Oxygen levels down in Gulf of Mexico oil plumes, dropping 1 to 2 percent per day

By John Flesher of The Associated Press  Published: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 6:46 PM A marine scientist says underwater oil plumes in the Gulf of Mexico are reducing oxygen in some areas, but the drop-off isn’t steep enough to endanger marine life just yet. Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia said Tuesday that water […]

Nitrogen emissions cause return of acid rain

  By Michael TennesenJune 21, 2010 The acid rain scourge of the ’70s and ’80s that killed trees and fish and even dissolved parts of statues on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall is back. But unlike the first round, in which sulfur emissions from power plants mixed with rain to create sulfuric acid, the current problem […]

The growing human footprint on coastal and open-ocean biogeochemistry

By Scott C. Doney Abstract: Climate change, rising atmospheric carbon dioxide, excess nutrient inputs, and pollution in its many forms are fundamentally altering the chemistry of the ocean, often on a global scale and, in some cases, at rates greatly exceeding those in the historical and recent geological record. Major observed trends include a shift […]

Blown-out BP oil well gushes vast amounts of methane, could create Gulf ‘dead zones’

Associated Press Writers Matthew Brown and Ramit Plushnick-Masti authored this report. Brown reported from Billings, Mont.Friday, June 18, 2010, 7:12 AM NEW ORLEANS — It is an overlooked danger in oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of […]

Scientists study oil impact on sealife — Dissolved oxygen levels ‘dramatically low’

By Derica WilliamsPhotojournalist: Guy Turnbow Updated: Thursday, 17 Jun 2010, 12:36 PM EDT DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama (WALA) – Scientists at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab said the spewing oil and dispersants are causing major damage at the bottom of the Gulf. The sea lab has been a source of education and research for decades. Now […]

Sea creatures flee oil spill, gather near shore — ‘At some point they'll get trapped’

Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish congregate by the thousands off an Alabama pier. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes, never to be seen again. By JAY REEVES, JOHN FLESHER and TAMARA LUSH Associated Press Writers GULF […]

Changing Chesapeake Bay acidity impacting oyster shell growth

Cambridge, Md. (June 10, 2010) – Acidity is increasing in some regions of the Chesapeake Bay even faster than is occurring in the open ocean, where it is now recognized that increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolve in the seawater thereby making it more acidic. These more acidic conditions in key parts of Chesapeake […]

Low-oxygen pockets found off Alabama coast, raising new fears for sea life

By Ben Raines Published: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 5:12 PM Scientists measured two areas of low oxygen off the Alabama coast Tuesday, finding levels below the threshold that marine creatures need to survive. The first low-oxygen pocket was found on the bottom in about 60 feet of water 12 miles off the coast due south […]

Underwater oil plume: Frequently asked questions

By Samantha Joye | Published: June 6, 2010 12:17am June 5th, 18:34. The plume was hiding.  We anticipated that the flow trajectory of the oil and gas discharging from the leaking riser pipe would change after the pipe was cut but it was tough to predict which way the flow would go.  We had a […]

New vision required to stave off dramatic biodiversity loss, says UN report

Nairobi, 10 May 2010 – Natural systems that support economies, lives and livelihoods across the planet are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse unless there is swift, radical and creative action to conserve and sustainably use the variety of life on Earth. This is one principal conclusion of a major new assessment of the […]

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