Red and Blue King Crab Research

The Alaska Sea Grant has announced that it will be giving $1 million to research why many red and blue king crabs in Alaska die during hatchery and other factors that influence the decrease in number of these crabs. Researchers have been working since 2006 on this task and have successfully increased the amount of crabs who reach juvenile stage from zero to 50 percent. Some researchers have proposed a nutrition deficiency for the cause of the numerous hatchery deaths and it is currently being investigated. Many tests, though, must be performed in order to discover the nutritional factors that can affect the health of the red and blue king crabs.

In addition, the Alaska Sea Grant has also given money to researchers who are attempting to test whether strontium, a naturally occurring element, can be used to trace king salmon back to their birthplace streams. Scientists believe that discovering their birthplaces will play a key role in maintaining the health and stability of both the king salmon and the surrounding human population.

I personally believe that these studies, both of them, could be very vital to the environment in Alaska and even the Arctic as a whole. If either of these two species become endangered or even extinct, then that could severely affect the stability of the Arctic and eventually the entire world climate and stability.

More information on the Alaska Sea Grant’s research work with the red and blue king crab:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjSIEhAfzSY&list=UUpvQeim3IsGbhtr1IZJRKWg&index=7&feature=plcp

Link to article:

http://seagrant.uaf.edu/news/2012/03-22-12new-research-projects.php

As Permafrost Thaws, Scientiests Study The Risks

One might think that a few bubbles in the arctic may not be such a big deal, but if you ask any permafrost expert around the world they would tell you there is nothing that could affect you more.  These bubbles being released in hot spots in the arctic are composed of methane from the decomposition of ancient plants once frozen in the permafrost.  While the growth and decline of permafrost areas is not all that uncommon, the rate at which it is occurring in the arctic is what has scientists worried.  Scientists blame this increased decline on humans increased release of greenhouse gasses.  If nothing is done to stop the methane from being released into the atmosphere it could eventually reach up to 30% of the total greenhouse gases being released.  This has been labeled a major issue any yet there are still not as many people working on the issue as there should be.  These bubbles could have a major affect on our everyday lives and we should do anything we can to prevent the methane from being released into the atmosphere even if it means cutting back on your everyday power usage.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/science/earth/warming-arctic-permafrost-fuels-climate-change-worries.html?pagewanted=all

Underwater Volcano Successfully Forecasted for the First Time

For the first time, scientists were able to successfully forecast an underwater eruption of the volcano Axial Seamount, located about 250 miles off of the Oregon coast. Axial Seamount last erupted in 1998, and scientists had predicted its next eruption for around this time by watching the buildup of magma around the volcano. Volcanoes are extremely difficult to predict, so this is a major accomplishment. Scientist predict that it was easier because of the conditions surrounding Axial Seamount, such as the thin crust and the location of the volcano, which provides a great deal of magma buildup. The scientists’ instruments were buried in the lava upon the arrival of the investigating team, and at first they thought they were in the wrong place. The eruption, which they estimate occurred in April of this year, was about three times bigger than the last eruption in 1998 and was about 1.2 miles wide. This demonstrates a significant breakthrough in the study of volcanoes as scientists have now successfully forecasted a volcanic eruption, which is a finicky thing to try to predict. Barriers to the future of foretelling volcanic eruptions include the widespread and numerous locations of volcanoes around the globe and the variety of conditions surrounding volcanoes, such as the thickness of the crust. I think that this is a very exciting and interesting concept, though it doesn’t pose much of a problem for the safety of humans any longer as we have enough warning before eruptions to evacuate cities in the event of one.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110809132234.htm

Extreme Weather Myths

In the past couple years, it is obvious that the weather is becoming increasingly more and more extreme. This year, the south was drowned in heat, most states hitting the triple digits. On a worldly scale, there were floods in Pakistan and Australia, record heat waves in Moscow, and the heaviest snowfall in more than a century in South Korea. July’s global average land surface temperature was the 4^th warmest on record. So what is driving this weather extreme phenomenon? Some people chose to blame it as a “hundred year” weather event, but the same thing occurred in 2005, and more and more frequently. With hundreds of factors weighing in on the climate change, what can we do to fix it? At least 85 nations have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit their growth by switching to renewable energy. But we can do much more to reduce the carbon emissions that contribute to the problem in the first place. I definitely agree that something needs to be done about this issue. I think more research should be invested in this problem.

http://insights.wri.org/news/2011/07/five-myths-about-extreme-weather

The Dangers of Cyanide Fishing

Cyanide fishing is type of fishing that involves cyanide filled squirt bottles that divers squirt at exotic fish to stun them and allow them to be captured. The reason why so many people are using this method is because it is easier to catch exotic fish this way than by using a net. These fish are caught for aquariums and for expensive seafood places. Cyanide fishing is illegal in most of Indonesia but it is very hard to enforce these laws and the lure of big money is always very appealing to many people. But Cyanide fishing has many big problems. The release of the cyanide is killing the coral reefs and cause cancer in many of the fish that are caught. There is also a small
dose of cyanide that can be passed through to humans if they are eaten. I feel that this practice of fishing is very dangerous to humans and the coral reef ecosystems and should be stopped. One way we could try and prevent cyanide fishing is by regulating the cyanide market in Indonesia and find a way to shut down the exotic fish market so that there would be no reason to fish for them. Cyanide fishing should be stopped for the dangers it poses to humans and the
Earth.
http://www.emagazine.com/earth-talk/cyanide-fishing

Seawater Solution

Scientists predict that by Halloween of this year, the world population will reach 7 billion, the highest in history. 1.8 billion People are predicted to live in areas of extreme water scarcity by 2025. Desalination, the removal of salt from water, is increasingly being proposed as a solution. But the process is very expensive and inefficient and scientists must commit to overcoming these obstacles before acting on it. These modern desalination plants use a technology called reverse osmosis to remove the salt. But most of the costs come from generating the electricity to run the plant. And in the United States, funding is unavailable. In order to meet the demands of our increasingly thirsty world, they need to become cheaper to build and operate. This is a very legitimate solution to a very big problem, but many barriers stand in the way of this solution. Another puzzle is what to do with the salt at the end of the desalination. I think this sounds like a very good solution to the water crisis, but I personally think that we should also explore other cheaper alternatives.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/08/110804-fresh-water-crisis-desalination-environment-science/

Study: Forests absorb much more greenhouse gas

According to a new study, forests absorb almost 9 billion tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide annually. Implications of this new study show that planting more trees can help a lot more than just replacing ones we cut down. The study shows that the world's forests play a huge role in climate change by essentially vacuuming up CO2 and storing the carbon in wood. This then helps regulate the CO2 concentrations in the air, keeping the earth from overheating. It is pretty universally known that tress absorb CO2 to make oxygen. But until the study, scientist weren't aware of just how big the role forests play. The finding could have big implications on national forest policies worldwide, implying that if the trees go, so do we. Forests untouched by deforestation absorb more than all other northern hemisphere forests combined. Further study is required to discover more about the forest’s CO2 ridding abilities. But this study presents a solution to the greenhouse emission problem. I think that this is very important. Just goes to show that doing something as simple as planting a tree really helps.