When you warm up water it loses the ability to hold gaseous matter. For example, a warm Coke is less fizzy that a cold one. And a warm ocean holds less oxygen than a cold one. Scientists are concerned because the ocean life off Pacific Northwest waters is somewhat mysteriously dying off. Dead crabs, Sea [...]
Archive for the ‘Human (and Animal) Interest’ Category
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February 17th, 2010
Ecosystem fragility and the Golden Toad
Perhaps the poster child for global warming and climate change is the Golden Toad. Initially discovered in 1966, these brightly colored amphibians were completely extinct by 1989. Basically the minute area they existed in, the Monte Verde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica suffered a severe drought which dried up the spawning pools the Golden Toad [...]
February 7th, 2010
US denies protection to Pikas
When we discuss the various animal types and species that are in peril due the effects of manmade climate change, it is simple to understand how large species such as Bengal Tigers and Florida Panthers fall onto the endangered list. But what of the thousands of other species, many of which we have never heard [...]
January 29th, 2010
How can it be hotter if it’s snowing in Florida?
The argument that global warming is a real and present threat seems to be weakened by cold and harsh winters, as evidenced in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. With parts of Florida and many parts of the southern United States actual experiencing snowfall, it becomes almost impossible to present a compelling argument for global temperature [...]
January 21st, 2010
Rising waters put Tigers at Risk
For an animal so instantly recognized worldwide it is difficult to imagine that tigers are one of the world’s most endangered species. At risk for over one hundred years due to hunters, the total population worldwide of these favorite felines has dropped to as few as 3000 animals left in the wild. This [...]
