity such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels has released enormous amounts of emissions, primarily in the form of carbon dioxide. That CO2 has caused ocean pH levels to fall off a cliff and has lead to a 30% increase in acidity, which underwater habitats ranging from coral reefs to the deep ocean. The planetary boundary for ocean acidification—the limit of what Earth can tolerate before the onset of destructive consequences—is a 20% drop in the concentration of calcium carbonate (a common base often found in things like limestone and seashells) from pre-industrialization levels. It was already looming by 2020, but until recently, we had not breached. Now, however, researchers at the UK's Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) are nervous. In an effort led by biological oceanographer Helen Findlay (who is also Chair off the North East Atlantic Acidification Hub and an Executive Council Member for the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network), experts found that the ocean acidification boundary had already been crossed by as much as 60% of subsurface ocean waters located 200 meters (about 656 feet) below the surface. 'The planetary boundaries assessment defines nine large scale Earth-system processes and associated boundaries that, if crossed, could generate unacceptable environmental change,' Findlay and her team said in a study recently published in the journal Global Change Biology. Creatures that make their own shells through calcification rely on calcium and carbonate molecules already floating around in the ocean. Too much carbon dioxide can throw off this process. When CO2 is absorbed by seawater, it reacts with water molecules to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), which easily breaks apart into hydrogen (H+) ions and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ions. The lonely hydrogen ions lower the pH of water, and the bicarbonate ions bring their own problems. Species that make their own shells need carbonate ions (CO32-) to bond to calcium, but they can't access them if they're already locked up in bicarbonates. So, as the amount of CO2 in the ocean goes up, the number of available carbonate ions gos down, and the organisms end up in a sticky spot. And the problems don't stop there. As rising temperatures heat up the ocean, warmer oceans hold less oxygen. This warmer water is more buoyant and does not mix as well with deeper, colder and more oxygenated water, so the shorter supply is used up faster. More oxygen breathed in than replenished leads to a deficit of oxygen known as hypoxia. Less oxygen means calcifying organisms have to use more energy to build and maintain their shells, the additional exposure to conditions with low oxygen can be even more dangerous for them. Low enough pH levels can cause shells and exoskeletons to actually dissolve, which is what led Findlay to suggest that the boundary of 20% less calcium carbonate (than existed in pre-industrial times) should be reset to 10%. This adjustment should give the ocean life affected a chance to recover and flourish again. And if carbon emissions continue to rise, thing will continue to look bleaker and bleaker for marine life. A separate but alarming NOAA experiment showed that some species of pteropods—tiny mollusks (also known as sea butterflies for the wing-like appendages they use to swim) that produce their own shells—could soon find themselves unable to maintain the shells they need to survive. In the study, researchers placed pteropod shells in water with carbonate levels adjusted to reflect projected carbonate levels for the year 2100. The shells dissolved after only 45 days. And even in today's oceans, pteropod shells off the coast of Antarctica have already been found to be dissolving. It might seem inconsequential for such small creatures to vanish, but the reality is that pteropods—along with other organisms considered zooplankton—form the base of an extensive food web that could suffer immensely if disrupted. Organisms that do not calcify will feel the effects of ocean acidification in other ways. If there is a significant enough change in ocean chemistry, for example, it will become difficult for some species of fish to detect predators. Findlay also found that the polar oceans have experienced the most significant change at the surface level, but the most unnerving shifts in the subsurface have happened in low-latitude and subpolar regions. If deep-water corals are not able to build exoskeletons, entire ecosystems that depend on them for food and shelter could be wiped out. And ecosystem loss could lead to entire populations ending up isolated in smaller areas where they are more vulnerable to dying out. 'The main advancement lies in shifting from an assessment based primarily on the changing chemistry to a more holistic approach that considers uncertainties, regional variations, subsurface impacts and the biological consequences of exceeding the boundary,' she said. There may be no extinction-level asteroid headed for Earth anytime soon, but if carbon emissions continue at the current rate, we could be creating a lethal asteroid effect of our own. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Borneo Post
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Borneo Post
Badudun Fest, Limbang Buffalo Race 2025 all set for October staging
(From left) Dr Abdul Rahman being briefed by Mohamad on preparations for this year's Badudun Festival and annual buffalo race, to take place at Kampung Lubuk Piasau this October. LIMBANG (June 14): The Badudun Festival and Buffalo Race 2025, another major activity listed on the Sarawak Tourism Calendar, will be held here this Oct 24 to 26 An iconic event for more than 30,000 Malays in northern Sarawak, it has been organised and run by the Limbang Malay Association (PML) since 2012 and for this year, the venue will be held at Kampung Lubuk Piasau here. Deputy Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development Sarawak Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, accompanied by PML chairman Mohamad Abu Bakar, visited the sites of the festival and buffalo race yesterday. 'The visits are meant to ensure that preparations can be made as well as possible, and we will do our best to ensure that the sites are in good condition,' said Dr Abdul Rahman, the assemblyman for Bukit Kota. Badudun, which literally means 'visiting', covers the 14 Malay villages along the Limbang River. Badudun Festival Buffalo Race limbang
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New study claims the world's oceans are a ‘ticking time bomb'
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, BGR may receive an affiliate commission. Our oceans are struggling. From bleaching in the coral reefs to increasing temperatures and rising sea levels, they've seen better days. To make matters worse, researchers now say our oceans may actually be a 'ticking time bomb' due to ocean acidification. Until recently, researchers have claimed that the acidity of the ocean had not crossed the 'planetary boundary.' However, a new study published by researchers at the UK's Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Oregon State University's Co-operative Institute for Marine Resources Studies says that the boundary was reached five years ago. Today's Top Deals Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Best Ring Video Doorbell deals Memorial Day security camera deals: Reolink's unbeatable sale has prices from $29.98 The reason that researchers say that the ocean's acidification is a ticking time bomb is because it will eventually cause irreparable damage to marine ecosystems and coastal economies. The study looked in-depth at data and determined that the deeper they looked into the ocean, the worse the findings were. In fact, they found that in some cases, the average ocean condition was already very close to or even beyond the planetary boundary for acidification. At just 200 meters below the surface (roughly 656 feet), 60% of the global oceans had already breached what is considered the 'safe' limit for acidification. These findings are just the latest in a long list of growing signs that the oceans are struggling in our ongoing fight against climate change. Other research has found that 21% of the ocean is losing access to sunlight, and parts of the ocean are warming 400% faster than they should. The only way to decrease the acidity in the ocean, the researchers claim, is to lower CO2 emissions. While many countries have been working on that, with Trump's administration making massive changes to the EPA and how it views carbon emissions, it's unlikely we'll see any meaningful change any time soon. Still, we can hold out hope that we'll eventually get this under control. Or, at the least, we'll finally figure out that trusting scientists is smarter than ignoring their warnings. More Top Deals Amazon gift card deals, offers & coupons 2025: Get $2,000+ free See the
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Ticking time bomb': Ocean acidity crosses vital threshold, study finds
The deep oceans have crossed a crucial boundary that threatens their ability to provide the surface with food and oxygen, a new study finds. Nearly two-thirds of the ocean below 200 meters, or 656 feet, as well as nearly half of that above, have breached 'safe' levels of acidity, according to findings published on Monday in Global Change Biology. The fall in ocean pH is 'a ticking time bomb for marine ecosystems and coastal economies,' Steve Widdicombe, director of science at the United Kingdom's Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), said in a statement. The study was funded in part by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency that has been targeted for steep cuts by the Trump White House, in large part because of its role in investigating climate change. Some of the biggest changes in deep water are happening off the coast of western North America, home to extensive crab and salmon fisheries, the study found. The core problem is one scientists have warned about for a long time: the continued global burning of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide — an acid when dissolved in water — is making the seas and oceans more acidic. Or, technically, it's making them less basic, which is to say: Less hospitable to species such as corals and clams that form the foundation of the ocean's ecosystem. 'Most ocean life doesn't just live at the surface — the waters below are home to many more different types of plants and animals,' lead author Helen Findlay of PML. 'Since these deeper waters are changing so much, the impacts of ocean acidification could be far worse than we thought.' As of five years ago, Findlay's study noted, the oceans may have crossed a critical threshold in which oceanic levels of calcium carbonate — the main ingredient in limestones, and also the shells of those animals — fell to more than 20 percent below pre-industrial levels. If true, that shift would mean the Earth has passed seven out of nine of the critical 'planetary boundaries' needed to maintain its ecosystem, as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found last year. That shift, Widdicombe of the Marine Lab said, means 'we're witnessing the loss of critical habitats that countless marine species depend on.' 'From the coral reefs that support tourism to the shellfish industries that sustain coastal communities,' he added, 'we're gambling with both biodiversity and billions in economic value every day that action is delayed.' The further implications are even more serious. The reasons for the ocean's rise in acid, or fall in base, is that its waters have absorbed about one-third of all the carbon dioxide released by surface burning of coal, oil and gas. But the more carbon dioxide it absorbs, the lower its ability to absorb more — meaning faster warming on the surface. Making that dynamic even more dramatic, seas and oceans have also absorbed 90 percent of the global heating that the Earth's surface would have otherwise experienced, according to NASA. In addition to absorbing heat and carbon dioxide, the ocean also provides 50 percent of the Earth's oxygen — which comes from the very marine ecosystems that warming and acidification are threatening. Ecosystem loss and fossil fuel burning mean that levels of oxygen below the surface are decreasing, as, more slowly, is oxygen above the surface. —Updated at 12:37 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How the ‘evil twin' of the climate crisis is threatening our oceans
On a clear day at Plymouth marina you can see across the harbour out past Drake's Island – named after the city's most famous son, Francis Drake – to the Channel. It's quite often possible to see an abundance of marine vessels, from navy ships and passenger ferries to small fishing boats and yachts. What you might not spot from this distance is a large yellow buoy bobbing up and down in the water about six miles off the coast. This data buoy – L4 – is one of a number belonging to Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), a research centre in Devon dedicated to marine science. On a pleasantly calm May morning, Prof James Fishwick, PML's head of marine technology and autonomy, is on top of the buoy checking it for weather and other damage. 'This particular buoy is one of the most sophisticated in the world,' he says as he climbs the ladder to the top. 'It's decked out with instruments and sensors able to measure everything from temperature, to salinity, dissolved oxygen, light and acidity levels.' It's the hourly recordings of this last measurement, the pH of the water, that are adding to a picture locally and globally that is increasingly concerning scientists. The results show that ocean acidification is rising – and it is doing so at an alarming rate. Ocean acidification, often called the 'evil twin' of the climate crisis, is caused when carbon dioxide is rapidly absorbed into the ocean, where it then reacts with water molecules leading to a fall in the pH of the seawater. A paper out on Monday from scientists at PML, the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) and Cimers (Oregon State University), shows ocean acidification is happening more rapidly than previously thought. Part of the problem for scientists in bringing it to the world's attention is that you can't see the pH levels in the sea at the beach near you, so how do you know it is happening? It's difficult to see the biological effects because they're going to take a long time to happen Prof Steve Widdicombe, PML 'It's tough because there is no real smoking gun,' says Prof Steve Widdicombe, director of science at PML and a leading global voice on ocean acidification. 'It's difficult to see the biological effects because they're going to take a long time to happen and differentiating the impacts of ocean acidification from things like temperature, fishing pressures and pollution makes it really hard to generate impetus and momentum in decision-makers and policymakers to really tackle it hard.' For anyone who wants an immediate idea of its impact, there is a very effective video from the Noaa that shows a pteropod swimming in water with a normal pH level, alongside one where the pteropod has been subject to elevated CO2 levels for two weeks. In the first video the marine creature has a clear shell and is actively swimming, in the second it shows a partially dissolved and fissured shell and the pterapod having difficulty moving in the water. Images such as this help scientists raise awareness of the issue, but on their own they will never be enough. This lack of visibility and understanding of the impacts of acidification has led scientists to focus on building a body of work that clearly shows the statistical correlations between increasing levels of acidity in the oceans and the changes in biological processes to flora and fauna in the sea in different areas around the world. A good example can be seen in the north-west of the US. In about 2010, the oyster farming industry there – worth millions of dollars – nearly collapsed after oyster production seemed to drop off a cliff. Prof Helen Findlay from PML explains the science of what was going on: 'On the west coast you get an upwelling of deep waters, and that deep water has naturally got more CO2 in it. But on top of that, you have the acidification effect from the atmosphere, and that amplified the upwelling effect. It turned out, after some investigation, that the intake pipes connected to the hatcheries were bringing in this acidified water, which had been amplified over the years.' The level of acidity in the water had reached a point that meant the oysters were trapped in their larval state and unable to grow the shells they needed to develop. The hatcheries then installed sensors to measure the pH of the water and added chemicals to hatchery tanks to neutralise the water when necessary. Scientists hope that education about initiatives such as in the oyster hatcheries of the north-west US, combined with government funding, will help encourage other countries to take action suited to their particular acidification problem. But large parts of the world do not have access to the information they need to begin planning what to do. There are obligations for countries to tackle ocean acidification enshrined in international agreements including, most recently, the Global Biodiversity Framework, that aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. However, while decision-makers either lack the resources to tackle the issue, or simply twiddle their thumbs over implementing a plan, commercial operators are stepping in to offer alternative solutions. Geoengineering the ocean is becoming big business. Companies are focusing on different human-made ways to remove carbon from the seas, with perhaps the most developed of these being ocean alkalinity enhancement. This is where an alkaline solution is added to seawater to raise the pH level. Done at a controlled, very local level, such as in the tanks in the oyster hatcheries, this can be effective. But many scientists are concerned that the ocean geoengineering industry is growing far too rapidly. At the end of the day, CO2 is going up, pH is going down, and that's an urgent issue people are not talking about Jessie Turner, Ocean Acidification Alliance 'We shouldn't proceed further along this road without the evidence,' says Widdicombe. 'Can you imagine going to your doctor and they say 'I've got a drug here that will fix you.' If the doctor then says we haven't really tested it and we're not sure about the side effects, would you still be happy to take it?' Jessie Turner, executive director of the Ocean Acidification Alliance, worries that geoengineering may also cause people to lose sight of the obvious. 'While exploring a research agenda around geoengineering interventions is important, the number one manmade solution to ocean acidification is reducing our CO2 emissions,' she says. 'I hope that we're not losing the urgency for that. Without governments paying more attention to ocean acidification, there is this opportunity for the private sector to steer the course.' Related: Carbon released by bottom trawling 'too big to ignore', says study Aside from the primary objective of reducing CO2, there are other things that can be done to tackle ocean acidification, including limiting organic pollution in the water, often relatively easy to do at a local level, and creating more resilient marine habitats around our shores. It is clear, however, that scientists working in this field are getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of urgency around it. Many are hoping that this week's UN ocean conference in France will provide a vital opportunity to discuss the problem with heads of state and get it more firmly on government agendas. 'At the end of the day, we know CO2 is going up, pH is going down, and that's an urgent issue that people are not talking about,' says Turner. 'It's an overlooked consequence of carbon in our ocean that governments can no longer afford to overlook in mainstream policy agendas, and the time to address it is running out.'
