Antarctic sea bed life captures carbon as sea ice melts

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/press-release-sea-bed-life-captures-carbon/

[font face=Serif]21 September, 2015
[font size=5]Antarctic sea bed life captures carbon as sea ice melts[/font]

[font size=4]Colonies of tiny filter-feeding Antarctic marine creatures (bryozoans), that appear to be thriving in response to a reduction in sea-ice cover, are playing an important role in carbon draw-down according to new research published this week (Monday 21 September) in the Cell Press journal Current Biology.[/font]

[font size=3]A British Antarctic Survey (BAS) investigation into biological change on sea beds of six continental shelf areas around Antarctica analysed bryozoan skeletons that were collected during ship-borne research cruises. Data from over 20 years included photographic studies that helped calculate how abundant they are. The most recent research cruises on board the RRS James Clark Ross used a custom built high-resolution camera lander.

Less sea-ice stimulates more growth in the algae that feeds the bryozoans, providing longer meal times. The data reveal that the annual production of carbon in the bodies of these bryozoans has increased due to a combination of the animals growing more, living for longer and being more abundant. According to author Dr David Barnes from BAS these animals now take up 75,000 tonnes of carbon more than 20 years ago.

Dr Barnes said:

[font size=4]“The results from this study are an important step towards improving understanding of the impact of environmental change in Antarctica. It is well-known that the Southern Ocean is an important ‘sink’ for atmospheric carbon dioxide, but it was not realised that the seabed played such an important and increasing part. These changes to marine life in Antarctica’s continental shelf areas – where the water is hundreds of metres deep – may help evaluate life’s role in carbon draw-down. If this increased carbon capture applies to other sea-bed life then millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere may be being transported to polar sea beds. This is equivalent to tens of thousands of hectares of tropical rainforest.”[/font]

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[happyslug]

1. Is this the mechanism that explains the Mad House Century of 120,000 years ago

The August 1995 Scientific American reported that scientists in the Bahamas had discovered that the last ice age began 120,000 years ago with something they called the “Madhouse Century.” At that time, sea level was the same as it is now, CO2 levels were similar and global climate was just a little colder. Something happened to trigger a catastrophic 20-foot sea-level increase- immediately followed by a 50 foot decrease!-all in just 100 years!!! Then the Ice Age was off and running for 100,000 years.

If sea levels only 120,000 years ago were about the same as they are now, then the global ratio of ice-to-water globally was probably similar to what it is today. Which means that 12 percent of the world’s ice suddenly melted, or broke up and melted. If the ice distribution was similar to today (90 percent over Antarctica; 10 percent over the rest of the planet), there is one persuasive and chilling explanation for the advent of a Madhouse Century: West Antarctica broke up.

http://caffrey2016.org/issues/madhouse-century-threat

We have a good idea what caused the 20 foot increase win world wide sea level 120,000 years ago, but what caused the subsequent 50 foot DECLINE? The best explanation is that minerals needed by Algae was released by the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, that release caused a massive increase in Algae in the South Pacific and Southern Indian Oceans (Which are now Algae Deserts, no Algae for lack of certain minerals Algae need, mostly dissolved Iron. Today most of those minerals are released into the Oceans from the Continents, but the Algoe closer to the other six Continents absorb those minerals before any reach the South Pacific and Southern Indian Oceans. The Southern Ocean, which circles around Antarctica, keeps whatever minerals released from Antarctica within the Southern Ocean. The break up of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet would open up that area to the Southern Ocean, which will flow right through it, for it would be wider then Drake Passage (the Area between the Antarctic Peninsula and South America). That would release a huge amount of minerals into the the Southern Ocean Deserts of the South Pacific and Southern Indian ocean leading to a massive drop in Carbon in the atmosphere, enough to cause a new Ice Age.

Thus these colonies may be the mechanism that lead to the 50 foot DECREASE in World Wide Ocean levels AND a New Ice Age. Just a comment that the increase in Carbon in the Atmosphere can lead to problems we may NOT be able to address.