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The Littlest Canary in the Biggest Coal Mine

February 18, 2008

Posted by Andrew Wetzler in Reviving the World's Oceans , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
AAAS, acidification, globalwarming, ptrepods, seabutterflies

Image of a a swimming pteropod, Limacina helicina (source: NOAA)

Scientists, gathered at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Annual Meeting in Boston, are expressing increased concern over the growing threat to some of the smallest seas creatures in the world, including tiny snails sometimes called pteropods or "sea butterflies." These animals play a crucial role at the base of the marine food chain.  The problem is that the world's oceans are steadily growing more acidic as they absorb ever-increasing global carbon dioxide emissions and, as a result, animals like pteropods can have trouble growing the shells they need to survive.  Acidification is also responsible for contributing to the loss of coral reefs around the world.

Gretchen Hofmann, an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara says it best:

"These animals are not charismatic but they are talking to us just as much as penguins or polar bears," said Hofmann. "They are harbingers of change. It's possible by 2050 they may not be able to make a shell anymore. If we lose these organisms, the impact on the food chain will be catastrophic," she added.

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Comments

Robert GodesFeb 19 2008 12:03 AM

The work at Profusion Energy has produced a method of driving weak nuclear interactions.
Who cares? You do. By driving a weak nuclear interaction it is possible to fuse simple hydrogen into helium. The weak interaction allows a proton to be converted to a neutron bypassing the need to overcome the Coulombic repulsion.
By taking this approach in a solid, the energy from the reaction can be transferred to the solid as heat. It produces no dangerous radiation. If the reaction is not run in a solid the energy can only leave as a gamma ray, which is deadly.
I have been review by multiple Ph.D’s who recommend further support of my work. Those recommendations are based on phase one verification data supporting the hypothesis. You can see there quotes in the power point on the website.
Use your mouse to highlight PhaseIVerificationData and copy it. If you would like more information than what is on the home page then past it to the end of the web page address after you click on my name above.
This is the only way humanity will survive global warming.

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Andrew Wetzler
Andrew Wetzler
Director, Endangered Species Project
Chicago
I grew up in New York City but spent my summers canoeing and hiking in...
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