Beyond Green - Environmental Issues - Climate

Focus: Sea Turtles At Risk

Written by Sarah Paulin

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Every species of sea turtle is considered either endangered or threatened.

They are an essential part of their ecosystems and the loss of any sea turtle species would greatly effect humans. They are one of the only animals that eats sea grass, besides manatees, which are also threatened. Sea grass must be kept short to remain healthy and provide an environment for many other sea creatures to breed, nest, and survive. If sea turtles were to decrease any more in population size and go extinct, a chain reaction would occur and many of the marine species humans depend on for economic and nutritional purposes would no longer exist.

Dangers to sea turtles include ocean pollution and fishing. Like with any other species, ocean pollution refers not only to physical trash, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but chemical pollution as well. Since sea turtles breathe oxygen, pollutants such as oil and harsh chemicals that sit on the surface of the ocean can get into their eyes and nostrils. Their number one source of food, sea grass, is also negatively effected by oil and is becoming less plentiful. Nesting season is when sea turtles are most vulnerable. Eggs and hatchlings are at risk of injury, deformity, and death from contaminated beaches and plastic debris.

Living With Climate Change

Written by Wolf Berger

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I have, for several years, lectured to Rotary Clubs and to interested colleagues in the Earth sciences on the ongoing global warming and how one might extract, from the geologic record of the deep sea, insights to deal with this problem.

There is much lively discussion about global warming, both in scientific circles and in public forums. Among scientists, questions are being discussed regarding technical issues, such as the importance of clouds in affecting climate change, and the likely rate at which sea level will rise in the next several decades, for example. To some of these discussions geologic experience and insight can contribute valuable information.

In the public forum, rather more basic questions are debated, such as whether there is indeed good evidence for global warming, and if so, whether it is caused by human activities, and how it is likely to develop in the future and with what consequences, and whether or not we should do something about it, and if so, what. And how much (economic) pain such “what” might cause, and whether it will be sufficiently effective to warrant the effort.

Regarding this second set of questions, and especially the ones that surround policy, geologists have no more (and no less) to contribute than other people trained in rational thinking.

How Does Pollution Enter the Ocean?

Written by Sarah Paulin

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One of the goals of The Sea Bird Adventure is to bring awareness about human effect on the ocean. The Great Garbage Patch is only one consequence in a series of poor environmental choices the human population has made. There are four distinct ways pollution, such as plastic, toxic chemicals, and even invasive species, enter the ocean. This includes direct discharge, land runoff, ship pollution, and atmospheric pollution. Once in the ocean, pollutants threaten marine life both directly and indirectly since their habitats and the fragile ecosystems they inhabit are also at risk of being destroyed by man-made products.

Direct discharge is when rivers and streams enter directly into the ocean. Usually these rivers run through cities orhuman populated areas, picking up pesticides, debris, sewage, and industrial waste.

The source of the pollution is classified by either point source or nonpoint source. Point source means that the source of contamination into the stream or river is localized and easily targeted. Nonpoint source refers to pollution whose source is undefined or includes multiple sources, such as agricultural runoff.

Another example of direct discharge is mining, which has other disastrous effects like acid mine drainage and the development of coral polyps from copper.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, mining practices have severely contaminated over 40% of watersheds in the western U.S.

Global Climate Change vs. Global Warming

Written by Sarah Paulin

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Global Warming Misconceptions

There are many misconceptions about the realities of human-motivated environmental changes. One of these is the label Global Warming when pertaining to recent atmospheric fluctuations.

Though parts of the world are in fact getting warmer, the correct term is Global Climate Change. Due to mostly human-generated carbon dioxide and methane pollution, Earth's gasses are not able to escape pa

st the lower atmosphere. This is commonly known as the Greenhouse Effect and results in an overall climate change, effecting the entire world.

Climate vs. Weather

Climate is different from weather in that climate encompasses a long period of time, usually around thirty years. Weather refers to day-to-day temperatures. For example, San Diego is known for having a sunny, warm climate year-round. However, San Diego does experience weather, such as cloudiness and rain.

The evidence supporting Global Climate Change stipulates that the climate across all nations will change at an increased rate.

Natural vs. Increased Earth Cycles

The Earth naturally undergoes fluctuating climate cycles. According to NASA, in the last 650,000 years, the Earth has had seven cycles of glacial advanceand retreat. This is determined by excavating ice cores and testing the air pockets trapped inside the ice for as far back as 400,000 years ago. The best marker for climate change is carbon dioxide. Currently, carbon dioxide levels are rising beyond 380 CO2 parts per million. This is higher than it has ever been in the history of the Earth. This directly corresponds to and increase in global temperature and the resulting increased rate of the Earth's natural climate cycle.

These Late Pleistocene cycles occurred gradually and were due to small changes in Earth's proximity to the sun and slight fluctuations in greenhouse gasses. NASA also states that due to increased human activity and production of greenhouse gasses, the rate at which Earth's climate is currently changing is unnatural and will lead to a rise in sea levels and average global temperature, warming oceans, shrinking ice sheets, declining arctic sea ice, glacial retreat, and ocean acidification.

The Sea Bird Adventure

As an environmental organization, The Sea Bird team is committed to environmentally friendly practices, including reducing emissions of harmful greenhouse gasses. Half of the Sea Bird Adventure's mission is to equip the Sea Bird Adventure vessel with a turbine that will not require diesel fuel and therefore not release carbon dioxide, further polluting the atmosphere. The success of this project will allow other ships to modify their own fuel-intake systems and adapt a more sustainable method of power.

For more information Global Climate Change, visit the NASA website: http://climate.nasa.gov/