In their testing, they measured the otoliths, the ear structure in fish made up of minerals.

In the first experiments, the water had 6 times the current amount of carbon dioxide, and the fish grew otoliths 15 to 17 percent larger than normal size.

In their next tests, they reduced the CO₂ in the water to 3.5 times the current level. This amount is similar to the concentration possible in the year 2100, at its current rate of distribution in the atmosphere. These fish had otoliths with 7 to 9 percent increase.

Oceanographer David M. Checkley, involved in the study, said: “An important observation is that the effect of CO2 in atmosphere, and therefore in the ocean, includes not only (global) warming and making the ocean more acidic. There are other effects on the biology and ecology that merit study.”

They are not yet sure if this is positive or negative, and further studies will be done to track the progress.

The study is published in the journal Science.

Read the full story here.

Image courtesy of divebums.com

A new study has revealed that the tiny organisms that absorb pollution are losing their ability to form exoskeletons due to climate change.

These organisms are about the size of a grain of sand, and live in the surface waters of oceans around the world. They play an important part in the ecological chain, and help prevent global warming from their absorbent covering.

The helpful amobeas transform carbon dioxide from the air into calcium-based shells, and when they die, these shells sink to the ocean floor, storing the CO2 forever.

Due to rising temperature, nutrient runoff from coastal agriculture, and acidification, there has been a decrease in the strength of their shells. These factors inhibit their ability to build sufficient coverings.

The researchers collected one specific species, Globigerina bulloides, once they had drifted to the ocean floor, and compared them to older specimens from hundreds of years ago. The newer shells, they discovered, had about 35% less mass.

It is the last five years that scientists have become aware of ocean acidification and its destruction to the carbon cycle, with balances CO2 in the atmosphere. If this progresses, it could disrupt further sea life with their role in the food chain.

Up to about one half of carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels is absorbed by the world’s oceans. The natural pH (measure of acidity and alkalinity) of the ocean is about 8.2. As this number decreases, the the acidity increases. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts the ocean pH will fall between 0.14 and 0.35 units over the next Century, adding to the current decrease of 0.1 units. [read more]

This is the first study to specifically explore acidification, and has been published in the online edition of the journal Nature Geoscience.

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Their mission, they state, is that “together, we can help heal the earth,” and by providing flyers with service that offers the same low rates that the airlines do, they can offset your carbon footprint without any extra cost to you.

So what does that mean?

A carbon offset occurs when an organization emits an amount of greenhouse gas but invests in providing a way to remove the  equivalent volume of gasses out of the atmosphere or preventing more emissions from occuring.

They have partnered with Offsetters Climate Neutral Society (www.offsetters.ca), a non-profit organization that invest in projects that prevent greenhouse gas emissions, through sustainable projects that deal with renewable energy.  Their projects include industrial heat recovery, ground-source heat pump systems, solar thermal systems, high efficiency biomass stoves and efficient lighting systems.

So how much does this really help?

Their website describes the process on how to tally how much carbon dioxide each individual flight produces. Through the fuel consumption, seats occupied (and thus, overall weight), the impact of the emission, and the distance flown, they can then tell extract how many carbon emissions are actually produced. And as a result, they can provide accurate numbers of how they can offset the flight.

FlyGreen.ca also include a calculator, so you can envision how you help the environment. A family of four traveling  return-trip from from Toronto to Vancouver, for example, emits 1.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and the total offset cost to make it climate friendly is $106 for the whole family.

We think this is a step forward in eco-traveling. After all, with no extra costs to you, you can truly give back to the environment based on your own actions.

Visit FlyGreen.ca if you’re traveling within Canada to book your next conscious-climate trip.

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Traveling soon? Check out our tips on eco-friendly travel or planning your eco-accomodations with Eco-Hotels of the World.

Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk