OCEAN pH and the War on Science
I'm not sure why, although I have my suspicions, but over the last few years there has been a growing effort to pretend that science can't be trusted. This trend includes the folks who espouse "creationism" over evolution, and those who want to pretend that man's contribution to the CO2 levels after 150 years of industrial revolution has nothing to do with global climate change, sea level rise or the extremes of weather that are being experienced around the world. My suspicion is that oil, coal and gas companies, who see their profits threatened by efforts to cut back on CO2 emissions, are funding the anti-science campaign, but I don't have any proof of that.
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The latest manifestation of these folks who I consider "flat-earthers" appeared recently in the Miami Herald. Without further comment, I present here the recent letters to the editor of the Herald and the correspondence between myself and the person who submitted the original letter to the editor.
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Posted on Wed, Dec. 12, 2012
Oceans are not so acidic as they claim
Neutral oceans
There is much talk about the oceans becoming more “acidic” due to manmade global warming. This is quite remarkable as the oceans are actually alkaline having a pH of about 8. You may recall that the measure of acidity and alkalinity has water neutral at the level of 7.
Anything above 7 is base or alkaline whereas anything below 7 is acidic. Thus a small change in pH from a little above 8 to a little below 8 just means the oceans are becoming closer to neutral not more acidic. This is an important consideration when teaching this subject to children and others. Let’s get it right.
Russ Stabley, Fort Lauderdale
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© 2012 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
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Posted on Mon, Dec. 17, 2012
Change in acidity level in oceans a killer
I am very disappointed that the Herald printed a wildly incorrect opinion letter from Russ Stabley of Fort Lauderdale, concerning the acidification of the oceans, without a clarifying explanation.
Stabley says “Thus a small change in pH from a little above 8 to a little below 8 just means the oceans are becoming closer to neutral, not more acidic.” This is blatantly false.
The Herald owes it to its readers not to leave such misinformation out there without a footnote with the accurate facts. A change in pH from 8 to 7 is a tenfold increase in the acidity of the water, not a small change, because the pH scale is logarithmic and not linear. The measured pH of the ocean has changed from 8.25 in 1751 to 8.14 today, which is about a 30 percent increase in the acidity of the seas (or the concentration of H+ ions).
This is not a small change. It is a huge change, and having a “neutral” pH of 7 would mean the death of most, if not all, marine life, because the chemistry of life depends on the pH of its environment.
This is why when we have large releases of (more neutral pH) freshwater from Lake Okeechobee into the Indian River on the east coast, or the Caloosahatchee River on the west coast, it is accompanied by massive fish kills, destruction of sea grasses and death of other marine organisms. Marine life needs the higher alkalinity to allow larval corals to form base plates to attach to their substrates, to allow fish to form their skeletal structures, to allow larval sea shells to form their shells and to allow numerous other organisms to carry out basic biological processes.
We are dependent on maintaining a healthy ocean, because it produces a large fraction of the oxygen we need to exist.
Stabley has a right to his own opinion on the oceans, no matter how misinformed he is, but the public has a right to get the accurate facts. Please educate your readers.
Michael F. Chenoweth, president, Florida Keys Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, Key Largo
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© 2012 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
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On Dec 20, 2012, at 5:22 PM, Robin Stabley wrote:
I want to thank Michael F. Chenoweth for his Dec. 17th comments on my letter of Dec. 12th regarding Ocean acidity as it gives me an opportunity to give an example supporting my position.
He should take two bottles and fill one with something very sweet and the other with something very bitter.
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If he then adds water to each, will the sweet drink become bitter or the bitter drink sweet? Of course not! It is the same with the ocean. He says the ocean has a pH of 8.14 which makes it alkaline. Adding the fresh water from Lake Okeechobee will make the ocean less alkaline just as the sweet drink becomes less sweet.
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The fresh water cannot make the ocean "more acidic" as the ocean isn't acidic in the first place.
You were right to print my letter which was not "wildly incorrect". Please note that I am able to make this reply without the need to insult Mr. Chenoweth.
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By the way I got the above example from an article in Junk Science.com.
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Russ Stabley
5821 NE 20th Ter.
Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. 33308
On December 21, 2012, I wrote back to Mr. Stabley:
Dear Mr. Stabley,
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Good morning.
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Rather than continue what I expect would be a less-than-productive exchange, I am going to publish this exchange of comments on "ocean acidity" on my website, and let the public draw its own conclusions. I encourage you to talk to any high-school chemistry or biology teacher about your opinions regarding pH. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan is famous for saying, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."
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Your opinions ARE important, if only because they let the rest of us know that there is some education we need to do.
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I hope you are having a good holiday season and that this discussion will lead you to some new insights.
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I'm attaching a copy of our latest chapter newsletter. As you may expect, we DO think climate change is something we should all be very concerned about. Give me a few days, then check my website - www.michaelchenoweth.com - and look for "Ocean pH" under the "Straight Talk" tab. -
Cheers,
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Mike Chenoweth
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On December 24, 2012, the following letter appeared in the Miami Herald:
Posted on Mon, Dec. 24, 2012
Know your pH
Letter writer Russ Stabley strongly objects to warnings on the consequences of the increasing acidification of the oceans.
His objection is based entirely on the statement that “ . . . the oceans are actually alkaline having a pH of about 8.”
This statement is correct but totally irrelevant. The concern is that ocean pH is changing.
All biological, and many chemical, systems are extremely sensitive to pH. For example, the pH of our blood is regulated to fall within a narrow range.
If your blood pH were to fall outside this range, it would be a sign of a severe imbalance in your metabolism and a cause of concern.
That’s why blood pH is monitored by your doctor.
In the same way the pH of the oceans is a critical indicator of changes, even small ones that can be catastrophic.
I heartily agree with his statement that we should get it right when teaching this subject to children and others, but he should first get it right himself.
Joseph M. Prospero, Professor Emeritus, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
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© 2012 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
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