News Stories from the Media about the Symposium and Science Magazine articles by Symposium participants.

July 15-16 2004

US National Science Foundation Press Release

CNN - Study: Ocean absorbing excess carbon dioxide. (From the Associated Press)

BBC - Ocean CO2 May Harm Marine Life.

Baltimore Sun - Marine Animals Harmed by CO2.

Boston Globe - Greenhouse gas buildup seen as risk to oceans

National Public Radio (USA) - CO2 Build-up in Oceans May Harm Marine Life (radio interview with Sabine, Kleypas, and Fabry).

New Scientist - Seas Absorb Half of Carbon Dioxide Pollution

Australian Broadcast Company On-Line - Carbon Emissions May Harm Ocean Life.

Reuters News Service, UK - Carbon Dioxide Emissions May Harm Ocean Life.

Voice of America News - Scientists: Carbon Dioxide Buildup in Oceans Could Threaten Some Marine Life

Bloomberg - Oceans Absorb Half the Carbon Produced by Humans, Study Says

O Estada de Sao Paulo - Oceano absorve 48% do CO2 lançado no ar

National Geographic News - Oceans found to absorb half of all man-made CO2.

July 17 2004

UN News Service

July 19 2004

Notre-Planete.Info - L'augmentation du CO2 dans les océans menacerait la vie aquatique

The Times of India - CO2 is turning oceans acidic.

July 20 2004

New York Times Science Section - Carbon Dioxide Extends its Harmful Reach to Oceans (only available via archive)

Washington Times - Climate: Ocean Carbon Sink the Answer ?

July 21 2004

Le Figaro Newspaper - Les émissions humaines de CO2 augmentent l'acidité des océans (only available via archive)

July 22 2004

Sun Network, India - Oceans absorb carbon dioxide excess.

17 August 2004

BBC News - Probe into Rising Ocean Acidity

19 August 2004

Nature - Reserachers seek to turn the tide on problem of acid seas. Vol 430, p 820.

29 August 2004

BBC News - Acid Oceans Spell Doom for Coral

September 2004

Oceanography Magazine, The Ocean in a High CO2 World, Vol 17, No 3.

September 9 2004

Christian Science Monitor - Oceans to Acid.

September 24, 2004

Libération - Les mers vident l'air de son CO2 et virent a l'acide

Financial Times - Acid Test for the Marine Web of Life (subscription required). Reported also by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

October 2004

Video Clips from Toby Tyrrell, Paul Gooddy and Mike Conquer; Southampton Oceanography Centre, U.K.

Clip 1:http://www.jhu.edu/scor/seawater1.wmv
Universal Indicator is a mixture of pH-sensitive components, each of which changes colour at a different pH value. When added to a solution it shows, by its colour, the pH (acidity) of the solution. In this video Universal Indicator is added to a flask of seawater, which is then bubbled with carbon dioxide (CO2). The resulting colour change shows that the seawater has become more acidic.

Clip 2: http://www.jhu.edu/scor/chalk1.wmv
Many marine organisms build shells out of calcium carbonate. Chalk rocks were formed when countless numbers of microscopic shells fell to the seafloor in the distant past. One form of calcium carbonate is chalk, another is limescale that builds up in kettles. Acid is used to clean limescale out of kettles. In this clip a piece of chalk is dropped into hydrochloric acid, and rapidly dissolves. The surface ocean will become significantly more acidic in the future (because of rising CO2), which may make it impossible for marine organisms to build and maintain their calcium carbonate shells.