Needlenose

I wrote a post (currently missing from the site until I can get the ‘lost years’ reloaded) suggesting that we need to track all the various environmental insults to the ocean (e.g. warming, acidification, non-point specific run-off, eutrophication, overfishing, etc.) and chart (and map) the cumulative impacts to determine just how bad things have gotten.  It looks like the scientists are catching up to Needlenose, as you’ll note in this depressing report from a workshop on ocean stresses and impacts.  Cliff notes summary for the lazy:

• Oceanic warming & acidification are accelerating hypoxia (which, as you may recall is being caused by agricultural and sewage runoff)
• Decline of the ocean is as bad, or worse than the ‘doomsayers’ have been predicting
• The cumulative effects are worse than previously understood
• The cumulative stressors are reducing the ability of ocean life to adapt to the ‘big changes’ of warming & acidification
• Ecosystem collapse is well underway, accelerating and spreading
• We are running out of time to take useful action

But enough of this dreary talk!  Let’s go back to our ordinarily scheduled programming to cover more on Weiner’s weiner!