The damage of carbon dioxide and warming, the story of four rivers and one shell

While the policy makers gathered in Doha, Qatar, studies are being published that clarify the damage caused by the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and global warming,

In Doha, Qatar, delegations are gathering to try and reach agreements and treaties that will be a continuation of the Kyoto Treaty and limit the continuation of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and perhaps thus also stop global warming at less than two degrees.

In the meantime, studies are being published that clarify the damage caused by the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and global warming, below:

Rivers are drying up. According to findings collected by researchers from the "Australian National University" (Australian National University) and published in "Nature - Climate Change" (Nature Climate Change), the condition of many large rivers is getting worse because of climate change but also because of management Poor use of water.

To get a sample of the condition of the rivers, the drainage systems (the areas from which rivers drain water) of the Colorado River in America, the Yellow River in China, the Sango-Orange system in South Africa and the Murray-Darling system in Australia were examined.

The survey in which the four systems were examined, all of which suffer from continuous periods of drought, showed that in addition to the periods of drought, some of which are attributed to climate change, periods of drought that reduce the flow in the rivers, there is poor human management of the water sources.

The reviewers claim that in addition to the effect of the drought, the rivers are drying up due to poor management of water use, for example in America there is an old agreement between the countries on the distribution of water, an old agreement that does not fit the current water quantities and yet there is a continuous refusal of the countries to renegotiate the water distribution,

That is, even though the rivers flow less water, the pumping/use does not change, a situation that does not allow activity to revive the system, according to the reviewers, "climate changes will cause many and more difficult problems", because even though there are systems that may be more "wet", the chances are that most of the systems surveyed continue to dry up and again in most cases the drying up is mostly a result of the flow bias and only partly because of the climate changes,

One of the positive examples is a plan to revive the Murray-Darling system in Australia, a plan that takes into account the needs of the population, climate change and the needs of the natural environment, to verify this in the other systems surveyed even if there is an understanding that there is damage there are no plans or attempts to change the behavior of the population and/or consideration of future needs .

The surveyors say that "the "closed" rivers are increasing, rivers that do not reach the sea" and according to the surveyors "a river that does not reach the sea is a sign of poor management". "We must ensure a basic level of health for rivers, for drinking, fishing, grazing, forestry, raising animals or creating flood plains", "A river must reach the sea",

It is worth noting that in our place there is a blessed activity of "restoring" streams and some of them even "reach the sea", with the exception of course of the only river that flowed east of us - the Jordan River... too bad.

Melting shells
From the damages of warming to the direct damages of carbon dioxide, from land to sea, one of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming is an increase in the acidity of ocean water.
According to a study published in "Nature Geoscience", the shells of marine mollusc species around Antarctica melt when the acidity level of the water increases, the mass that endangers the food chain in the ocean.

The oceans absorb (each year) about a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. As the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increase, the oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, which increases the level of acidity of the water, which is a (known) danger to coral reefs and it turns out that the home of molluscs is also to shells. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, the University of East Anglia, the Royal Netherlands Institute for Marine Research, the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) examined a mollusk (pteropod sea snail) common in the waters of the Southern Ocean, and saw that due to the high acidity in the water the shell of the mollusk melted, Although the melting did not cause direct damage, the mollusk became more vulnerable to infections and less protected from predators.

These are therefore changes that cause changes in other links of the food chain in the ocean. The "sour" water digests the shell and makes the mollusk more vulnerable. According to the researchers, the rise in ocean acidity is caused by humanity's "contribution" to the rise in carbon dioxide levels, a "contribution" that causes the shell to break down. The shell is an important source of food for fish and birds and as such is a sign of the health of the marine system,

To date there has been no direct evidence of the effect of "acidification" on living organisms in their natural environment, the research supports the predictions that the increase in acidity will cause a significant impact on the marine environment, the researchers tested the water in the upper layer where the shell exists. It turns out that the more acidic water is at depth, but because of the wind regime (which changes due to the warming) there is a mixing of the water, a mixing that raises the "acidic" water to the upper layers. The "sour" water corrodes the calcium compounds in the structure of the shell. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue to rise and so does the acidity level of the water.

Climate models predict stronger winds in the southern ocean, the increase in acidity together with strong winds is a deadly combination for the shell, according to the researchers "since the beginning of the "industrial revolution" the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased by 30% and the forecast is that if the increase continues, the level of acidity in the oceans will rise At 150%, a level that hasn't been in 20 million years."

In other words, the situation is not alarming and the forecasts are not better, so it is appropriate that those gathered in Doha wake up and act. Did they do it?