Carnegie Researchers Say Geotech Can't Cure Ocean Acidification

CarnegieScience writes "Plans to stop global warming by 'geoengineering' the planet by putting aerosols in the atmosphere to block sunlight are controversial, to say the least. Scientists are now pointing out that even if it keeps the planet cool, it will do almost nothing to stop another major problem — ocean acidification. The ocean will keep on absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (making carbonic acid) and the water's pH will get too low for corals and other marine life to secrete skeletons. So this is another strike against a quick fix of our climate problems."

Comments

What Climate Problem?

[jayme0227]

I'm still using my will to suppress your evidence that global warming is a problem.

Re:What Climate Problem?

[blitziod]

I only have one thing to say----------

Giant ROLAIDS!

Re:What Climate Problem?

[revjtanton]

I've been in a coma for 12 years and i didn't even know there was a climate! Couldn't we just kill the climate and then it wouldnt be a problem?

Re:What Climate Problem?

[pluther]

So you're telling us that yet another problem would be solved by nuking Florida?

Re:What Climate Problem?

[TapeCutter]

"And actually, he's not really a climatologist; he's a paleonolotist"

Bob Carter claims to be all sorts of things, I belive his basic education was in geology. He is from the "Institute of Public Affairs" who are basically anti-science lobbyists for the coal and other industries here in Oz.

Listening to his opinion on AGW is akin to listening to Ivan the Terrible's opinion on human rights.

Re:Volcanoes

[Anonymous Coward]

Good thing you thought of that - you should probably send them an email right away! You discovered the missing forcing that will keep our planet cool and our oceans pH balanced! Turns out that in all this freaking out about climate change, nobody who was even somewhat competent got involved at all.

It's a pity...

[MillionthMonkey]

... a few hundred billion metric tons of calcium hydroxide would be a really nice thing to have right about now.

I have the answer.

[yttrstein]

http://image52.webshots.com/152/1/14/3/518111403JQgFmi_ph.jpg

Re:Idea

[TnkMkr]

Wait... I have a better idea, lets engineer some sort of biological creature that will live off collecting the
carbon from our atmosphere and sequesting it into some sort of solid state. We should engineer it to be solar powered and
should be deployable over the entire surface of the earth.

Don't worry, I'm sure technology will save us by developing this totaly new and radical solution.

Re:Stop driving or die

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't see anyone, even the ones hollering about global warming, ceasing transportation activities that involve burning stuff and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Well, the ones that DO get dismissed as dirty hippies, and then you stop looking at them.

Re:Volcanoes

[cthulu_mt]

Prior to the agricultural revolution asteriods were the leading cause of mass extinction.

Humans! The leader in every field of industry!

Here's An Idea

[spoonboy42]

We could dump a bunch of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) into the ocean. It'll neutralize the acid and release... carbon dioxide. Crap! We're doomed.

Re:if i remember well from high school chemistry

[Anonymous Coward]

Pardon me sir/madam, your facts are not welcome here. You must take your hysteria-free reasoning and go call a right-wing talk show or something.

Pffft! Who are you going to believe?

[StefanJ]

Micheal Crichton, whose best-selling techno-thriller disproved global warming hysteria with copious footnotes . . . or so called "scientists" working for a "university" producing "peer reviewed research?"

I tell you, these "facts" and "evidence" are trouble.

Re:in for a penny in for a pound

[mr_mischief]

"North America"

Hey, they said the oceans were gonna rise, right? So all that limestone sediment in the Mississippi drainage basin goes back into the sea, and the corals are fine. The humans get kinda screwed, though.