November 28, 2012

Bad science in Washington State

There is some stunningly bad science being done in Washington State -- they are blaming industry for increased Ocean Acidity without realizing that this is a natural variation caused by upwellings of deep water. There is a division of the state government dedicated to promoting this fallacy and -- the cherry on the top -- the co-chair of the panel that established this is the same guy who banned the manufacture and use of DDT based on a couple of shoddy science reports and not boots-on-the-ground observation. From the Kitsap Sun:
Governor calls for action to fight acidification, help shellfish industry
With the state's $270 million-a-year shellfish industry under serious threat, Gov. Chris Gregoire called on Washington state agencies and residents to step up and lead the world in addressing ocean acidification.

"It is time for us to take action," Gregoire declared as she signed an executive order to implement a 42-point program developed by the state's Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification. The panel completed nine months of study with a report, which was officially handed over to the governor on Tuesday.

"This report, to say the least, is a sobering document," said Bill Ruckelshaus, co-chair of the panel.

Roughly 25 percent of the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been absorbed into the ocean, he said. That has raised the acidity with potential effects on more than 30 percent of Puget Sound's marine species, particularly those that grow shells.
More:
"The oceans are paying a penalty for being our friend," Ruckelshaus said. "The acidity has increased by 30 percent. This is not speculation. This is chemistry, and scientists expect the process to accelerate. At the end of this century it could be up to 100 to 150 percent. This has already adversely affected some shellfish."
If this was true, we would be seeing horrible effects. This is probably a 'study' or a computer 'model'. A 30% increase would be trumpeted from every direction. A bit more:
Other areas at risk include the Florida Keys, where coral growth has been affected; Alaska and New England, where king crabs and sea scallops are at risk; and the Arctic and Antarctic, where growing acidification has a severe effect on fragile creatures, she said.
Emphasis mine -- I will be returning to coral growth in a moment. It goes on:
Gregoire's executive order and the blue ribbon panel's 42-point plan focuses on six broad categories for action:
  • Reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by encouraging increased efforts at the regional, national and global levels.
  • Reduce local land-based contributions to ocean acidification, including nitrogen and organic carbon released in stormwater and sewage effluent.
  • Increase efforts to adapt in the short term, including new technologies for mediating seawater conditions.
  • Increase the state's ability to monitor and investigate the causes of ocean acidification.
  • Find new ways of informing and engaging state residents and decision-makers about the problem and what can be done about it.
  • Take steps to ensure a constant focus on the problem at all levels of government.
Item one is the same old Malthusian junk science. Item two is the real meat -- the problems are storm runoff and pollution. It is not acidification, it's pollution and bacterial contamination. Item three is a way for unproven technologies to be given lots of money to fail (Solyndra) Item four is another example of creeping statism -- fascism if you want another word. Item five is pollution of another kind. and Item six is expanding the scope and reach of an already too large government. Here is the link to the website from the Department of Ecology:
Ocean Acidification � From Knowledge to Action: Washington�s Strategic Response
What is ocean acidification?
Ocean acidification is primarily caused by oceans absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The rapid growth in the use of fossil fuels as a source of energy has increased the amount of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Regional factors combine with global carbon dioxide emissions to exacerbate acidification in Washington waters. Coastal upwelling brings cold, salty water rich in carbon dioxide and low in pH to Washington�s coast and eventually into the Puget Sound. Nutrient runoff, organic carbon, and local air emissions � which move from air into seawater � also contribute to acidification, especially in more developed areas.
Emphasis mine -- remember Coastal Upwelling -- I will return to it too... OK. Bill Ruckleshaus was the first head of the Environmental Protection Agency when it was formed on December 2nd, 1970 by President Richard Nixon. Congress wouldn't agree with its size and scope so Nixon had to use an Executive Order to ram it through. Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring which claimed that DDT was responsible for bird deaths and could cause cancer. Bird populations were actually growing and the single lab test for cancer used contaminated food and the rats were growing tumors because of that, not the DDT -- subsequent tests bear this out. Despite the growing canon of documentation calling Carson's work into question, he outright banned the production and use of DDT. I will say in his favor that because DDT was so benign for non-insect life, we were absolutely marinating in the stuff -- killing the beneficials as well as the baddies. Still, DDT could be saving millions of lives worldwide but no -- it is evil and must be banned. I wonder how Ruckleshaus can sleep at night. Millions of needless deaths year after year for forty years. Coral Growth -- if you know anyone that keeps a salt-water aquarium and grows Coral, ask them about Calcium Reactors. If you want to improve your Coral, you add a Calcium Reactor to your tank. From the Wikipedia entry:
In marine and reef aquariums, a calcium reactor creates a balance of alkalinity. An acidic solution is produced by injecting carbon dioxide into a chamber with salt water and calcium rich media. The carbon dioxide lowers the pH by producing a solution high in carbonic acid, and dissolves calcium. The effluent is returned to the reef aquarium where the calcium is consumed by organisms, primarily corals when building skeletons. A calcium reactor is an efficient method to supply calcium to a reef aquarium. Reactors may be used in elaborate freshwater and brackish aquariums where species of freshwater clams, corals, and other invertebrates need a constant supply of calcium.
CO2 is part of the life-cycle for corals as well as clams and other invertebrates. The CO2 will dissolve dead corals and release the calcium for living shellfish to take up and use. Finally, getting to Coastal Upwelling. The majority of the carbon here is from critters and plants that have died and sunk to the bottom. They decay and the resultant products collect. The CO2 found in the deep waters is not from atmospheric gasses -- in fact, there is very little mixing between the layers -- it is from decay products. From the WikiPedia entry:
Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The increased availability in upwelling regions results in high levels of primary productivity and thus fishery production. Approximately 25% of the total global marine fish catches come from five upwellings that occupy only 5% of the total ocean area. Upwellings that are driven by coastal currents or diverging open ocean have the greatest impact on nutrient-enriched waters and global fishery yields.
More here, here (specifically addressing the waters off the Pacific Northwest) and here (DOC file -- lecture transcript). This whole thing is protectionism, cronyism and government growth masquerading as Science. It is stunningly bad science. Posted by DaveH at November 28, 2012 8:14 PM