Forum marine biologists: question about impact of melting polar caps on sea life

[edkwon]

i was reading a random piece on global warming, melting ice caps and coastline flooding across the globe, it made me wonder about things the article didnt address, the impact on ocean life. i dont know anything about ocean marine life so my questions are based on assumptions which maybe totally wrong.

ok so if the polar caps melt enough to flood major coastal cities and into major river deltas to flood signicant amts of inland, isnt that a significant amt of fresh water to dilute out the saline content of the worlds oceans, and if so how much will saline percentage drop? also how much will that affect or kill native oceam life across the globe?

all i know is i have friends who keep tropical saltwater fish tanks and they say one of the things that makes taking care of these fish such a pain is that they have to be pretty careful about saline content, a little too high or low and their fish can die pretty easy. of course i dont know what are acceptable tolerances.

any educated input is welcome.

[Blind_Io]

Wait for the Top Gear Special next month and ask that again.

Life will adapt like it always has.

[edkwon]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

Wait for the Top Gear Special next month and ask that again.

i havent seen the special so i cant tell if youre being serious or sarcastic, if youre being serious, what is the connection?

[Blind_Io]

The hippies are saying that the ice caps are melting and you can now get to the north pole by boat. To disprove this the guys drive there in >2 ton trucks.

[edkwon]

Originally Posted by Blind_Io

The hippies are saying that the ice caps are melting and you can now get to the north pole by boat. To disprove this the guys drive there in >2 ton trucks.

i see, thats interesting. but theyre addressing the question 'are the caps melting?' and im asking a slightly difference question 'if the answer to the first question is yes, then will that degree of melting affect saline concentration to the detriment of salt water dependent marine life?'

as informative as top gear, it probably wont go in depth answering my specific question. am i wrong to say this?

[jeffy777]

Might get a better answer on a more specific forum, rather than one about car shows

[Red_Bull]

Originally Posted by edkwon

ok so if the polar caps melt enough to flood major coastal cities and into major river deltas to flood signicant amts of inland, isnt that a significant amt of fresh water to dilute out the saline content of the worlds oceans, and if so how much will saline percentage drop? also how much will that affect or kill native oceam life across the globe?

I really wouldn't think so.

According to the sign above the urinal at uni, 99% of the water contained on Earth is salt water. Less than one third of fresh water is available for drinking...yada yada...this is why this urinal is flush-free.

Yeah, better go ask the question on a dedicated forum where there there's a slim chance there actually might be a marine biologist

[edkwon]

Originally Posted by Red_Bull

Yeah, better go ask the question on a dedicated forum where there there's a slim chance there actually might be a marine biologist

I dunno, i think its a little unfair and judgemental to assume that just because the people on these forums are into cars, that their education, work experience, intelligence levels are below a question of marine science. Ppl here come from all walks of life, not just average 9 - 5 workers living at home, playing the playstation in their spare time, ppl have all sorts of different interests and knowledge outside of cars.

[Donington]

When my fish tank gets too hot or cold, I just shove in some water to adress the balance and all's well. Do the same with the sea. Nasa just need a huge plastic measuring jug in space.

[Red_Bull]

Originally Posted by edkwon

I dunno, i think its a little unfair and judgemental to assume that just because the people on these forums are into cars, that their education, work experience, intelligence levels are below a question of marine science. Ppl here come from all walks of life, not just average 9 - 5 workers living at home, playing the playstation in their spare time, ppl have all sorts of different interests and knowledge outside of cars.

You're right. I was half joking in that I would've thought the chances of there being such a person on this forum would be pretty low. Jeffy777 said it too, don't just pick on me

Finalgear marine experts, you have my apologies

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by edkwon

I dunno, i think its a little unfair and judgemental to assume that just because the people on these forums are into cars, that their education, work experience, intelligence levels are below a question of marine science. Ppl here come from all walks of life, not just average 9 - 5 workers living at home, playing the playstation in their spare time, ppl have all sorts of different interests and knowledge outside of cars.

lol, for the love of Pete, I'm not trying to judge anyone.....my point is that you're more likely to get an accurate answer on a more specific forum (especially since your thread title is phrased the way it is). That's all I was trying to say. The same goes for any subject. For example: If you want to know a specific question about how to cook a thanksgiving dinner, you'd be better off going to a cooking forum, right? Sure, there may be a gearhead here who likes to throw an apron on once in ahwile and you may get a good answer here, but your chances are better at a more targeted forum

[joemoefro]

Originally Posted by edkwon

ok so if the polar caps melt enough to flood major coastal cities and into major river deltas to flood signicant amts of inland, isnt that a significant amt of fresh water to dilute out the saline content of the worlds oceans, and if so how much will saline percentage drop? also how much will that affect or kill native oceam life across the globe?

Hey good questions. I'm not sure of the exact number of how much the saline percentage will drop, but I believe it is more important to address the temperature of the oceans. Most specifically with rising temperatures, coral cannot survive with a rapid change of temperature, which is already happening on the great barrier reef. Some types of coral are dying, and what is tragic is the vast amount of organisms that depend on the coral. Those dependent organisms ultimately die off, because their environment is destroyed. This is analogous to how many animals die when forests are cut down.

I would like to say that organisms could change, but the fact of the matter is they can't change as rapidly as we are changing the environment for them. Please do what you can to save the environment.

Riding your bike instead of your car is a start
8)

[jakifirbec]

Originally Posted by joemoefro

Hey good questions. I'm not sure of the exact number of how much the saline percentage will drop, but I believe it is more important to address the temperature of the oceans. Most specifically with rising temperatures, coral cannot survive with a rapid change of temperature, which is already happening on the great barrier reef. Some types of coral are dying, and what is tragic is the vast amount of organisms that depend on the coral. Those dependent organisms ultimately die off, because their environment is destroyed. This is analogous to how many animals die when forests are cut down.

I would like to say that organisms could change, but the fact of the matter is they can't change as rapidly as we are changing the environment for them. Please do what you can to save the environment.

Riding your bike instead of your car is a start
8)

You know this is a car forum right?

[edkwon]

Well i posed on another car related forum i'm on about the same question and got quite a few good responses including this article link

http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/our-...lwarmingoceans

What could go badly wrong

Worryingly, recent studies warn that we may already have evidence of a slower Conveyor circulation over the Scotland-Greenland deep ocean ridge. And while the Conveyor appears to have operated fairly reliably over the past several thousand years, an examination of ice cores from both Greenland and Antarctica shows that this has not always been the case. In the more distant past, changes to the Conveyor circulation are associated with abrupt climate change.

In short, dilution of the ocean's salinity - from melting Arctic ice (such as the Greenland ice sheet) and/or increased precipitation - could switch off, slow down or divert the Conveyor. This dramatic cooling would mean a massive disruption to European agriculture and climate, and impact other sea currents and temperatures around the globe.


Habitat Loss

Temperature rises are impacting on the entire marine food web. For example, phytoplankton, which feeds small crustaceans including krill, grow under sea ice. A reduction in sea ice implies a reduction in krill - and krill feeds many whale species, including the great whales.

Whales and dolphins strand themselves in high temperatures. The great whales also risk losing their feeding grounds, in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, because of the melting and collapse of ice shelves.

Whole species of marine animals and fish are directly at risk due to the temperature rise - they simply cannot survive in warmer waters. Some penguin populations, for example, have decreased by 33 percent in parts of Antarctica, because of habitat decline.

An increasing occurrence of disease in marine animals is also linked to rising ocean temperatures.

[edkwon]

Originally Posted by jakifirbec

You know this is a car forum right?

That's why i posted this question in Off Topic, because its not car related, plus, stimulating conversation on other subjects is not a bad thing, but maybe I am wrong about that.

also apparently:

The issue of sea life is their coordination with those currents for traveling to seasonal spots for reproduction....

Also with current changes connecting climate changes, lead to change in food availability... this change could cause high fatalities in main launching grounds for seals or sea otters.

Another thought you can consider is an issue for returning salmon. Salmon follow certain current patterns to their home (fresh water rivers) for reproduction. It can take a salmon 5-7 years to come home from the ocean. Returning via unfamiliar salinity levels could throw their pattern off, and may reduce chances to return, causing a decrease in overall population.

[jeffy777]

Originally Posted by jakifirbec

You know this is a car forum right?

Originally Posted by edkwon

That's why i posted this question in Off Topic, because its not car related, plus, stimulating conversation on other subjects is not a bad thing, but maybe I am wrong about that.

jakifirbec was referring to the comment about "Riding your bike instead of your car is a start", not to your original post

[jakifirbec]

yep.

[Janus]

Originally Posted by Red_Bull

there's a slim chance there actually might be a marine biologist

Funny you should mention that. My father is a marine biologist, the former Director of fisheries for South Australia and Australia, head of the board of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, former chancellor of the Australian Maritime College and on the board of the Australian Fisheries Advisory Committee amongst other fisheries related things.

I shall ask him the question at hand and see what he says.