The fish need to breathe

For many people if you asked, they how do a fish suffocate they would probably reply that a fish could not suffocate it does not breath air. But for anyone even a little bit versed in fish breathing, they will know this is not the case. Fish to “breathe” will get oxygen from the water that it is dissolved in. However, it is important to understand that only so much oxygen can be dissolved in water. As has been the running theme of this blog global warming will play a part in the decreased amount of oxygen that is dissolved in the water, leading to the suffocation of some fish.

The fact of the matter is that warmer waters in the ocean do not carry as much dissolved oxygen. This is only made worse by the fact that small micro-organisms will use more oxygen leaving less for the larger species.

There were, previous to climate change, normal low oxygen areas in the ocean. Now, due to the increased ocean temperatures, talked about more in depth in other posts, these zones have increased in area and depth. The places where certain species thrived due to the vast amount of room are in danger and risk extinction. This possible extinction will lead to the loss of more biodiversity, which is almost never a good thing.

Another factor to consider is that the fish populations may continue to decrease because they do not have the necessary amount of oxygen, which will lead to a smaller food supply for humans. There are people who rely on large fish populations for their livelihood, and they could be affected strongly.

Many of the issues that cause global warming exist in such a way that they create a positive feedback loop. And, the longer people allow these problems to continue without action the harder it will be to return the earth to a healthy state. But as mentioned in previous posts it will take a large collective effort for that change to happen.

The Issue With Lakes

One commodity which people especially in the more developed world take for granted is fresh water, or salt free if you prefer. For thousands of years our ancestors relied on rivers and lakes to supply them with drinking water. However, in a new study it has been found that these lakes are warming up, and even drying out.

As mentioned in previous posts on this blog the ocean temperatures have been rising and it should come as no shock that bodies of fresh water are also following this trend. Also, like the oceans, these increasing temperatures may affect the native species of these bodies of water. As the tempertures continue to rise the native species, particularly fish, may not be able to cope. Then as a result these fresh bodies of water may become overpopulated with algae, although another scenario may be that these warmer bodies of water could become the home of a new species. An invasive species that was better adapted to survive in warmer waters may take up residence in these lakes. While that may not sound like that bad of a situation it is important to remember that the replacement of one species by another entails the loss of biodiversity. As mentioned on another post on this blog the loss of biodiversity is almost unanimously a bad thing.

When it comes to how quickly the tempertures of these lakes are rising at .81 degrees ferinight per year. As previously mentioned the native species to these lakes aare in danger due to these increased tempertures. The one thing that is to be kept in mind: that this situation, like almost all other caused by global warming, is a positive feedback loop. The fish will increase their metabolic rate but will have decreased oxygen, leading to a higher death rate in these fish. This may have a direct impact on those who rely on fishing as their source of income. While we may try to take small steps to increase the overall state of these fresh bodies of water, they will not do much. To truly handle the crisis that is our lakes we must deal with it at the root of the problem: global warming.

An ocean of bright colors

A beautiful beach day is something that in the western hemisphere is highly sought after, especially when people picture the beautiful blue water that seems like something out of an old Hollywood movie. While this may be a lovely sight it could be a warning sight of something very serious: increasing ocean temperature. Increasing ocean levels in temperature and sea level, have been talked about in this blog but now we need to more concerned with the plankton.

These plankton play a vital role in the ecosystems all over the globe, they have metabolic processes that allow for the ocean to be maintained in a healthy state. However, due to increased ocean temperatures these little critters may be at risk and could decrease in quantity.  With the decrease in plankton it will create a positive feedback loop where the ocean will become less and less healthy and able to sustain the vast amount of life that we know it contains. Once again, as mentioned before in this blog, this will lead to a loss of species and thus biodiversity.

The warning sign that researchers learned this startling news from was satellite images that show how the blues and greens of these images becoming more pronounced. This change in color will mainly be caused by the amount of light that will be able to penetrate into the water. Which the plankton are inadvertently responsible for.

While the plankton are small in stature, they play perhaps one of the largest roles in the oceans’ ecosystems. And unfortunately, they are only small part of a much larger problem that stems from humanity’s own recklessness with greenhouse gases, and overall pollution of our oceans. While we make small changes as individuals that will not be enough to overcome the mess that has been laid in front of us as a community. To truly remedy the problem that we have caused the general public and researchers will have to come to terms and learn to work together.    

Fish might need a new home…

As mentioned in a previous post on this a loss biodiversity is the direct result of global warming, and can cause a ripple effect to both humans and the other species within that ecosystem. A recent study carried out by UNESCO says that coral reefs all across the world are in serious danger of completely dying out. This is unless carbon emissions are reduced drastically, showing once again that, carbon emissions created by human activity have had a wide range of effects on the planet.

In this recent study it is believed that by 2100 that most of the reef systems will be destroyed. It is important to remember that while the coral reefs make up a small part of the ocean floor, they are the home for millions of species. If this habitat gets destroyed it could lead a mass extinction of coral reef species, fish, and other sea life that made the reef their home. A large percentage of the worlds fish relies on these reefs, and if they die the shortage of fish will only get worse. It is examples like this that remind people that the loss of a coral reef will not just affect the colorful fish we all love, but can have a ripple effect that will cause issues for the human population. This loss of habitat combined with overfishing will eventually lead to a food crisis, in the long run. However, even in the short run we will see the people who rely one these fish for food or livelihood, being effected.

These coral reefs also play a large part in protecting shores during extreme weather events, and as an extra layer of protection against rising sea levels. As mentioned in another post on this blog, the sea levels have been rising, causing a variety of issues for both humans and species. The ripple effect of thing that is hurt by global warming will lead to another compartment of it being amplified, creating a positive feedback loop of bad implications for oceans specifically. While the world may be making minor adjustments to the way they handle their waste, small changes are simply not enough and a more serious change is required if any real results are to be seen.

A positive feedback loop of disaster

A fair amount of people can remember the severe damage that was caused by hurricane Katrina caused, and many hoped to never have to relive such terrors. These super storms can cause massive destruction and even the loss of lives, and unfortunately due to the effects of global warming it is even more likely that we will be seeing more of these storms as well as other extreme natural disasters.

There is a “jet stream” which comes from the artic, which is a part of what minimizes natural disasters in both number and destruction.  With the warming of the arctic the temperature of this stream, increases and causes it to not function as well as it normally does. This, for example, is what can cause wildfires that have become increasingly common in California. One researcher from Germany says that we can expect a 300% increase in these types of events. However, there are not that many tools to base this research on so the numbers are not that firm. The summer of 2018 was the hottest in history for the average, and the culprit of this heat is once again global warming. This is just another fantastic example of what the jet stream being only a little warmer can do and to “fix” the jet stream there would have to be a serious change in air pollution, but with that, in time, the airstream may return to normal.

Global warming has been the running theme through this blog, and it is important to remember how global warming can affect so many facets of the word around us. And if we want to prevent further devastation from wildfires and hurricanes, the people as a whole must make a change or there is only a slippery slope of negative consequences.

The Ozone in Rehab

When people talk about global warming one thing that always pops up is the ozone layer, and the holes in it. It has almost become common knowledge that holes in the ozone layer are a contributor to the global increase in temperature, mainly due to ultraviolet radiation . However, these holes may be on the road to recovery and the wait might not be as long as most people would expect.

In a recent study it was determined that the ozone layer was more fluid than originally thought, and fluctuated as such. Researchers previously were using only one factor to predict the amount of time it would take for a hole in the ozone to recover. However, the amount of ozone varied from year to year in one hole, this was due to the strong winds which would push ozone to the holes, and the chlorine concentration which would deplete the ozone in this particular spot. These factors will vary at each level of the ozone layer atmospherically, but the gradual increase of ozone over time will allow it to heal, just not on a linear slope. Meaning some years that the hole may appear to be increasing, and other years it may appear to be shrinking, but the ultimate trend will be positive.

This is one instance where the world may have actually been able to do something about the global warming it has caused. By instituting laws and regulations, countries have been able to reduce the amount the amount of ozone depleting chemicals in the atmosphere, and in turn protected the ozone. The lesson from the ozone holes is that the globe can learn, as a whole, is that we are capable of dealing with global warming and making an effective change, and that we can not go back to our old ways once these changes have been made.  The earth can be saved but it will not be done by one person switching to an electric car, it requires a global effort from the scientific community and general public.

Evolution. Kinda….

In Dr. Nick Lorusso research (link at bottom) he discusses how the introduction of a certain predator to an ecosystem, how that predator may lead the defensive phenotype of its prey to become altered in its frequency in the population. The natural selection that would occur for this would strongly favor one phenotype to protect its self from the predator. However, this could lead to other traits that were not favorable (or costly) to become more prevalent, until the unique predator is removed and the prey population can revert to the phenotypes that are not as costly. The “cost” of the more defensive phenotype could be a less effective internal system, as compared to an organism with a less defensive phenotype.

This type of phenotypic display in populations can help us to better understand how an invasive species can affect the native species of any ecosystem (link2 at bottom). The takeover by invasive species can lead to the extinction of the native species, as seen in previous blogs. This change in biodiversity may cause the frequency of a specific phenotype to become more popular, but may not lead to a permanent evolution of a species. While this species may revert if the invasive predator or otherwise is removed, the likely hood is that the species will go extinct. With almost every scenario like this that happens the native species is likely to go extinct, more biodiversity will be lost.

The loss of biodiversity brought on by invasive species will only continue to hurt the planet as a whole. The process by which phenotypes become more prevalent in certain circumstances may slow this process but it will not be able to stop it completely. The maintenance of our biodiversity should be a top priority for everyone who does not want to see the ripple effect it will eventually have on humans.

Link: http://deenr.rutgers.edu/Faillace_Lorusso_Morin_trip.html

Link2: https://www.pnas.org/content/98/10/5446

Nemo has an issue….

For many people in the world fish is a main part of their diet and they rely on it as a source of protein, not to mention that it is a source of livelihood for some people. Unfortunately, in recent years fish populations have been unbalanced; which was caused mainly by global warming; leading to a rise in ocean temperatures. These rises in ocean temperatures have caused several species of fish and other marine animals to be impacted negatively.  

The increase in ocean temperature has caused a decrease in the main food source for a variety of fish: zooplankton. The small creatures do not survive or reproduce well in hotter temperatures, which will lead to the ripple effect of the other fish not surviving as well; and therefore leading the populations of other marine species to diminish. These fish species will also take a hit due to overfishing (link to video at bottom), even though there are conservation efforts being put forth to try and stop illegal fishing. If this process of over fishing and ocean temperature increases without moderation by humans, some fish populations will go extinct. This sort of extinction pattern, where one species diminishing affects another, can be seen in another post on this blog on how bumble bees were being affected in a similar manner. This sort of problem is only evidence that global warming is having a vast number of effects and almost none of them are good, but that many species are being put at risk of extinction.

The earth has had periods of mass extinction (ex. Dinosaur extinction) before but nothing like what the planet is experiencing now. If the brakes are not put on over fishing, and rising ocean temperatures the ripple effect could drastically impact not only the biodiversity of the world but have horrific impacts on human life as well.

video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/00000159-08ca-d9c0-adfd-4ccbf8ce0000

Save the bees from global warming

Global warming has had many effects on the world but one that people tend to forget is how other species are affected, often going extinct. This article gives some excellent examples of species and how they are being affected by the changing climate. It shows how animals are not the only species that are being affected by climate change. Other sources do not give such a relevant list than can be understood by someone who does not have a serious background on the types of animals and plants that are being impacted, the list contains species that most people would be familiar with. This article can help us to understand how global warming can have a broader affect than just the animals who reside is the artic. The average reader may take steps to become more active in protecting wildlife in their own community or by donating to help different species around the world. The hope is that people would sympathize and want to make efforts to help slow down global warming, in order to protect endangered species.

Dewitt, Jessie, et al. “On the Cusp of Climate Change.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Sept. 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/22/science/on-the-cusp-of-climate-change.html.

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton