Environmental News and Articles

A significant change in subtropical ocean biology, potentially linked to the warming of surface waters, has been occurring according to a study undertaken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Hawaii. These researchers measured a noticeable recent expansion of underwater barrenness in subtropical parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans called gyres, which are the whirling spans of water on either side of the equator. The desert-like conditions in these expanses are now found in roughly 20% of the world’s oceans---a pattern characterized by relatively plankton free and thus fish sterile stretches of ocean. Plankton are a diverse group of minute animals (zooplankton) and plants (phytoplankton) that freely drift in the water and serve as food for many aquatic species. Plankton are the first link in the marine food chain, so these losses in plankton life could prove devastating to a variety of fish populations.

According to this study, which appears in Geophysical Research Letters, these vast spans of saltwater with low surface plant life grew by 15 percent or 6.6 million square kilometers over a nine year period between the 1998 and 2007. The expansion occurred at the same time that the sea surface temperatures were continuously warming each year, thus preventing deep ocean nutrients from rising to the surface and creating plant life which in turn feeds fish life. The changes were measured by use of the SeaWiFS instrument which assesses the abundance of plankton by mapping color variances in ocean water.

It is not perfectly clear whether the loss of plankton life is related to climate change or simple variation over time, butit is worth exploring further given the profound need to slow this trend for the sake of crucial marine life. “The fact that we are seeing an expansion of the ocean’s least productive areas as the subtropical gyres warm is consistent with our understanding of the impact of global warming. But with a nine-year time series, it is difficult to rule out decadal variation,” noted Jeffrey J. Polovina, an oceanographer with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service in Honolulu, who authored the study along with NOAA’s Evan A. Howell and Melanie Abecassis of the University of Hawaii.

Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), University of Hawaii, New York Times

Just last month, the International Year of the Reef was announced by 17 countries and 30 different organizations. Three of the most prominent world environmental groups---Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund---appealed worldwide to governments, companies, scientists and individuals alike to take definitive action to protect the world’s ever so delicate coral reef systems. The International Year of the Reef is a worldwide campaign intended to increase knowledge and enhance awareness about the critical importance of coral reefs and to urge specific action to safeguard these cherished ecosystems. The International Year of the Reef was initiated by The International Coral Reef Initiative.

The coral reefs of our oceans face many threats to their sustainability and are in urgent need of focused rescue efforts. Unfortunately, many of the world’s coral reefs have been damaged or destroyed due to increasing human impacts, climate change, and other factors. According to the Status of Coral Reefs of the World, 70% of the worlds’ coral reefs are threatened or destroyed, 20% of those are damaged beyond repair and within the Caribbean alone, many coral reefs have lost 80% of coral species. The decline and loss of coral reef ecosystems has significant social, economic, and ecological impacts on communities around the world.

The World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International have offered specific goals which are intended to protect the reefs:

A managing director of the World Wildlife Fund, Bill Eichbaum, made this plea: “Coral reefs face some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges – from climate change to destructive fishing practices. Reefs host a variety of vital sea life and are key to the health of the world’s oceans. As we mark 2008 as the International Year of the Reef, we are calling on all stakeholders to step up the pace of action to protect reefs around the world.”

Sources: Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, The World Wildlife Fund, The International Coral Reef Initiative

Across the world, frogs are inexorably marching towards extinction, joining toads, salamanders, newts, and the fascinatingly unique caecilians---a tailless, legless, carnivorous, tropical amphibian. The World Conservation Union has even estimated that at least a third of all known amphibian species are threatened with extinction. As a further example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed 37 amphibian species under the Endangered Species Act. While the major threat to these often splendidly luminescent animals has historically been habitat loss and erosion, many of the current species population declines and extinctions are now being attributed to climate change and the rapidly communicable infectious disease known as chytridiomycosis, which in abbreviated form is known as “chytrid.”

Chytrid is a fungus that assaults the parts of a frog's skin that have keratin in them. Since frogs must use their skin in respiration, this makes it difficult for the frog to breathe. The fungus also damages the nervous system, affecting the frog's behavior.

In a coordinated public awareness campaign, botanical gardens, zoos and aquariums have launched “The Year of the Frog.” The focus of this effort is to generate public awareness and understanding of the amphibian extinction crisis which represents one of the truly greatest species conservation challenges in history. The funds raised from this global campaign will help fund initiatives such as training courses, technical guidance, partnership building, and communication activities. The idea is to create international attention and funding for amphibian conservation that will extend well beyond the year 2008.

Sources: National Public Radio, Amphibian Ark, Kansas City Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, World Conservation Union

A sobering new study by Stanford researchers has correlated the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide to increased human mortality and morbidity rates. The groundbreaking research details how for each 1 degree Celsius increase caused by carbon dioxide emissions, the resulting air pollution would lead to about 1,000 deaths each year in the U.S.---along with more cases of respiratory illness and asthma. On a worldwide scale, in excess of 20,000 air pollution deaths per year may be related to an annual 1C increase in this greenhouse gas.

While an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide has previously been tied to climate change, the Stanford study is a first to make a direct tie to an increase in mortality. “This is a cause and effect relationship, not just a correlation,” commented Dr. Mark Jacobson, the leading researcher on this work which was accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters. Dr. Jacobson went on to state that “the study is the first specifically to isolate carbon dioxide’s effect from that of other global warming agents and to find quantitatively that chemical and meteorological changes due to carbon dioxide itself increase mortality due to increased ozone, particles and carcinogens in the air.”

The study also addresses the amounts of ozone and airborne particles that result from temperature increases caused by increases in carbon dioxide emissions. Ozone is responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, emphysema and asthma with several studies associating increased ozone levels with higher mortality rates. “(O)zone is a very corrosive gas; it erodes rubber and statues; it cracks tires,” noted Dr. Jacobson. “So you can imagine what it does to your lungs in high enough concentrations.”

Across America, precipitation patterns will very likely be significantly altered due to climate change. In some areas, rain and snowfall will increase over the course of a year, while in others precipitation will be reduced. A firm scientific consensus does exist that the rainstorms and snowstorms that do occur will be more extreme due to increased global surface temperatures. A study was issued last month by Environment America, an environmental advocacy group, which analyzed precipitation data from 1948 to 2006 from more than 3,000 weather stations in 48 states. This analysis, reviewed by climate scientists, including one from the National Climatic Data Center, provided further evidence consistent with existing literature that predict increased incidences of extreme precipitation due to the effects of global warming. In other words, when it rains or snows, more rain or snow is likely to fall. The key findings of this study include:

How does global warming alter precipitation patterns to bring heavier rains and snows? While it seems a paradox, global warming increases the intensity of precipitation in two prominent ways. First, by increasing the temperature of the Earth’s land and water, global warming causes water to evaporate at a faster pace. Second, by increasing air temperature, global warming enables the atmosphere to retain more water vapor. Then, it follows that when clouds become richer in moisture, making heavier downpours or snowstorms more likely.

As Dr. David Easterling, a senior scientist at the National Climatic Data Center who reviewed the report noted, “If you warm up the air, the air can hold more moisture,” … “and the amount it increases is not linear; it goes up exponentially.”

Sources: Environment America, National Climatic Data Center, New York Times, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control

The American Dialect Society recently released its awards for the words of the year. Foremost among the runner ups was the word “green” a close finisher behind “subprime”, the ultimate winner for obvious and unfortunate reasons for many. “Green” which designates environmental concern did capture the award as the Most Useful Word of the Year.

Members in the highly regarded 118-year-old American Dialect Society include linguists, lexicographers, etymologists, grammarians, historians, researchers, writers, authors, editors, professors, university students, and independent scholars. Their serious, yet light hearted, mission is to highlight that language change is normal, ongoing and entertaining.

Emilia Romagna, a largely agricultural region in northern Italy, is world famous for its production of parmesan cheese and proscuitto ham. This pastoral land has now gained added, but unwanted, fame for being the home to one of the first outbreaks of an epidemic tropical disease spread by tiger mosquitoes in modern Europe---a disease usually confined to populations in the Indian Ocean.

Chikungunya fever, a relative of dengue fever, is a viral illness that is spread by the bites of infected tiger mosquitoes. Chikungunya fever typically lasts from five to seven days and frequently causes severe and often incapacitating joint pain which sometimes persists for much longer periods. There is no vaccine against this virus, so preventive measures depend entirely on avoiding mosquito bites and eliminating mosquito breeding sites which, until recently, were found in Indian Ocean tropical regions. The tiger mosquitoes responsible for spreading the Chikungunya virus can now thrive in a warmer Europe due to climate change.

At first, it was unknown in these small Italian villages what was causing the high fever, exhaustion and excruciating bone pain associated with this disease. Finally, after some investigation and inspecting mosquito traps, health officials determined that the people were suffering from a tropical disease with the exotic name of Chikungunya fever. This epidemic in Italy provided further proof that due to global warming tropical viruses are now capable of spreading to regions much further north of their previous range. “This is the first case of an epidemic of a tropical disease in a developed, European country,” announced Dr. Roberto Bertollini, director of the World Health Organization’s Health and Environment program. “Climate change creates conditions that make it easier for this mosquito to survive and it opens the door to diseases that didn’t exist here previously. This is a real issue. Now, today.”

Prairie dogs, whose five different species live in the dry grassy areas of the western plains, are a keystone species of the North American short-grass prairie ecosystem. A keystone species is a species whose very presence contributes to a diversity of life and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other forms of life. Nine species of wildlife are directly affected by the decline of the prairie dog population. What we do to the prairie dog affects all these other animals. Prairie dogs are like the canary in a coal mine. If their population declines and dies, others will soon follow. The loss of prairie dogs has implications that go beyond just having a thriving prairie dog population.

Unfortunately, the crucial prairie dog population has suffered a catastrophic decline due to a variety of factors including poisoning, shooting, urbanization, sylvatic plague and agricultural expansion. We’re using methods to kill prairie dogs that have been outlawed for use on our dogs and cats and pets years ago. One of the species, the black tailed prairie dog, has been reduced to 2% of its historical population high and is currently the subject of efforts to again make the list of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act so as to avoid eventual extinction. Over the last 150 years, prairie dogs have declined by over 95%. Declines continue today. In the last 15 years, there’s been a further 60% decrease of large prairie dog complexes. Four of the seven largest complexes have disappeared/been decimated.

Hundreds of wildlife species have been observed on or near prairie dog colonies, and several of these animals depend on prairie dogs as a food source or for their habitat. Among those animals associated with and benefiting from prairie dogs and their colonies are bald and golden eagles, swift foxes, coyotes, ferruginous hawks, mountain plovers, burrowing owls, badgers and black-footed ferrets. Countless insects and some plants also mingle in the prairie dog community.

Prairie dogs are profoundly social creatures, living in closely knit family groups called "coteries" which commonly accommodate an adult male, one or more adult females, and their young offspring. These coteries are grouped together into wards and when wards are clustered they comprise a colony or town. Although prairie dogs can be fiercely territorial about their individual coterie, they are known to cooperate with surrounding families by acting as sentries to warn one other of invading predators or other ominous signs. Prairie dogs have an amazingly complex system of communication that involves a broad array of verbal expressions and behavioral displays. Recent research suggests a high degree of sophistication in prairie dog communication, in which they are capable of distinguishing between people wearing different colored clothing and between people exhibiting different types of behavior. Prairie dogs have even been observed using sounds in different orders and at varying speeds, suggesting a grammatical component to their communication.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of organizations such as the Prairie Dog Coalition, these imperiled animals and their ecosystems have found some much needed shelter. For the benefit of treasured wildlife, the Prairie Dog Coalition is dedicated to the protection of imperiled prairie dogs and restoration of their ecosystems. To accomplish this mission, they provide information and advocacy training, facilitate communication and planning, and promote conservation projects.

The Coalition is headquartered in Boulder and is alliance of non-profit organizations, concerned citizens, and scientists. Recently, the renowned primatologist, Jane Goodall, formally endorsed the efforts of the Prairie Dog Coalition and their mission to protect these important animals and their habitat.

The Coral Triangle has been aptly described as the global epicenter of marine species diversity and remains one of the top priorities for marine conservation. This abundantly fecund region of the ocean covers an area of 2.3 million square miles---an area equivalent to one-half of the United States---and contains more than one-third of all the world's coral reefs. It harbors more than 600 species of reef-building coral (compared to only 60 in the entire Caribbean), or 75% of all known coral species, and over 3,000 species of reef fish. It also holds nearly 75% of the world's mangrove species, over 45% of seagrass species, 58% of tropical marine mollusks, five species of sea turtles and at least 22 species of marine mammals also occur in the region - an astounding level of diversity concentrated in less than 1% of the world ocean's surface area. Moreover, large numbers of these species occur nowhere else on Earth, including 97 species of reef fishes endemic to Indonesia, and more than 50 in the Philippines.

With this rich beauty comes the beast, as coral reefs and other marine habitats within this region are severely threatened by human activities. Over 150 million people live within the Coral Triangle, of which an estimated 2.25 million are fishers that depend on marine resources for their livelihood. The most pervasive threats are overfishing, threatening 64% of Southeast Asia's reefs, and destructive fishing practices---including blast fishing and fishing with poisons--- threatening two-thirds of the reefs in the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan, and half of the reefs in Indonesia. Sedimentation and pollution associated with coastal development and changes in land use also put the region’s reefs and marine habitats at risk.

Reef-building coral is a fragile organism, a tiny polyp-like animal that builds a calcium carbonate shell around itself and survives in a symbiotic relationship with various species of algae. Because of this delicate, yet harmonious, relationship even a 1-2 degree F rise in surrounding sea temperatures can result in destructive coral bleaching and death. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that “bleaching will recur more often than reefs can sustain.”

What is being done to protect this stunning underwater eden? The environmental group, The Nature Conservancy, has embarked on an ambitious program to establish numerous ecologically protected zones called “marine protected areas” (MPA). With the assistance of an advanced computer program assessing marine resources, Nature Conservancy has carefully selected areas where human development and exploitation of natural resources are in need of regulation to protect species and habitats. By providing habitat for exploited fish stocks, MPAs provide benefits for commercial fisheries.

Despite these efforts, serious concerns remain about another related issue: the growing acidification of the oceans due their absorption of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide. More acidic oceans render it more difficult for coral to produce the necessary calcium carbonate shells. These worries were voiced by a group of coral reef specialists at the United Nations Bali talks: “we call on all societies and governments to immediately and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions…without targeted reductions, the ongoing damage to coral reefs from global warming will soon be irreversible.”

Sources: The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, The Associated Press, The New York Times, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Defying Ocean’s End

Over one quarter of the world’s primate species is facing an immediate risk of extinction according to research recently conducted by a panel of experts.

Primates are humanity’s closest of relatives and are spread across three continents, living in varied habitats from rainforests to mountains to islands. The broad diversity of these intelligent and majestic animals, which include monkeys, apes, orangutans,, lemurs and even lesser known kin, is in serious danger according to a report presented by Primate Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) and the International Primatological Society (IPS) in cooperation with Conservation International. The report, entitled Primates in Peril: The World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates – 2006-2008, born of the efforts of sixty experts from over twenty different countries, chronicles those primates who face an unprecedented threat to their very existence. The situation is so dire for these species that Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International remarked: “You could fit all the surviving members of these species in a football stadium. That’s how few of them remain on Earth today.”

The underlying causes of this primate loss include tropical forest destruction due to agriculture and logging, commercial hunting and illegal trade in the species. The most critical losses to habitat were found to the coastal Atlantic rainforests of South America, while hunting and trading primate meat was most prevalent in Central and Western Africa for consumption as a protein source to local human populations and in China where organs are used for medicinal purposes. Species such as the Miss Waldron Red Colobus of Western Ghana and eastern Ivory Coast are so close to extinction that no evidence of living individuals has been produced in quite some time. A complete listing of all 25 of the most endangered primate species from this study can be found at http://www.primate-sg.org/T25full07.htm

Sources: World Conservation Union, Species Survival Commission, International Primatological Society, Conservation International, The Times

Bali is a diminutive, mountainous, emerald Indonesian island surrounded by azure seas and coral reefs some two miles east of Java; Bali is located midway along the Indonesian archipelago, a major barrier separating two of the world’s most nutrient rich bodies of water---the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is located a mere 8 degrees south of the equator.

This week, representatives of some 200 nations have converged upon the otherwise tranquil island of Bali which is the site for the United Nations sponsored talks on climate change. The prominent item on the agenda is an effort to strengthen and broaden the treaty knows as the Kyoto Protocol. This pact has been signed by 174 countries and is intended to (1) gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions, national policies and best practices; (2) launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision of financial and technological support to developing countries; and (3) cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts of climate change. The Kyoto Protocol is the preeminent international doctrine where most developed countries agreed to meet specific greenhouse gas emissions by specified dates. Delegates to the conference are under intense pressure to engage in negotiations to “give teeth” to the Kyoto Protocol and to earnestly undertake negotiations to launch a “road map” that would lead to a new, broader pact by 2009---an agreement that would address a comprehensive plan to reduce the greenhouse gases which are at the core of global warming. The Kyoto Protocol expires by its own terms in 2012.

Providing mechanisms for protecting the world’s forests, especially the delicate rainforest ecosystems
Persuading the United States to agree to binding reductions in omissions and not just voluntary, market- based strategies for greenhouse gas cuts
Discussing means by which environmental technology can be shared
Encouraging the involvement of developing countries in greenhouse gas talks, particularly China and India
Addressing the degradation of the world’s oceans, including fish species, habitat and water quality
Setting specific goals for world greenhouse gas emissions

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, New York Times, United Nations Framework Convention