Climate Change: Causing Huge ‘Dead Zones’ in Oceans by 2030

Photo Credit: Vice.com

Man-made climate change is extremely threatening to the environment around the world. 97 percent of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. Studies show that man-made climate change is already decreasing the oxygen levels within some parts of the world’s oceans, and by 2030 huge “dead zones” could start to appear.

The oxygen levels are declining because the increasing water temperature makes it difficult to absorb and distribute the oxygen. If carbon emissions continue at this rate, it will likely result in falling oxygen concentrations across large areas of the oceans. A decrease in carbon emissions is going to be a nearly impossible task to complete; everyone in the world will need to change how they go about their daily lives.

Environments around the globe are being effected on different levels by climate change. The Arctic, for example, has temperatures that are rising at twice the rate as they are across the planet as a whole. The process has already begun within the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean is likely to see large sections with reduced oxygen by 2030.

“Dead zones” are a huge problem for humans and the environment. These areas could pose a great threat to some forms of marine life at depths of 200 meters or more, which in turn poses a threat to us. We rely on the marine ecosystem for a variety of services – one of them is a food supply. "We rely on bottom fisheries in these areas. Our study was essentially on fish food," Levin said. "Species that form structures that provide biodiversity-sustaining habitat on the sea floor might be important to watch for susceptibility to ocean deoxygenation, acidification, and warming. They are also vulnerable to human disturbance."

Read more at: Vice.com

5 Major Impactors on your Carbon Footprint

The average American is responsible for about 20 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. To fully wrap your head around that amount, just think about the emissions created when driving a gasoline-powered card nonstop for 40,000 miles - they're the same. A thousand actions could be taken to reduce your carbon footprint, but there are five major factors should be considered first.

The place you choose to call home can have a huge impact on the amount of emissions you put into the atmosphere. Although the US is not an ideal location to minimize your carbon footprint, some places are more climate-friendly than others.

Cities, which are responsible for 75 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, cover the US however, densely populated cities tend to have smaller carbon footprints than the outlying suburbs. Location is not the only thing to keep in mind when looking for a home, the kind of apartment or house you live in matters too; making sure the home has good insulation can reduce heat loss and cut down energy use significantly. 

The second major factor is your diet. American’s are responsible for almost nine tons of carbon emissions yearly. The consumption of red meat has a carbon footprint eleven times the size of grains and vegetables. The reduction of beef consumption could actually be more effective than driving less often. Giving up beef completely is not a requirement; simply making small changes can have a huge effect.

How you commute, especially to and from work, can add pounds of carbon to your output. If you plan on using a car, try to get something fuel-efficient. However, public transportation is more efficient and can save each passenger about ten pounds of carbon emissions on an average ride.

The location of your investments is another major factor effecting your carbon footprint. Where your money goes can determine which industries grow and which do not. Activists and nonprofit organizations are encouraging investors to divert money away from the fossil fuel industry. The amount, whether big or small, will make a difference.

The fifth major factor is ultimately who you vote for. Government policies can do more to limit global carbon emissions in the long run than changing your consumer habits. “Climate change is the most systemic challenge and largest scale challenge we’ve ever faced as humanity,” he said. “Given that, it requires action on all fronts, and we need a combination of things coming from everywhere in society."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carbon-footprint_us_56b3b650e4b01d80b24592d0

The Rise in Sea Level

Credit: www.climatecentral.org/

The impact that climate change has on the rise in sea level could be much greater than previously anticipated. According to German researchers, there are two factors that come to play in the rise - melting ice and the thermal expansion of water as it warms. Sea level expansion, now believed to be 1.4mm per year, is ever increasing as the years go by. This expansion has been greatly underestimated in the past, but now researchers are realizing just how much "heat-related expansion of the water mass in the oceans contributes to a global rise in sea level." The increase is not this cut and dry however, it can vary greatly from place to place. For example, the Philippines is said to be “rising at five times the global rate.”

The increased level of expansion is not unexpected. The rise in sea level is caused by global warming, and the average temperature has risen almost two degrees since the 1800s. Even with the global variation, climate change is the ultimate cause for increases everywhere. The harmful effects of global warming are so great that scientists have stated that if it was not a factor, sea levels may have actually fallen during the 20^th century. Climate change has been reported as the cause for three fourths of coastal flooding in the U.S. over the past ten years. Sea level increase is starting to be a big topic of conversation. “There’s a definite recognition among people who weren’t talking about sea level rise 5 years ago that it’s something to be concerned about,” said Laura Tam, a policy director at SPUR, which is an urban planning think-tank based in San Francisco. “And something that needs to be planned for.”

For more information: Climatecentral.org, Theguardian.com