“Pro tanto quid retribuamus” … “What shall we give back in return for so much?”
We could live with climate disruption, but we will not survive the loss of nature over the next 10 years
AI generated podcast using the peer-reviewed GOES report as the source of information, What’s Causing Climate Change? and how to fix the planet.
The following is a snapshot of our results confirming a catastrophic loss of life in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean, which is replicated in all oceans around the world
GOES citizen science project result
The microscope images below are on a 5mm scale and include the contents of 100ml of water from the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The samples were filtered down to 20 microns, which is also the resolution of the image. Almost zero oceanographic surveys have monitored particles down to 20 microns from the ocean surface. It is likely that there are many thousands of times more particles in the water sub 1 micron that will be having a profound impact on the ocean ecosystems. This is new information that the academic community and governments have not as yet recognised or factored into climate change and loss of biodiversity.
5000 samples were collected by 20 yachts every 12 hours, at 12:00 hrs and 24:00 hrs, local time, across the Atlantic Ocean at approx. 15 deg. North of the Equator
- We had expected to see around 1 to 5 zooplankton and some phytoplankton in every sample of 100 ml. The reality was that the concentration of animals was less than 1 in 80 litres of water.
- We had expected to find around 20 particles of organic matter; we found over 1000 particles of partially combusted carbon from the burning of fossil fuels and trees. Partially combusted carbon particles will adsorb hydrophobic toxic forever chemicals, just like plastic. They therefore have the potential to be just as toxic as plastic, but this point has completely escaped the academic community… big mistake.
- We had expected to find 1 or 2 microfibres per litre of water; we found up to 100. We could not check for microplastic particles, but it is likely there are 10 times more particles than fibres.
50 nm off the coast of the Canary Islands. Microplastic fibres have been circled in yellow.
A water sample taken from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, 15 deg. North, around 1000 nm away from land, around 1000 particles pf partially combusted carbon per litre of surface water
Water sample from the Atlantic Ocean, entering the Caribbean 100 nM from Grenada; a bit more life in the water but still full of carbon particles and large pieces of microfibre. The plastic will have dropped out of the atmosphere and be carried across the Atlantic Ocean
What are the implications of the results?
The results confirmed that there is a high concentration of microplastic and partially combusted carbon in ocean surface water and an extremely low concentration of plankton. Plankton are the root of the food chain; with no plankton, there are no whales, seals, birds, fish or food supplies for 3 billion people.
With no plankton, there are no SML surface micro-layers that regulate atmospheric humidity, winds and cloud formation. The oceans control the climate; carbon dioxide is of much less importance than the bioclimatic parameters.
There are several reason for the equatorial Atlantic being devoid of life;
- Lipophilic toxic forever chemicals concentrate on plastic and carbon particles; the plankton eat the particles, and they die. You then get a bloom of phytoplankton because of it. They are not being eaten by the zooplankton. The phytoplankton use up all the nutrients, zeta potential goes up, and then they die or drop out of the water column. The area then becomes an HNLC, high nutrient low chlorophyll. These zones now cover 30% of the southern ocean, and they are spreading rapidly.
- The level of Sargassum pelagic seaweed in the Atlantic is 40 million tonnes; there should only be 1 million tonnes. The high concentration is due to pollution and nutrient runoff from South America and Africa. The Sargassum crosses the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Verde to the Caribbean; it will consume all of the nutrients, such as phosphate, and this starves the phytoplankton of nutrients.
- Similar results have been observed in the Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean, where there is no Sargassum, so the conclusion is that the decline is likely due to pollution.
- Climate change is always reported as the reason, but biodiversity bounce back during covid indicates that it is pollution and not climate change
So what does this all mean?
Plankton are the root of the food chain and life support system for the entire planet, but due to pollution and ocean acidification, the oceans are turning green due to bacteria and dinoflagellate plankton. The regime shift and loss of carbonate-based coccolithophores and silica diatoms mean that we are going to lose most of the seals, birds, whales, fish and food supply for around 3 billion people over the next 10 years.
The plankton are also responsible for the bioclimatic regulation of the climate, which is much more important than carbon dioxide, so we are also going to experience catastrophic climate disruption.
Even if we achieved carbon neutrality tomorrow, atmospheric carbon dioxide would still pass 500 ppm, and we would still have ocean acidification and catastrophic climate disruption.
Can it be fixed
This is actually a good news report, because we are never going to be able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions; it just isn’t going to happen. However, we have a chance of eliminating pollution, restoring ocean pH and regenerating ecosystems, both marine and terrestrial. We are going to have to live with climate disruption, but we will not survive the loss of nature on land and marine life in the oceans.
This is a call to action to eliminate pollution in all its forms and regenerate nature.
“Pro tanto quid retribuamus” … “What shall we give back in return for so much?”
Animals and plants are disappearing at an alarming rate on land and in the oceans. Most people do not notice; this is called Baseline Syndrome. Around 80% of all biodiversity/nature on the planet has been lost since 1970; over the next 20 years, it will be close to 100%. Few fail to appreciate that humanity cannot survive without nature. It is disturbing that almost nothing is being done to stop destructive pollution and ecosystem exploitation. We must start to regenerate and support nature because our survival is linked to nature… AI will not be the solution; we need to take action now.
The chart below maps the route taken by the GOES sampling fleet during 2021.