Two years ago scientists saw lots of life -- crabs, fish, sea worms -- on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean off the Northwest U.S. coast.
Today there are carcasses.
The problem is a lack of oxygen in the water. It has been measured as the lowest in 50 years and, in some places, there was no oxygen in the water at all.
According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer, It looks like the Pacific has reached a "tipping point," a threshold where low-oxygen levels are becoming the rule, researchers said. And while scientists can't prove it's caused by a changing climate, that's consistent with what is predicted by computer projections built to anticipate global warming.
The problem is noteworthy not only because of the change it represents, but also because those waters produce 20 percent of the fish Americans eat. Fish may not be a major part of the U.S. diet, but imagine the consequences if 20 percent of the wheat or corn crops were lost and how that would impact beef, chicken and pork production.
Scientists say the ocean change may be part of a cycle and that changes in winds which help feed the oceans could revitalize the area.
Or it could be a harbinger of things to come.
-- Jim Grinstead
Comments