Global warming is taking a toll on fish-and helping jellyfish rule the sea
By Bjorn Carey Posted 03.30.2007 at 1:00 am 1 Comment

by Raimundo Valentim/epa/Corbis Fried Fish Warmer oceans could mean fewer fish in the sea--and pricier seafood. Raimundo Valentim/epa/Corbis
  1. Paltry Plankton Using a decade's worth of satellite data, scientists have determined that rising ocean temperatures are killing phytoplankton. Not only do these tiny plants form the base of oceanic food webs, they also process as much carbon dioxide and produce as much oxygen as land plants do. Although the findings may be influenced by El Nio, the researchers say the the study provides a sneak peek at how ocean biology will evolve as the climate continues to change.

  • Gasping for Air German scientists have found that eelpouts (elongated fish with eel-like heads) require more oxygen to perform basic functions as water temperatures increase-a big problem because warmer waters contain less oxygen. Despite eelpouts' better-than-average tolerance of thermal fluctuations, their population decrease in the North Sea has coincided with rising temperatures. Less-hardy fish such as Atlantic cod are suffering similar effects.

  • Heat Misers Jellyfish will actually thrive in warmer oceans-bad news for dozens of fish species, says biologist Martin Attrill of the University of Plymouth in England. Attrill has analyzed 50 years' worth of data from the North Sea and found that jellyfish are more prevalent in warm-water years. As seas continue to heat up, this could pose trouble for cod, salmon and other commercial fish: Jellyfish not only outcompete fish larvae for food but eat them too.
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    1 Comment

    link to this comment
    seogoogle
    07/23/09 at 7:03 am

    why? when there are so many other choices.......still land will be destroyed to get the coal , people die mining it, water is polluted from mining......land is taken from people to get at it.......wake up people!! we are smarter than this most things we truly need are above ground just a little blessing from the universe and god!!!!!! Why do we feel the need too waste time.lives and money tearing things apart to find our answers....the world was designed perfectly , we have the sun , wind & water to obtain energy we can create hydrogen gas from water and as an added bonus we keep the beautiful mountains to visit with our children. Why do we cling to our destructive ways when we have better cleaner answers- this bs spreads money too thin and holds back real progress- sooner or later there will be no coal for anyone this is already known why not pretend this is so now and move on to better things ?
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