honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, July 20, 2009

Change agent


By Ashlee Duenas
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Sven Huseby rows in a quiet inlet of the Norwegian Sea.

Photos courtesy of Niijii Films

spacer spacer

'A SEA CHANGE'

Documentary screening

6 p.m. Thursday

Atherton Halau, Bishop Museum

Free

Followed by a Q&A with Hawai'i scientists: Rusty Brainard, chief of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Ecosystem Division; Steve Soles, marine invertebrate zoologist, Bishop Museum; Paul Jokiel, researcher, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology; Axel Timmermann, professor of oceanography, International Research Center, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i; Ku'ulei Rodgers, assistant researcher, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology.

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Worried about the world he was leaving behind for his grandson Elias, left, Sven Huseby, right, set out to learn about the ocean and how to make it healthier.

spacer spacer
Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Sven Huseby and his grandson, Elias, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.

spacer spacer

Carbon dioxide, a common by-product of human industry, is being absorbed in huge amounts by our oceans, altering its chemistry in the process. The more acid oceans resulting could forever change the balance of our ecosystems, but scientists are still struggling to understand the repercussions.

"A Sea Change: Imagine a World Without Fish," documents one man's effort to learn more about the problem and what might be at stake. Concerned for the future of our oceans, and the world that will be left behind for generations to come, California environmentalist Sven Huseby and film-director wife Barbara Ettinger created the film.

Bishop Museum is screening "Sea Change" Thursday.

Local marine scientists are trying to understand how ocean acidification will affect Hawai'i, too. On Thursday, five will participate in a panel discussion at Bishop Museum after the film.

We asked panelist Ku'ulei Rodgers, a scientist who conducts research at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, to tell us more about ocean acidification.

"Until we understand the threats we're facing, we can't effectively combat them," Rodgers said. His information and tips:

WHAT IS ACIDIFICATION?

About half of the carbon dioxide produced by human activity is absorbed into the oceans, Rodgers said. Through a series of chemical reactions, carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, and carbonic acid is formed, changing the chemical balance of the water.

"In other words, our oceans are becoming more acidic," said Rodgers.

PREVENTING IT

Reducing our carbon footprint is a must, Rodgers says: "We must not only reduce, reuse and recycle, but we must become part of the solution by developing and using new earth-friendly technology."

He also suggests eating locally produced foods, which cuts back on carbon emissions from transportation; eating lower on the food chain (more fruits and vegetables; less meat), which greatly lessens our impact; and using alternative energy such as solar water heating, photovoltaics and investing in hybrid or electric vehicles.

KNOW YOUR OCEAN

Scientists have observed that both the global temperature and ocean's carbon dioxide levels are rising. In turn, ice caps are melting, and along with heat-based expansion, this leads to rising sea levels.

"It also creates a stressful environment for corals, (which) lead(s) to bleaching. This weakened state invites disease, and high mortality occurs," Rodgers said. When coral reefs die, it can cause a cascading effect, harming fish and other ocean dwellers.