Publication: February 25, 2013
http://summitcountyvoice.com/2013/02/25/global-warming-are-oceans-headed-for-a-dead-zone/
Picture: Recently, some scientists have been discovering more about our oceans and marine life using ancient fossils. They can use these to predict what can happen with our marine life today.
Summary: This article is about scientists using ancient marine fossils and what happened in the Jurassic age to predict what could happen to our marine life today. Through extensive observations, studies have suggested that what happened then could be the same today. Global temperatures on the rise and oxygen levels falling could lead to a close extinction of marine life. Researcher Richard Twitchett and colleagues performed an experiment where they laid sedimentary rocks with marine fossils inside on the sea floor. They recorded the conditions at that time, in the ocean and in the rock. They compared these records to current publications on ocean sea level, temperature, and concentrations. Twitchett and colleagues performed an ecological analysis to find out how the sea floor changed over time. Later, they found a dead zone within the rock, with nothing living inside of it. There was a return of life eventually, but it was completely new species. This pattern discovered shows extreme similarity between what happened in the Jurassic age with marine life.Rising sea levels and declining oxygen levels will not be good for our marine life in the future.
Opinion: I find this article to be very interesting. Who knew that fossils from millions of years ago could help us predict what could happen in the future? The outcomes of the experiment performed are very interesting. Extinction of our marine life will not be good for the world. We depend on our sea life for multiple things, including food, and even jobs. If what happened in the Jurassic ages happened today, it would be a complete disaster. But, it is a good thing we found this information out, because then we could prevent it in the future, by trying to prevent global warming.
Questions:
1. What are some ways that we could stop this from happening?
2. Do you believe the experiment performed along with fossils from Jurassic times could help predict the future of marine life?
3. What do you think would happen if marine life became extinct?
1. What are some ways that we could stop this from happening?
ReplyDeleteLike many other topics, finding a way to slow down global warming could help drastically. The last episode of the extinction of marine life occurred because of higher global temperatures and less oxygen in the atmosphere. If we could find a way to dramatically decrease the amount of excess carbon dioxide we have in our atmosphere, we could get closer to solving this problem. Whether it be burn less fossil fuels for energy, or simply ride a bike instead of driving your car, we can somehow cut down on the carbon dioxide.
2. Do you believe the experiment performed along with fossils from Jurassic times could help predict the future of marine life?
Yes, I think this experiment can predict what could happen. This is very similar to the ice cores in the way you can see changes in the earth over time. If climate and the atmosphere get closer to the Jurassic times, we could definitely make a prediction. Even if the Jurassic information doesn’t fully help us, we could prepare and not be taken completely off guard. These extinctions have happened in the past and with our global warming, I do not see why they could not happen again. So, this information is very valuable to scientists.
3. What do you think would happen if marine life became extinct?
If marine life became extinct, the entire world would be affected. The water food webs would not just be wiped out, but the organisms on land, or above land, that need these species to live will be affected. Also, humans get a lot of food and plants from the ocean, and without these things, billions of people would be greatly impacted. So many people would be left without jobs. The circumstances for marine life extinction are unimaginable.
-Natalie Laurito
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteI actually think this article is pretty alarming. Not only does it show us that it is possible for sea life to nearly disappear from the earth entirely, but that the process preceding this kind of event is similar to what is happening now. I am generally not a big fan of marine life, but I agree that since we are so dependent on it for food and other resources, it would cause a lot of harm to the planet. Even if the marine life itself was able to recover from such a disaster, humans and other organisms on the earth may not be able to. Obviously, if all marine life was wiped out, their entire ecosystem would be destroyed, but ecosystems on land would suffer as well. For example, grizzly bears would suffer because they eat salmon, and would have to find a new source of food. It’s like what we talked about in class and the food chain—if one link is lost, the entire system would find it very hard to recover, and even if it did, it would take a while. It could upset the whole balance of the earth. Also, we talked about biodiversity in class, and this is kind of similar in relation to species diversity—except it includes the entire earth. Most of our species live under water, and if they were gone and the earth faced a hughe natural disaster, it would be harder to survive. This whole situation and the fact that we aren’t doing anything to stop it is very alarming.
New Questions:
1. Do you believe that we could fix the problem of not enough oxygen by simply planting more trees or shrubs? If we did plant more, would we still have to decrease our carbon dioxide levels?
2. If we lost all marine life again, do you think we would be able to recover again? Or do you think that this time, the system may not bounce back?
3. What do you think the earth would look like if all marine life disappeared?
Invite an expert
ReplyDeleteI invited an expert named Dr. James Hansen. He works for NASA but he is an expert in climate change as well. I thought he could share his opinion on this article and have a great knowledge in this area.This is the email I sent him:
Hello Dr. Hansen,
My name is Max Griffith, and i am currently taking 9th grade honors environmental science. My class is learning about global warming and some of the effects that it can have on the planet. I saw that one of your places of expertise is in climate change, and I was wondering if you would like to share your opinion and comment on our blog. Our blog can be found at http://brainybloggers101.blogspot.com/2013/02/global-warming-are-oceans-headed-for.html
Thank you,
Max Griffith
Expand with a new link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5Jy_vYBis
This YouTube video has partly the same idea as your article, but it also includes land animals, does not talk about history, and it faces the affects after many animals are extinct. In the beginning of the video it shares many statistics like the fact that climate change and a few other factors are speeding up the extinction of species 100 to 1000 times more than the amount than before. As the video went into the news segment part, it explained the dangers of losing the animals due to climate change and global warming. Since many marine animals either provide natural inside looks on body functions or provide cures to many diseases, it has been said imperatively that we try to stop global warming to be able to keep those medicines. Many of the animals that are useful to us, like a certain species of frogs as shown in the video, are being hurt by us from global warming. Many, if not all experts are saying that a change needs to be put in place. The fact that these marine animals becoming extinct will hurt humans as well because there will be less medicine will hopefully increase the activity for change for this global emergency.
I think your concerns about sea life are important. The very oxygen we breath is mainly produced by algae in the ocean. (Professor Allen Webb, Western Michigan University)
ReplyDelete