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Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

scientificamerican.com

31–40 of 71 posts

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#31
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah right, children, innocents and wildlife deserve an extinction event. Sorry but what a silly idea that is.

wildlife will do very well, maybe not the charismatic stuff, but overall.

Yeah, not the big animals, but the little ones -- like plankton for example.

... Oh wait.

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#32
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TL;DR: Yup, we're doomed. Read or listen to David Wallace-Wells' Uninhabitable Earth[1] and/or Jem Bendell's Deep Adaptation[2] and decide for yourself. Both a couple of years old, neither will leave you the slightest bit optimistic. [1] http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-... [2] https://jembendell.com/category/deep-adaptation/

David Wallace wells isn't your best source. His work has been criticized for misrepresenting the science by many reputable climate scientists, many of which are easy to find online. It is clear in his response to being called too alarmist that he chooses to stretch the truth. Whether or not his tactic is ethical is worth debate perhaps, but whether his picture is reflective of what climate scientists believe is an an…

> being called too alarmist

I've never heard of any of his material, but is it really possibly to be too alarmist in our current state? I mean honestly, most of the world doesn't understands the magnitude and gravity of the events taking place and the runaway train that we're on.

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#33
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, we’ve been on the brink of annihilation many times and have found a way through. We cannot predict what new knowledge will be discovered to solve these problems. But we must keep trying.

When have we been on the brink of annihilation before?

There’s the multiple population bottlenecks in our DNA history [1]. The close calls in world wars and cold wars. Etc.

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842629/

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TL;DR: Yup, we're doomed. Read or listen to David Wallace-Wells' Uninhabitable Earth[1] and/or Jem Bendell's Deep Adaptation[2] and decide for yourself. Both a couple of years old, neither will leave you the slightest bit optimistic. [1] http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-... [2] https://jembendell.com/category/deep-adaptation/

Earth has always been uninhabitable for the most part. It’s only technology that allows us to live where we are (unless you live in the great Rift Valley). And it will be technology that saves us in the future. Edit: downvoted for technology optimism on this site?? Please explain.

[deleted]

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#35
post #4

[2010], here's the paper referenced in the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09268 I knew we had fucked up the oceans with plastics and overfishing, but I didn't know that phytoplankton was down as well, at such a scale. Per TFA, it provided 50% of the Earth's photosynthesis (in 2010). If it kept on dwindling that fast, that share is even lower now (down ~45%, with a half-life of 81 years, assuming the d…

The really scary part is that phytoplankton produce 50-85% of the oxygen on Earth.

Unfortunately, steadily declining populations of oceanic microorganisms don't pack the same kind of viral social media star power Brazilian forest fires do.

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#36
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When have we been on the brink of annihilation before?

There’s the multiple population bottlenecks in our DNA history [1]. The close calls in world wars and cold wars. Etc. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842629/

The cold wars were called that because they never actually became war.

And the world war's combined impact on global populations was only a couple of percentage points.

Neither remotely qualifies as being on the brink of annihilation.

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#37
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s the multiple population bottlenecks in our DNA history [1]. The close calls in world wars and cold wars. Etc. 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2842629/

The cold wars were called that because they never actually became war. And the world war's combined impact on global populations was only a couple of percentage points. Neither remotely qualifies as being on the brink of annihilation.

The soviet naval officer who prevented WWIII: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/03/you-and-almo...

The British government on the brink of capitulating to Hitler: https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/the-may...

The Allies and not Hitler getting the atomic bomb. Examples abound just in the past few generations.

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TL;DR: Yup, we're doomed. Read or listen to David Wallace-Wells' Uninhabitable Earth[1] and/or Jem Bendell's Deep Adaptation[2] and decide for yourself. Both a couple of years old, neither will leave you the slightest bit optimistic. [1] http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/07/climate-change-earth-... [2] https://jembendell.com/category/deep-adaptation/

Earth has always been uninhabitable for the most part. It’s only technology that allows us to live where we are (unless you live in the great Rift Valley). And it will be technology that saves us in the future. Edit: downvoted for technology optimism on this site?? Please explain.

[deleted]

Re: Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 (2010)

#39
post #31
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wildlife will do very well, maybe not the charismatic stuff, but overall.

Yeah, not the big animals, but the little ones -- like plankton for example. ... Oh wait.

Anaerobic bacteria perhaps? Admittedly not counted as animals.
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