Deep Ocean Fish, Earth's Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

This is a link that has not been studied much in the past because the total mass of deep ocean fish was estimated to be relatively small. Recent studies however are showing that this estimate is incorrect, and that the total numbers and mass of deep ocean (mesopelagic zone) fish is in fact enormous.

Following are highlights from the NY Times article, Dark Regions of the Ocean May Shed Light on Climate Change and Other Issues:

.......Dr. Irigoien’s expedition, which included oceanographers from Spain, Australia and Norway, sailed the globe in 2010 and 2011 and last year produced a detailed report that estimated the overall bulk of mesopelagic fishes at 10 billion tons, and perhaps even more......

That figure is not only 10 times the earlier estimate but 100 times the globe’s annual catch of seafood and 200 times the estimated biomass of the world’s 24 billion chickens, considered the most numerous vertebrate on land.

Seawater absorbs tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, including that produced by the burning of fossil fuels. The creatures, in turn, use carbon to build their bodies, which eventually join the rain of life detritus into the abyss. (The bodies of humans are about 18 percent carbon, and those of mesopelagic fish about 8 percent.)

This carbon uptake by mesopelagic life prompted Villy Christensen, a fish scientist at the University of British Columbia, to call the deep creatures “unrecognized allies against climate change” and to oppose their harvesting.

This little fish, the Bristlemouth, sure looks like an ally to me.  

 Picture from the NY Times

Thanks to my sister-in-law Dianne for pointing out the above article

A new positive note on climate change action

Electric propulsion of aircraft:

When will I buy a ticket?....probably never....but I love the new technology.

Why politically motivated science is good science

Climate denialism is the real “hoax”: Why “politically motivated” science is good science  

The above linked article by Naomi Oreskes published in Salon presents an excellent case for government funded research on climate change.

We knew....BUT the remedies seemed so dificult!!!

The above pessimistic carton is from THE RECORDER, of Greenfield, Mass.

A one line quote by Ban Ki Moon from the linked article:
"....Climate change is the defining issue of our time."

It is an excellent article. The lead in paragraph is a real eye opener:

"On April 28, Cardinal Peter Turkson, released the following statement, “In our recklessness, we are traversing some of the planet’s most fundamental natural boundaries, and the lesson from the Garden of Eden still rings true today: pride, hubris, self-centeredness are always perilous, indeed destructive. The very technology that has brought great reward is now poised to bring great ruin."