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Fukushima radiation added to human impact on oceans

 Fukushima radiation is showing up in tuna caught off the California coast. A new study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that bluefin tuna caught off America’s West Coast are carrying radiation from the nuclear power plant  in Fukushima badly damaged in a tsunami last year. Fortunately, the radiation is not at levels that would be harmful to humans…… Video bonus: It’s hard to find a better ambassador for the sea than Sylvia Earle, who’s been exploring the deep for more than 40 years. Here’s her TED talk  from a few years ago, but it’s more relevant than ever

Roiling in the Deep, Smithsonian.com, 8 June 12“……  marine biologist Callum Roberts wrote in Newsweek,  “With an ever-accelerating tide of human impact, the oceans have changed more in the last 30 years than in all of human history before……. Since today is World Oceans Day,  here’s a rundown of 10 things we now know about the sea that we didn’t a year ago.

1. The oceans are getting more acidic every day. In fact, according to researchers at Columbia University , acidification is occurring at a rate faster than any time in the last 300 million years, a period that includes four mass extinctions. As the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, oceans absorb it, and it turns into a carbon acid. And that is putting sea creatures at risk, particularly coral, oysters and salmon…….

4. The Arctic meltdown could make harsh winters more likely. Yes, it’s counter-intuitive, but yet another study, this one by researchers at Cornell, reinforces the theory that warmer water in the Arctic sets off a climatic chain reaction  that can result in brutal winters, like last year in Europe, or relentless snowfalls, like those that buried America’s East Coast in February, 2010.

5. Sea life needs to swim farther to survive climate change. After analyzing 50 years of global temperature changes, scientists at the University of Queensland  concluded that both the velocity of climate change and the shift in seasonal temperatures will be higher at sea than on land at certain latitudes. And that means that if sea creatures can’t adapt to the rising temperatures, they may have to migrate hundreds of miles if they hope to survive…..

8. Fukushima radiation is showing up in tuna caught off the California coast. A new study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that bluefin tuna caught off America’s West Coast are carrying radiation from the nuclear power plant  in Fukushima badly damaged in a tsunami last year. Fortunately, the radiation is not at levels that would be harmful to humans…… Video bonus: It’s hard to find a better ambassador for the sea than Sylvia Earle, who’s been exploring the deep for more than 40 years. Here’s her TED talk  from a few years ago, but it’s more relevant than ever.http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/ideas/2012/06/roiling-in-the-deep/

June 9, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, oceans