GLG this guy is trying to sound knowledgeable with his nattering about buffering capability but he clearly does not know his chemistry. A buffering solution is that containing the salt of a strong alkali and a weak acid - something like sodium carbonate or sodium citrate. The vast majority of the salts in the sea are ordinary sodium chloride (NaCl) which is the salt of strong alkali and a strong acid so it is permanently disassociated (goes around in solution as hydrated ions). Bottom line - seawater is a very POOR buffering solution and high concentrations of CO2 are going to affect the oceans significantly!Just a mater of time before all is lost....
The only thing I find interesting is in the comments on this article.
A well known Canadian AGW denier posted his theory as to why the scallops died.
Umm... Patrick check your weather it's been the driest winter with the first good dusting of moisture with this snow we just had. Comox Lake is at the lowest level that most old timers around here have every seen. Ever heard of freshnet? But I suspect you know all this and your PR job is to sow doubt as to why our local industry is crashing. It's all natural. Natural my foot.... Are you telling us that scallops die because of too much rain.... Someone needs a reality check because we get lot's of rain out here and we have been fighting and working to keep our runoff as clean as possible. We know the coal companies have their eye on us for a new mine. Patrick we know LNG, Coal, Tarsands, Logging and Fishfarms are on your client list....
http://www.desmogblog.com/patrick-moore
One question I do have is how did he know to post within a few hours of this story breaking the news? It's not like this is a well known newspaper website.... I wonder if someone tipped him off so he could work his damage control for his clients.... Shameful....
Just a matter of time before all is lost....
If we can't grow scallops do you think the other wild shellfish have a chance?
Do we have to wait for these AGW fossils to pass into the night before anything changes?
Time to setup and make your voice heard or sit back and watch it all disappear.
Your choice but I guesses you know what I'll do.
GLG
Not sure I buy the premise of this article. Using genomics to build resistance to disease or some biological trait like faster growth is one thing. I don't see how you can use genomics to overcome the laws of chemistry. The shells of shellfish are mostly calcium carbonate Ca(C03)2. Calcium carbonate dissolves in acidified solution . End of story. So unless you can develop an organism that makes shells out of something else present in seawater (I don't think there is much dissolved titanium LOL!!) then this idea is a pipe dream, with no basis in chemistry.
I'm not sure who/what you and GLG are referring to.GLG this guy is trying to sound knowledgeable with his nattering about buffering capability but he clearly does not know his chemistry. A buffering solution is that containing the salt of a strong alkali and a weak acid - something like sodium carbonate or sodium citrate. The vast majority of the salts in the sea are ordinary sodium chloride (NaCl) which is the salt of strong alkali and a strong acid so it is permanently disassociated (goes around in solution as hydrated ions). Bottom line - seawater is a very POOR buffering solution and high concentrations of CO2 are going to affect the oceans significantly!
yes-- but remember that at one time science said that the sun revolved around the earth... So not quite "end of story", what we have been accepting as "fact" many times in the past, has changed as circumstances changed. Let hope for the best ( but be prepared for the worst-- )
I'm not sure who/what you and GLG are referring to.
Just one further comment,
Science never said the sun went round the earth. That was the ignorant pronouncement of church dogma.....
What you are missing is that that WAS the science of the day. And can it be said that we know everything we will ever know about science ?
There are too any examples of things that we discovered that were considered impossible "in the day" You say its impossible????? Well I dont know-- so until proven that genomic manipulation will not help-- I will keep an open mind.
OK thanks GLG. I didn't see the piece on salt vs. pH on the desmog website - but if it was Patrick Moore's speaking notes somewhere - I don't need to read his pompous misleading BS anyways.This guy....
Patrick we know LNG, Coal, Tarsands, Logging and Fishfarms are on your client list....
http://www.desmogblog.com/patrick-moore
He some times travels the country "speaking" to wingnut groups. I was invited to hear him talk but turned down the offer. I did not want to blow a fuse..... My friend came back from the event flaming about AGW and it's natural causes..... Doh.... Yea... Yea... it's just leftys making it all up.....
I found this but I have not read the paper.
http://www.pnas.org/content/110/17/6937.abstract
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO[SUB]2[/SUB]) conditions are driving unprecedented changes in seawater chemistry, resulting in reduced pH and carbonate ion concentrations in the Earth’s oceans. This ocean acidification has negative but variable impacts on individual performance in many marine species. However, little is known about the adaptive capacity of species to respond to an acidified ocean, and, as a result, predictions regarding future ecosystem responses remain incomplete
Just one further comment,
Science never said the sun went round the earth. That was the ignorant pronouncement of church dogma.....
What you are missing is that that WAS the science of the day. And can it be said that we know everything we will ever know about science ?
There are too any examples of things that we discovered that were considered impossible "in the day" You say its impossible????? Well I dont know-- so until proven that genomic manipulation will not help-- I will keep an open mind.
Maybe I missed something... I think we are all on the same side.
Cuba Libre pointed out that we need more info on the potential for adaptation.
Nothing wrong with that as I see it...