• Ocean

Seaing Stars in the Marine Lab

• captive breeding
• climate change
• endangered species
• ocean acidification
• ocean warming
• sea urchins
• sunflower sea stars

Over the last decade, nearly 91% of the sunflower sea star population has been wiped out, landing the species a “critically endangered” categorization last year. The sea stars, which have 24 arms, are an important part of the underwater food web: they keep kelp forests healthy by feeding on sea urchins. 

Why This Matters: Between rising temperatures, overfishing, ocean acidification, among other harms, people have thrown the U.S. West Coast marine ecosystem off the balance.

• Ocean

Shellfish Can’t Stand Climate Crisis

• clams
• fishers
• Gulf of Maine
• kelp
• New England
• ocean
• ocean acidification
• oysters
• scallops

New England’s iconic lobster roll and summer clam bake are at risk: ocean acidification caused by climate change makes it difficult for their outer shells to form. With no action, crustacean shells in the Gulf of Maine will begin to dissolve in the next 40 years, according to a new report looking specifically at the impact of ocean acidification in Massachusetts. 

Why this Matters: For marine life, the impacts of acidification will alter the ocean ecosystem.

• Ocean

Now’s the Time for NOAA

• climate change
• healthy ocean
• National Climate Assessment
• NOAA
• ocean
• ocean acidification
• science
• scientific integrity

by Margaret Spring and Justin Kenney Preparing to take office on January 20, President-elect Joe Biden is building the most qualified and experienced team of experts that any president has assembled to address the climate change crisis. As excited and hopeful as we are about the Biden Administration’s extraordinary climate team, there is a major […]

• Climate Change

World Meteorological Organization Sounds Alarm On Climate, But Is Anyone Listening?

• climate change
• global warming
• greenhouse gasses
• ice melting
• ocean acidification
• World Meteorological Organization

This week, in the midst of the global pandemic, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issued its 2019 annual report assessing a range of so-called global climate indicators such as land temperatures, ocean temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions, sea-level rise and melting ice.

Why This Matters:  Every day that goes by we are losing precious time to both keep our warming under control and to prepare for the impacts of the warming that is now inevitable.

• Ocean

Ocean Acidification Will Cause Big Economic Losses in the U.S.

• coral reefs
• fisheries
• jobs
• king crab
• ocean acidification

A new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released last week as part of a Congressionally-mandated review of ocean acidification, states that increasing acidity in the U.S. ocean waters could cause “billions of dollars in damage to the U.S. economy,” with detrimental impacts on Alaskan fisheries and tourism due to degraded coral reefs in Florida and the Caribbean.

Why This Matters:  Climate impacts are costing our economy already due to severe weather events such as wildfires and hurricanes.  Even though increasing ocean acidification may not be visible to the eye, its costs are just as devastating.

• Ocean

Ocean Acidification Happening Twice As Fast in California

• California
• climate change
• ocean acidification
• oysters

According to a new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience this week, the waters off California are acidifying twice as rapidly as elsewhere on Earth. As NBC News reported, Oceans play an important role in the planet’s delicate carbon cycle, acting as a crucial reservoir that absorbs and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. […]