Mass Extinction of Ocean Species Soon to Be 'Inevitable'

[GLT]

Mass Extinction of Ocean Species Soon to Be 'Inevitable'
LONDON, UK, June 21, 2011 (ENS) - The oceans are at high risk of
entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in
human history, a panel of international marine experts warns in a
report released today.

A deadly trio of factors - warming, acidification and lack of oxygen -
is creating the conditions associated with every previous major
extinction of species in Earth's history, the panel warned.
Sunset at Huntington Beach, California (Photo by DHN)

The combined effects of these stressors are causing degeneration in
the ocean that is "far faster than anyone has predicted," the
scientists report.

The urgent warnings emerged from the first-ever interdisciplinary
international workshop held April 11-13 to consider the cumulative
impact of all stressors affecting the ocean.

"The findings are shocking," said Dr. Alex Rogers, scientific director
of the International Programme on the State of the Ocean which
convened the workshop. "As we considered the cumulative effect of what
humankind does to the ocean, the implications became far worse than we
had individually realized."

"This is a very serious situation demanding unequivocal action at
every level," warned Rogers, who specializes in the ecology,
biodiversity and evolution of deep-sea ecosystems, with emphasis on
cold-water corals, seamounts, hydrothermal vents and seeps.
Dr. Alex Rogers (Photo courtesy IPSO)

The first steps to globally significant extinction may have already
begun with a rise in the extinction threat to marine species such as
reef-forming corals, the scientists said, emphasizing that "the
unprecedented speed of change" makes accurate assessment difficult.

"We are looking at consequences for humankind that will impact in our
lifetime, and worse, our children's and generations beyond that,"
warned Rogers.

Marine scientists from institutions around the world gathered at
Oxford University under the auspices of International Programme on the
State of the Ocean and the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature. The 27 participants from 18 organizations in six countries
produced a grave assessment of current threats.

The group reviewed recent research by world ocean experts and found
firm evidence that the effects of climate change, coupled with other
human-induced impacts such as over-fishing and nutrient run-off from
farming, have already caused a dramatic decline in ocean health.
In the waters of Pulau Hantu, an island south of Singapore, ocean
warming turned these corals from orange to white. (Photo by Jolene)

Dan Laffoley, marine chair of IUCN's World Commission on Protected
Areas and senior ddvisor on Marine Science and Conservation for IUCN,
and co-author of the report, said, "The world's leading experts on
oceans are surprised by the rate and magnitude of changes we are
seeing. The challenges for the future of the ocean are vast, but
unlike previous generations we know what now needs to happen. The time
to protect the blue heart of our planet is now, today and urgent."

The panel urges, "Immediate reduction in CO2 emissions coupled with
significantly increased measures for mitigation of atmospheric CO2 and
to better manage coastal and marine carbon sinks to avoid additional
emissions of greenhouse gases. It is a matter of urgency that the
ocean is considered as a priority in the deliberations of the IPCC
[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] and UNFCCC [United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change]."

The panel members point out that the rate at which carbon is being
absorbed by the ocean is already far greater now than at the time of
the last globally significant extinction of marine species, some 55
million years ago, when up to 50 percent of some groups of deep sea
animals were wiped out.

A single mass coral bleaching event in 1998 killed 16 percent of all
the world's tropical coral reefs, they recalled, and overfishing has
reduced some commercial fish stocks and populations of by-catch
species by more than 90 percent.
Gray whale carcass on Mexico's Baha peninsula, March 2011 (Photo by
Rod Chadwick)

New science indicates that pollutants such as flame retardants,
fluorinated compounds and pharmaceuticals as well as synthetic musks
found in detergents and personal care products have been located
recently in the Canadian Arctic seas. Some are known to be endocrine
disrupters or can damage immune systems.

These chemicals can be absorbed by tiny plastic particles in the ocean
which are in turn ingested by marine creatures.

Meanwhile, continued releases and slow breakdown rates mean that
legacy chemical pollution, such as from DDT, remains a major concern.

The marine experts agreed that adding these and other threats together
means that the ocean and the ecosystems within it are unable to
recover, being constantly bombarded with multiple attacks.

The report sets out a series of recommendations and calls on states,
regional bodies and the United Nations to enact measures to better
conserve ocean ecosystems, and in particular demands the urgent
adoption of better governance of the largely unprotected high seas
which make up the majority of the world's ocean.

Time available for action is shrinking, the panel warned. "The longer
the delay in reducing emissions the higher the annual reduction rate
will have to be and the greater the financial cost. Delays will mean
increased environmental damage with greater socioeconomic impacts and
costs of mitigation and adaptation measures."

Click here to read a summary of the panel's full report, which will be
released in the near future.

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