Ocean acidification may make algae flourish

Darkfrog submitted, created time 8 months 2 weeks (www.nytimes.com)

For many of the smallest marine life forms, the biggest issue on the block isn't global warming, it's ocean acidification. Acid in the oceans can dissolve the calcium carbonate that makes up coral's support structure. It was thought that the shells of coccolithophores, a type of algae that forms the base of much of the ocean's ecosystem, would be dissolved as well, and one study says that they will

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Chilling Lessons from Ice Ages Past

Eric wu submitted, created time 10 months 2 weeks (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

Researchers studying the effects of ancient climate patterns on Antarctic waters have reached an alarming conclusion: The inhabitants of those seas were able to cling to life by the thinnest of margins during past ice ages, but they might not be able to weather the temperature increases predicted for the next century. In particular danger are the birds and mammals occupying the top of the food chain, such as emperor penguins and sea lions.

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Bears build up what fish flush out

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.bioedonline.org)

Efforts to control chemical pollution may overlook thousands of toxins that concentrate as they march up the food chain, say researchers. Compounds that do not accumulate in fish can still build up in marine birds and mammals — and possibly the people that eat them, they have found.

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