The Duke Will Have You To Dinner, And Pick Up The Restaurant Bill - Forbes

The Duke Will Have You To Dinner, And Pick Up The Restaurant Bill  Forbes

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Top five Southend flats for sale at £100000 or less - Echo

Top five Southend flats for sale at £100000 or less  Echo

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Warning for those who use Klamath River - KIEM

Warning for those who use Klamath River  KIEM

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Kundapur: Sediment accumulation at Gangolli-Kody estuary disturbs boat movement - Daijiworld.com

Kundapur: Sediment accumulation at Gangolli-Kody estuary disturbs boat movement  Daijiworld.com

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Bay Area bucket list: 5 must-do East Bay outdoor adventures - The Mercury News

Bay Area bucket list: 5 must-do East Bay outdoor adventures  The Mercury News

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Environmental concerns over derailed train as diesel pollutes Loughor Estuary | ITV News - ITV News

Environmental concerns over derailed train as diesel pollutes Loughor Estuary | ITV News  ITV News

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Biblical village of Bethsaida is finally identified by archaeologists - Daily Mail

Biblical village of Bethsaida is finally identified by archaeologists  Daily Mail

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Duluth finally getting $75M cleanup of U.S. Steel Superfund site - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Duluth finally getting $75M cleanup of U.S. Steel Superfund site  Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Scientists catalogue shark and ray distribution in Florida lagoon - Phys.org

Scientists catalogue shark and ray distribution in Florida lagoon  Phys.org

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How to Diversify Investing in Stocks, Bonds and a Bit Beyond - Nasdaq

How to Diversify Investing in Stocks, Bonds and a Bit Beyond  Nasdaq

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Ride the Momentum with These 5 Stocks - Yahoo Finance

Ride the Momentum with These 5 Stocks  Yahoo Finance

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First Warning Forecast: Building heat and humidity this week - wtkr.com

First Warning Forecast: Building heat and humidity this week  wtkr.com

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This project is using AI and drones to track and protect great white sharks - The European Sting

This project is using AI and drones to track and protect great white sharks  The European Sting

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Warmer, acidifying ocean brings extinction for reef-building corals, renewal for relatives

Changes in ocean chemistry and temperature have had a dramatic effect on the diversity of corals and sea anemones, according to a team of scientists who have traced their evolution through deep time. A new study, published Aug. 31 in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, finds that reef-building corals emerged only when ocean conditions supported the construction of these creatures' stony skeletons, whereas diverse softer corals and sea anemones flourished at other times. Without a significant change to anthropogenic carbon emissions, the new findings present stark implications for the present and future of hard-bodied corals while suggesting a silver lining for the diversity of some of their softer-bodied relatives.

New genetic analyses show that corals, which together with sea anemones make up a class of animals known as anthozoans, have been on the planet for 770 million years. That is 250 million years before the earliest undisputed fossil evidence of their existence -- and long enough to experience massive shifts in climate, fluctuations in ocean chemistry and several mass extinctions.

In the new study, a research team led by scientists from Harvey Mudd College, the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History examined how these past conditions affected anthozoan diversity. That was possible thanks to a new molecular approach developed by Andrea Quattrini, research zoologist and curator of corals at the National Museum of Natural History, Catherine McFadden, a biologist at Harvey Mudd College, and Estefanía Rodríguez, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History, which allowed the team to compare nearly 2,000 key regions of anthozoan genomes to discern the evolutionary relationships between species. The team analyzed hundreds of anthozoan specimens that were collected from around the world and are now stored in museum collections. When this molecular data was aligned with fossil evidence of anthozoan history, it revealed how these diverse animals evolved over geologic time.

Over the Earth's history, changes in acidity and ion concentrations have shifted the ocean's chemical composition between two states, known as aragonite and calcite seas. These changes, as well as changes in ocean water temperature, appear to have played an important role in determining what kinds of skeletons corals were able to produce and, thus, how anthozoans evolved.

Stony corals -- the type that build massive reefs that support complex marine ecosystems -- take up minerals from the water to construct hard skeletons from a form of calcium carbonate known as aragonite. Other corals, such as sea fans and black corals, build their softer skeletons from protein or calcite (a less soluble form of calcium carbonate), whereas sea anemones have no skeleton at all.

Working with an international team of researchers, including Gabriela Farfan, the National Museum of Natural History's Coralyn W. Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals, Quattrini and colleagues found that stony corals did not arise until conditions favored the construction of their aragonite skeletons -- periods of aragonite seas, when ocean temperatures were relatively cool. During periods of calcite seas, when carbon dioxide is more abundant in the atmosphere and oceans are more acidic, evolution favored anemones and corals that built their skeletons from protein or calcite.

Notably, it was these other anthozoans that fared best after reef crises -- times when up to 90% of reef-building organisms died off as oceans warmed and became more acidic. "Our study showed that after these reef crises, we actually get an increased diversification of anthozoans in general, particularly those that can do well under these climate conditions -- ones that aren't producing aragonite and aren't making big reefs," Quattrini said.

That is consistent with observations from today's reefs, which are threatened by climate change and other human activities. "Current ecological studies have shown that when stony corals die off, these other anthozoans start to colonize dead coral and prosper," Quattrini said. "We actually see that in our evolutionary tree, too."

"Unfortunately, although these softer-bodied species may adapt better to climate change than stony corals, they don't form large reefs," McFadden said. "So, in the future, reefs may be replaced by different marine communities. This already appears to be happening in the Caribbean where stony corals are being replaced by 'forests' of sea fans."

Today, about 1,300 species of stony coral inhabit the ocean, favored by aragonite sea conditions. But rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are warming and acidifying the waters, making them less hospitable for these and other organisms whose shells and skeletons are made from aragonite. "Aragonite is expected to dissolve under ocean acidification," Quattrini said. "As our seas are becoming more acidic and warmer, it's likely that the skeletons of corals will dissolve or not be able to grow."

The new study suggests that as the climate changes, these ecosystems may also see increased diversification of anthozoans without aragonite skeletons. Nevertheless, loss of reef-building corals will have devastating consequences for communities who depend on reefs and the rich, complex ecosystems they support for fishing, shoreline protection and tourism. "Corals have suffered extinctions in the past when climate has posed challenges, and we'll likely see that in the future," Quattrini said. "The best way to protect them is to curb our carbon emissions."

"This study shows us how nature through evolution is able to adapt, survive and reinvent itself, so when hard corals are not able to survive, their soft-bodied relatives such as sea anemones will thrive instead," Rodríguez said. "The question is whether we will be able to adapt and reinvent ourselves once nature, as we currently know it, is not there anymore."

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation.

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What to do when you have 50000 seedlings and no students to plant them - Berkeley Independent

What to do when you have 50000 seedlings and no students to plant them  Berkeley Independent

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Vale of Glamorgan Farmer takes on Fonmon Estate Management - Business News Wales

Vale of Glamorgan Farmer takes on Fonmon Estate Management  Business News Wales

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Humans' construction 'footprint' on ocean quantified for first time - EurekAlert

Humans' construction 'footprint' on ocean quantified for first time  EurekAlert

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Epicurean passport: your ticket to a better UK stay - The Times

Epicurean passport: your ticket to a better UK stay  The Times

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The Gower Peninsula: Exploring its world-class beaches, stunning scenery and heavenly food - Daily Mail

The Gower Peninsula: Exploring its world-class beaches, stunning scenery and heavenly food  Daily Mail

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Britain's best bank holiday walks by the sea - The Times

Britain's best bank holiday walks by the sea  The Times

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The shorebirds pilgrimage to Cape Cod - Wicked Local Brewster

The shorebirds pilgrimage to Cape Cod  Wicked Local Brewster

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EPA Coastal Restoration Grants Will Help Massachusetts and Rhode Island Communities | US EPA - U.S. EPA.gov

EPA Coastal Restoration Grants Will Help Massachusetts and Rhode Island Communities | US EPA  U.S. EPA.gov

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Adventures in outdoor learning at Kiawah Island Golf Resort - AVLtoday

Adventures in outdoor learning at Kiawah Island Golf Resort  AVLtoday

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Sea level rise from ice sheets track worst-case climate change scenario

Ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica whose melting rates are rapidly increasing have raised the global sea level by 1.8cm since the 1990s, and are matching the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's worst-case climate warming scenarios.

According to a new study from the University of Leeds and the Danish Meteorological Institute, if these rates continue, the ice sheets are expected to raise sea levels by a further 17cm and expose an additional 16 million people to annual coastal flooding by the end of the century.

Since the ice sheets were first monitored by satellite in the 1990s, melting from Antarctica has pushed global sea levels up by 7.2mm, while Greenland has contributed 10.6mm. And the latest measurements show that the world's oceans are now rising by 4mm each year.

"Although we anticipated the ice sheets would lose increasing amounts of ice in response to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere, the rate at which they are melting has accelerated faster than we could have imagined," said Dr Tom Slater, lead author of the study and climate researcher at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds.

"The melting is overtaking the climate models we use to guide us, and we are in danger of being unprepared for the risks posed by sea level rise."

The results are published today in a study in the journal Nature Climate Change. It compares the latest results from satellite surveys from the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise (IMBIE) with calculations from climate models. The authors warn that the ice sheets are losing ice at a rate predicted by the worst-case climate warming scenarios in the last large IPCC report.

Dr Anna Hogg, study co-author and climate researcher in the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, said: "If ice sheet losses continue to track our worst-case climate warming scenarios we should expect an additional 17cm of sea level rise from the ice sheets alone. That's enough to double the frequency of storm-surge flooding in many of the world's largest coastal cities."

So far, global sea levels have increased in the most part through a mechanism called thermal expansion, which means that volume of seawater expands as it gets warmer. But in the last five years, ice melt from the ice sheets and mountain glaciers has overtaken global warming as the main cause of rising sea levels.

Dr Ruth Mottram, study co-author and climate researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute, said: "It is not only Antarctica and Greenland that are causing the water to rise. In recent years, thousands of smaller glaciers have begun to melt or disappear altogether, as we saw with the glacier Ok in Iceland, which was declared "dead" in 2014. This means that melting of ice has now taken over as the main contributor of sea level rise. "

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Leeds. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Long-Term Ride Review: Zero’s SR/S Electric Motorcycle Raises The Bar Again - Forbes

Long-Term Ride Review: Zero’s SR/S Electric Motorcycle Raises The Bar Again  Forbes

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Logging doesn't prevent wildfires - Post Register

Logging doesn't prevent wildfires  Post Register

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The EU's Hydrogen Strategy: good start, but only a start [GasTransitions] - Natural Gas World

The EU's Hydrogen Strategy: good start, but only a start [GasTransitions]  Natural Gas World

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NY Can Reimagine Resource Adequacy with New, State-led Model - NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

NY Can Reimagine Resource Adequacy with New, State-led Model  NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

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California Blackouts Result From Intermittent Renewable Energy Sources - Independent Women's Forum

California Blackouts Result From Intermittent Renewable Energy Sources  Independent Women's Forum

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Total: United-States: SunPower completes Maxeon Solar Technologies' Spin-Off Transaction - Business Wire

Total: United-States: SunPower completes Maxeon Solar Technologies' Spin-Off Transaction  Business Wire

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Hydrogen leads way in shipping's zero-carbon fuel search - JOC.com

Hydrogen leads way in shipping's zero-carbon fuel search  JOC.com

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Eremenko launches hydrogen supply company with plan for hydrogen-fueled Dash 8s - Flightglobal

Eremenko launches hydrogen supply company with plan for hydrogen-fueled Dash 8s  Flightglobal

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Guest post: Learning from the contentious history of ‘carbon removal’ - Carbon Brief

Guest post: Learning from the contentious history of ‘carbon removal’  Carbon Brief

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Your Illinois News Radar » *** UPDATED x2 *** Here we go again - The Capitol Fax Blog

Your Illinois News Radar » *** UPDATED x2 *** Here we go again  The Capitol Fax Blog

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Here's how cities can lead the way in the energy transition - World Economic Forum

Here's how cities can lead the way in the energy transition  World Economic Forum

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Charging India’s battery manufacturing capacity - Observer Research Foundation

Charging India’s battery manufacturing capacity  Observer Research Foundation

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3 Oil Majors That Bet Big On Renewables - OilPrice.com

3 Oil Majors That Bet Big On Renewables  OilPrice.com

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Shell Reveals Brazil FPSO Decision - Rigzone News

Shell Reveals Brazil FPSO Decision  Rigzone News

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Correlation between tectonic CO2 Earth degassing and seismicity is revealed by a 10-year record in the Apennines, Italy - Science Advances

Correlation between tectonic CO2 Earth degassing and seismicity is revealed by a 10-year record in the Apennines, Italy  Science Advances

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The Demise of Coal as the World's Dirtiest Fossil Fuel Is Coming, but We Need a Plan to Phase Out Existing Power Plants to Fight Climate Change - Foreign Policy

The Demise of Coal as the World's Dirtiest Fossil Fuel Is Coming, but We Need a Plan to Phase Out Existing Power Plants to Fight Climate Change  Foreign Policy

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Why Small-Cap Biotech ETFs Are Good Long-Term Bets - Nasdaq

Why Small-Cap Biotech ETFs Are Good Long-Term Bets  Nasdaq

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Why Palladium Has Been Rising on Global Commodities Markets - PRNewswire

Why Palladium Has Been Rising on Global Commodities Markets  PRNewswire

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High Priority Restaurant Inspections for Volusia-Flagler Aug. 17-22 - Daytona Beach News-Journal

High Priority Restaurant Inspections for Volusia-Flagler Aug. 17-22  Daytona Beach News-Journal

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Rolls-Royce launches Power Lab to drive future technologies for marine and infrastructure; focus on fuel cells and synthetic fuels - Green Car Congress

Rolls-Royce launches Power Lab to drive future technologies for marine and infrastructure; focus on fuel cells and synthetic fuels  Green Car Congress

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What Is The Promise of Green Hydrogen? | New Hampshire Public Radio - New Hampshire Public Radio

What Is The Promise of Green Hydrogen? | New Hampshire Public Radio  New Hampshire Public Radio

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Restoring forests can reduce greenhouse gases | News - Eco-Business

Restoring forests can reduce greenhouse gases | News  Eco-Business

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Key Capture Energy, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, and Powin Energy Partner to Add 200 MW of Battery Storage to the Texas Grid - Business Wire

Key Capture Energy, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, and Powin Energy Partner to Add 200 MW of Battery Storage to the Texas Grid  Business Wire

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First Warning Forecast: Feeling like 100+ today, Severe threat this weekend - wtkr.com

First Warning Forecast: Feeling like 100+ today, Severe threat this weekend  wtkr.com

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We need a robust circular economy for water, our most useful resource - GreenBiz

We need a robust circular economy for water, our most useful resource  GreenBiz

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Europe's migrant crisis is worsening during the pandemic. The reaction has been brutal - CNN

Europe's migrant crisis is worsening during the pandemic. The reaction has been brutal  CNN

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Foodie road trip from Boston: The best culinary places to visit - Time Out

Foodie road trip from Boston: The best culinary places to visit  Time Out

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A sojourn in Venice - Johnston Sun Rise

A sojourn in Venice  Johnston Sun Rise

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Sailing and Camping Along Down East Maine - Cruising World

Sailing and Camping Along Down East Maine  Cruising World

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Put a Ring Around Jim Hannon, Iconic Voice of New England Racing - Thoroughbred Daily News

Put a Ring Around Jim Hannon, Iconic Voice of New England Racing  Thoroughbred Daily News

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The shorebirds pilgrimage to Cape Cod - Wicked Local Orleans

The shorebirds pilgrimage to Cape Cod  Wicked Local Orleans

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Environmental concerns over derailed train as diesel pollutes Loughor Estuary | ITV News - ITV News

Environmental concerns over derailed train as diesel pollutes Loughor Estuary | ITV News  ITV News

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EPA Grants to Benefit Local Estuaries, Other Water Sources - CapeCod.com News

EPA Grants to Benefit Local Estuaries, Other Water Sources  CapeCod.com News

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Construction of the A585 Windy Harbour bypass has revealed a glimpse of life thousands of years ago thanks to UCLan students - Lancashire Post

Construction of the A585 Windy Harbour bypass has revealed a glimpse of life thousands of years ago thanks to UCLan students  Lancashire Post

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Mosquito control set for Sanibel | News, Sports, Jobs - SANIBEL-CAPTIVA - Island Reporter, Islander and Current - Sanibel-Captiva Islander

Mosquito control set for Sanibel | News, Sports, Jobs - SANIBEL-CAPTIVA - Island Reporter, Islander and Current  Sanibel-Captiva Islander

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Diesel from train derailment polluting internationally important Loughor Estuary - Wales Online

Diesel from train derailment polluting internationally important Loughor Estuary  Wales Online

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Living Shorelines - SpaceCoast Living

Living Shorelines  SpaceCoast Living

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Things to do Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - Barnstable Patriot

Things to do Aug. 28-Sept. 3  Barnstable Patriot

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Explore nature in Brewster and Harwich - Cape Cod Times

Explore nature in Brewster and Harwich  Cape Cod Times

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Take in a cleansing breath and the views at this boardwalk trail in Greenland - The Union Leader

Take in a cleansing breath and the views at this boardwalk trail in Greenland  The Union Leader

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North of Boston arts and entertainment roundup | Lifestyles - The Daily News of Newburyport

North of Boston arts and entertainment roundup | Lifestyles  The Daily News of Newburyport

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Joppa Flats Education Center announces programs - News - Wicked Local Newburyport

Joppa Flats Education Center announces programs - News  Wicked Local Newburyport

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Virginia Has a Prayer - Bacon's Rebellion

Virginia Has a Prayer  Bacon's Rebellion

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Working as one to protect our taonga - Stuff.co.nz

Working as one to protect our taonga  Stuff.co.nz

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How One Winemaker Is Revolutionizing The Wine Industry In The South Of France - Forbes

How One Winemaker Is Revolutionizing The Wine Industry In The South Of France  Forbes

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Fidelity of El Niño simulation matters for predicting future climate

A new study led by University of Hawai'i at Manoa researchers, published in the journal Nature Communications this week, revealed that correctly simulating ocean current variations hundreds of feet below the ocean surface -- the so-called Pacific Equatorial Undercurrent -- during El Niño events is key in reducing the uncertainty of predictions of future warming in the eastern tropical Pacific.

Trade winds and the temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean experience large changes from year to year due to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), affecting weather patterns across the globe. For instance, if the tropical Pacific is warmer and trade winds are weaker than usual -- an El Niño event -flooding in California typically occurs and monsoon failures in India and East Asia are detrimental to local rice production. In contrast, during a La Niña the global weather patterns reverse with cooler temperatures and stronger trade winds in the tropical Pacific. These natural climate swings affect ecosystems, fisheries, agriculture, and many other aspects of human society.

Computer models that are used for projecting future climate correctly predict global warming due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions as well as short-term year-to-year natural climate variations associated with El Niño and La Niña.

"There is, however, some model discrepancy on how much the tropical Pacific will warm," said Malte Stuecker, co-author and assistant professor in the Department of Oceanography and International Pacific Research Center at UH Manoa. "The largest differences are seen in the eastern part of the tropical Pacific, a region that is home to sensitive ecosystems such as the Galapagos Islands. How much the eastern tropical Pacific warms in the future will not only affect fish and wildlife locally but also future weather patterns in other parts of the world."

Researchers have been working for decades to reduce the persistent model uncertainties in tropical Pacific warming projections.

Many climate models simulate El Niño and La Niña events of similar intensity. In nature, however, the warming associated with El Niño events tends to be stronger than the cooling associated with La Niña. In other words, while in most models El Niño and La Niña are symmetric, they are asymmetric in nature.

In this new study, the scientists analyzed observational data and numerous climate model simulations and found that when the models simulate the subsurface ocean current variations more accurately, the simulated asymmetry between El Niño and La Niña increases -- becoming more like what is seen in nature.

"Identifying the models that simulate these processes associated with El Niño and La Niña correctly in the current climate can help us reduce the uncertainty of future climate projections," said corresponding lead author Michiya Hayashi, a research associate at the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan, and a former postdoctoral researcher at UH Manoa supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Overseas Research Fellowships. "Only one-third of all climate models can reproduce the strength of the subsurface current and associated ocean temperature variations realistically."

"Remarkably, in these models we see a very close relationship between the change of future El Niño and La Niña intensity and the projected tropical warming pattern due to greenhouse warming," noted Stuecker.

That is, the models within the group that simulate a future increase of El Niño and La Niña intensity show also an enhanced warming trend in the eastern tropical Pacific due to greenhouse warming. In contrast, the models that simulate a future decrease of El Niño and La Niña intensity show less greenhouse gas-induced warming in the eastern part of the basin. The presence of that relationship indicates that those models are capturing a mechanism known to impact climate -- signifying that those models are more reliable. This relationship totally disappears in the two-thirds of climate models that cannot simulate the subsurface ocean current variations correctly.

"Correctly simulating El Niño and La Niña is crucial for projecting climate change in the tropics and beyond. More research needs to be conducted to reduce the biases in the interactions between wind and ocean so that climate models can generate El Niño -- La Niña asymmetry realistically," added Fei-Fei Jin, co-author and professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at UH Manoa.

"The high uncertainty in the intensity change of El Niño and La Niña in response to greenhouse warming is another remaining issue," said Stuecker. "A better understanding of Earth's natural climate swings such as El Niño and La Niña will result in reducing uncertainty in future climate change in the tropics and beyond."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa. Original written by Marcie Grabowski. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Ocean acidification causing coral 'osteoporosis' on iconic reefs

Scientists have long suspected that ocean acidification is affecting corals' ability to build their skeletons, but it has been challenging to isolate its effect from that of simultaneous warming ocean temperatures, which also influence coral growth. New research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals the distinct impact that ocean acidification is having on coral growth on some of the world's iconic reefs.

In a paper published Aug. 27, 2020, in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers show a significant reduction in the density of coral skeleton along much of the Great Barrier Reef -- the world's largest coral reef system -- and also on two reefs in the South China Sea, which they attribute largely to the increasing acidity of the waters surrounding these reefs since 1950.

"This is the first unambiguous detection and attribution of ocean acidification's impact on coral growth," says lead author and WHOI scientist Weifu Guo. "Our study presents strong evidence that 20th century ocean acidification, exacerbated by reef biogeochemical processes, had measurable effects on the growth of a keystone reef-building coral species across the Great Barrier Reef and in the South China Sea. These effects will likely accelerate as ocean acidification progresses over the next several decades."

Roughly a third of global carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by the ocean, causing an average 0.1 unit decline in seawater pH since the pre-industrial era. This phenomenon, known as ocean acidification, has led to a 20 percent decrease in the concentration of carbonate ions in seawater. Animals that rely on calcium carbonate to create their skeletons, such as corals, are at risk as ocean pH continues to decline. Ocean acidification targets the density of the skeleton, silently whittling away at the coral's strength, much like osteoporosis weakens bones in humans.

"The corals aren't able to tell us what they're feeling, but we can see it in their skeletons," said Anne Cohen, a WHOI scientist and co-author of the study. "The problem is that corals really need the strength they get from their density, because that's what keeps reefs from breaking apart. The compounding effects of temperature, local stressors, and now ocean acidification will be devastating for many reefs."

In their investigation, Guo and his co-authors examined published data collected from the skeletons of Porites corals -- a long-living, dome-shaped species found across the Indo-Pacific -- combined with new three-dimensional CT scan images of Porites from reefs in the central Pacific Ocean. Using these skeletal archives, which date back to 1871, 1901, and 1978, respectively, the researchers established the corals' annual growth and density. They plugged this information, as well as historical temperature and seawater chemistry data from each reef, into a model to predict the corals' response to constant and changing environmental conditions.

The authors found that ocean acidification caused a significant decline in Porites skeletal density in the Great Barrier Reef (13 percent) and the South China Sea (7 percent), starting around 1950. Conversely, they found no impact of ocean acidification on the same types of corals in the Phoenix Islands and central Pacific, where the protected reefs are not as impacted by pollution, overfishing, runoff from land.

While carbon dioxide emissions are the largest driver of ocean acidification on a global scale, the authors point out that sewage and runoff from land can exacerbate the effect, causing even further reductions of seawater pH on nearby reefs. The authors attribute the declining skeletal density of corals on the Great Barrier Reef and South China Sea to the combined effects of ocean acidification and runoff. Conversely, reefs in marine protected areas of the central Pacific have so far been shielded from these impacts.

"This method really opens a new way to determine the impact of ocean acidification on reefs around the world," said Guo. "Then we can focus on the reef systems where we can potentially mitigate the local impacts and protect the reef."

Co-authors of the paper include Rohit Bokade (Northeastern University), Nathaniel Mollica (MIT-WHOI joint program), and Muriel Leung (University of Pennsylvania), as well as Russell Brainard of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and formerly at the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, the Robertson Foundation, the Atlantic Donor Advised Fund, and WHOI's Investment in Science Fund.

Key Takeaways

An innovative numerical model developed by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution demonstrates the distinct impact of ocean acidification -- separate from ocean warming -- on coral growth.

The model shows that ocean acidification has caused a 13 percent decline in the skeletal density of Porites corals in the Great Barrier Reef, and a 7 percent decline in the South China Sea since 1950.

Pollution and land runoff can exacerbate the effects of ocean acidification, causing corals in local reefs to weaken more quickly than those located farther away from human settlements.

A global-scale investigation of coral CT scans could help to target protections for vulnerable reefs.

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East Antarctic melting hotspot identified

Ice is melting at a surprisingly fast rate underneath Shirase Glacier Tongue in East Antarctica due to the continuing influx of warm seawater into the Lützow-Holm Bay.

Hokkaido University scientists have identified an atypical hotspot of sub-glacier melting in East Antarctica. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could further understandings and predictions of sea level rise caused by mass loss of ice sheets from the southernmost continent.

The 58th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition had a very rare opportunity to conduct ship-based observations near the tip of East Antarctic Shirase Glacier when large areas of heavy sea ice broke up, giving them access to the frozen Lützow-Holm Bay into which the glacier protrudes.

"Our data suggests that the ice directly beneath the Shirase Glacier Tongue is melting at a rate of 7-16 meters per year," says Assistant Professor Daisuke Hirano of Hokkaido University's Institute of Low Temperature Science. "This is equal to or perhaps even surpasses the melting rate underneath the Totten Ice Shelf, which was thought to be experiencing the highest melting rate in East Antarctica, at a rate of 10-11 meters per year."

The Antarctic ice sheet, most of which is in East Antarctica, is Earth's largest freshwater reservoir. If it all melts, it could lead to a 60-meter rise in global sea levels. Current predictions estimate global sea levels will rise one meter by 2100 and more than 15 meters by 2500. Thus, it is very important for scientists to have a clear understanding of how Antarctic continental ice is melting, and to more accurately predict sea level fluctuations.

Most studies of ocean-ice interaction have been conducted on the ice shelves in West Antarctica. Ice shelves in East Antarctica have received much less attention, because it has been thought that the water cavities underneath most of them are cold, protecting them from melting.

During the research expedition, Daisuke Hirano and collaborators collected data on water temperature, salinity and oxygen levels from 31 points in the area between January and February 2017. They combined this information with data on the area's currents and wind, ice radar measurements, and computer modelling to understand ocean circulation underneath the Shirase Glacier Tongue at the glacier's inland base.

The scientists' data suggests the melting is occurring as a result of deep, warm water flowing inwards towards the base of the Shirase Glacier Tongue. The warm water moves along a deep underwater ocean trough and then flows upwards along the tongue's base, warming and melting the ice. The warm waters carrying the melted ice then flow outwards, mixing with the glacial meltwater.

The team found this melting occurs year-round, but is affected by easterly, alongshore winds that vary seasonally. When the winds diminish in the summer, the influx of the deep warm water increases, speeding up the melting rate.

"We plan to incorporate this and future data into our computer models, which will help us develop more accurate predictions of sea level fluctuations and climate change," says Daisuke Hirano.

Story Source:

Materials provided by Hokkaido University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Nature Conservancy of Canada adds 65 hectares to Pugwash River reserve - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Nature Conservancy of Canada adds 65 hectares to Pugwash River reserve  TheChronicleHerald.ca

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Great Bay Stewards announce virtual Great Bay 5K - Foster's Daily Democrat

Great Bay Stewards announce virtual Great Bay 5K  Foster's Daily Democrat

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50000 Gallons of Sewage Floods Oakland Estuary After Power Outage - KQED

50000 Gallons of Sewage Floods Oakland Estuary After Power Outage  KQED

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Nutrients make coral bleaching worse

A new study shows nutrients can aggravate the already negative effects of climate change on corals to trigger mass coral bleaching.

Coral reef environments are typically low in naturally occurring nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. But ocean currents passing by can bring in a concentration of nutrients from elsewhere. Similarly, nutrients from human-made fertilisers and stormwater runoff enter reefs from adjacent coastlines.

Lead author Dr Thomas DeCarlo from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) says corals are sensitive to high levels of nutrients.

"As the climate warms, mass coral bleaching could occur as often as annually within this century," Dr DeCarlo said. "In our study, we found that already heat-stressed corals exposed to excess nutrient levels were even more susceptible to bleaching."

The study suggests ecosystem managers can reduce the impacts of coral bleaching by implementing strategies to reduce nutrient stress in areas subject to thermal stress.

Co-author Professor John Pandolfi from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE) at The University of Queensland says this and previous studies, including on the Great Barrier Reef, related coral bleaching to combinations of heat and nutrient stresses.

"Our results provide a roadmap for coral reef conservation efforts to be at their most effective," Prof Pandolfi said. "We suggest oceanographic processes should be included when deciding when and where to allocate resources or protection."

Using the skeletal cores of long-living corals, the authors studied the past few decades worth of bleaching events in the Red Sea. They found the reefs historically suffered severe bleaching only when high sea surface temperatures were coupled with high nutrient levels.

The Red Sea was chosen as a study site as it is one of the only marine environments where the effects of summertime nutrients and heat stress are independent of each other: only one area has a single major source of nutrients in the summer, when a water mass brings nutrients to the surface through a process called upwelling.

Previous field tests on the role of nutrients in coral bleaching were otherwise difficult: nutrients and temperature often co-vary in the ocean, making it difficult to disentangle their effects. Nutrient loads are also difficult to measure in the same way sea surface temperatures are, via satellite.

"The fact that nutrients are more difficult to measure than temperature may be restricting our recognition of their importance," Dr DeCarlo said. "And we need greater longer-term monitoring efforts of nutrient levels on coral reefs."

"Incorporating nutrient-supplying ocean currents into coral bleaching forecasts will enhance those predictions that are based on temperatures alone," Prof Pandolfi said.

"Our research suggests that projections of coral reef futures should move beyond solely temperature-based stress to incorporate the influence of ocean current systems on coral reef nutrient enrichment, and thus susceptibility to bleaching," Dr DeCarlo said.

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Arctic ocean moorings shed light on winter sea ice loss

The eastern Arctic Ocean's winter ice grew less than half as much as normal during the past decade, due to the growing influence of heat from the ocean's interior, researchers have found.

The finding came from an international study led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Finnish Meteorological Institute. The study, published in the Journal of Climate, used data collected by ocean moorings in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean from 2003-2018.

The moorings measured the heat released from the ocean interior to the upper ocean and sea ice during winter. In 2016-2018, the estimated heat flux was about 10 watts per square meter, which is enough to prevent 80-90 centimeters (almost 3 feet) of sea ice from forming each year. Previous heat flux measurements were about half of that much.

"In the past, when weighing the contribution of atmosphere and ocean to melting sea ice in the Eurasian Basin, the atmosphere led," said Igor Polyakov, an oceanographer at UAF's International Arctic Research Center and FMI. "Now for the first time, ocean leads. That's a big change."

Typically, across much of the Arctic a thick layer of cold fresher water, known as a halocline, isolates the heat associated with the intruding Atlantic water from the sea surface and from sea ice.

This new study shows that an abnormal influx of salty warm water from the Atlantic Ocean is weakening and thinning the halocline, allowing more mixing. According to the new study, warm water of Atlantic origin is now moving much closer to the surface.

"The normal position of the upper boundary of this water in this region was about 150 meters. Now this water is at 80 meters," explained Polyakov.

A natural winter process increases this mixing. As sea water freezes, the salt is expelled from ice into the water. This brine-enriched water is heavier and sinks. In the absence of a strong halocline, the cold salty water mixes much more efficiently with the shallower, warm Atlantic water. This heat is then transferred upward to the bottom of sea ice, limiting the amount of ice that can form during winter.

"These new results show the growing and spreading influence of heat associated with Atlantic water entering the Arctic Ocean," added Tom Rippeth, a collaborator from Bangor University. "They also suggest a new feedback mechanism is contributing to accelerating sea ice loss."

Polyakov and his team hypothesize that the ocean's ability to control winter ice growth creates feedback that speeds overall sea ice loss in the Arctic. In this feedback, both declining sea ice and the weakening halocline barrier cause the ocean's interior to release heat to the surface, resulting in further sea ice loss. The mechanism augments the well-known ice-albedo feedback -- which occurs when the atmosphere melts sea ice, causing open water, which in turn absorbs more heat, melting more sea ice.

When these two feedback mechanisms combine, they accelerate sea ice decline. The ocean heat feedback limits sea ice growth in winter, while the ice-albedo feedback more easily melts the thinner ice in summer.

"As they start working together, the coupling between the atmosphere, ice and ocean becomes very strong, much stronger than it was before," said Polyakov. "Together they can maintain a very fast rate of ice melt in the Arctic."

Polyakov and Rippeth collaborated on a second, associated study showing how this new coupling between the ocean, ice and atmosphere is responsible for stronger currents in the eastern Arctic Ocean.

According to that research, between 2004-2018 the currents in the upper 164 feet of the ocean doubled in strength. Loss of sea ice, making surface waters more susceptible to the effects of wind, appears to be one of the factors contributing to the increase.

The stronger currents create more turbulence, which increases the amount of mixing, known as shear, that occurs between surface waters and the deeper ocean. As described earlier, ocean mixing contributes to a feedback mechanism that further accelerates sea ice decline.

Accelerated currents have practical implications in the Arctic. Ship captains need accurate maps of currents for navigation. Since currents move sea ice, oil and gas extraction activities also need information about currents.

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Larger variability in sea level expected as Earth warms

A team of researchers from the University of Hawai'i (UH) at M?noa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) identified a global tendency for future sea levels to become more variable as oceans warm this century due to increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Sea level variability alters tidal cycles and enhances the risks of coastal flooding and erosion beyond changes associated with sea level rise.

Sea level rise is occurring as Earth warms due to two main factors: melting of land-based ice such as glaciers and ice sheets, and the expansion of seawater as it warms -- termed thermal expansion. Previously unknown was whether the rate of thermal expansion, which accelerates with warming, will also affect the variability of sea level.

In a study published this week in Communications Earth & Environment, the team led by Matthew Widlansky, associate director of the UH Sea Level Center, assessed future sea level projections from global climate models. The team found that while future sea level variability changes are uncertain in many locations, nearly all of the 29 models they analyzed agreed on an overall tendency for the variability to increase on seasonal-to-interannual timescales.

"Whereas it is well understood that the rate of global mean sea level rise will accelerate with future warming, in part due to the oceans expanding faster at higher temperatures, it was previously unexplored how this nonlinear thermal expansion property of seawater will affect future sea level variability," said Widlansky.

"Following thermodynamic laws, sea level variability increases in a warmer climate because the same temperature variations, for example related to the seasonal cycle, cause larger buoyancy and sea level fluctuations," added Fabian Schloesser, a researcher at the UH Sea Level Center who collaborated on the study.

In places where changes due to ocean thermodynamics and other climate variability processes align, the team found the largest increases in future sea level variability.

Coastal flooding occurs increasingly often due to a combination of slowly rising sea levels and ocean variability. The new findings therefore further emphasize the importance of sea level monitoring and forecasting.

"Forecasting can potentially provide alerts months in advance if sea levels are likely to cause tides to be more extreme than otherwise expected," said Widlansky.

While the science team explores how to develop better forecast outlooks, the UH Sea Level Center is actively monitoring extremes through a global network of tide gauge observations, including in Honolulu, Hawai'i.

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Materials provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Sea-level rise linked to higher water tables along California coast

In the first comprehensive study of the link between rising sea levels and inland water tables along the California coast, researchers found an increased threat to populated areas already at risk from rising water tables, and the possibility of flooding in unexpected inland areas.

In the new study, researchers modeled the effects of rising sea level along the entire California coastline. While results varied with local topography, the study indicates rising sea levels could push inland water tables higher, resulting in damage to infrastructure and increased severity of flooding.

"Increased roadway fatigue, reduced sewer and septic drainage, and the potential for mobilizing contaminants in soils currently above the water table will eventually be triggered farther inland as the water table rises with higher sea levels," researchers concluded.

Kevin Befus, assistant professor of geosciences at the University of Arkansas, is the first author of the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

While many coastal areas are focused on overland flooding as a result of sea level rise, the threat of rising groundwater tables, known as "shoaling," is not as well known or understood. Shoaling occurs when rising seawater pushes inland. The denser marine water underlies shallow freshwater aquifers, pushing them upward. In some low-lying areas, shoaling could force groundwater water to the surface, increasing the likelihood of flood damage.

Researchers identified key infrastructure at risk from shoaling, including the Port of Los Angeles and airports in Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

But groundwater does not need to emerge to cause problems, the authors noted. Rising water tables, for instance from 6 feet below ground to 3 feet, could impact buried infrastructure such as wastewater pipes, electrical conduits and building foundations. Places like Miami and Hawaii have long grappled with this immediate connection between the ocean and their groundwater. But for most coastal communities in California, the connection is more subtle and has not yet become a part of their climate planning.

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Materials provided by University of Arkansas. Original written by Bob Whitby. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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