Oceans becoming more acidic, study shows
CHICAGO, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Ocean waters are growing more acidic faster than previously thought and pose a threat sea life, researchers from the University of Chicago said.
In addition, the increase acidity correlates with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, researchers reported in a paper published online by the Proceedings of the National Academic of Sciences.
"Of the variables the study examined that are linked to changes in ocean acidity, only atmospheric carbon dioxide exhibited a corresponding steady change," said lead author J. Timothy Wootton in a release.
The increasingly acidic water has begun causing harm to some sea animals and could reduce the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide, the researchers said.
The University of Chicago scientists' study is based on 24,519 measurements of ocean pH taken during an eight-year period at Tatoosh Island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington.
"The acidity increased more than 10 times faster than had been predicted by climate change models and other studies," Wootton said. "This increase will have a severe impact on marine food webs and suggests that ocean acidification may be a more urgent issue than previously thought, at least in some areas of the ocean."
Wreckage identified as slave ship
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- A wreck found off the coast of East Caicos in the Turks and Caicos Islands has been identified as the slave ship Trouvadore, maritime archaeologists said.
Two archaeologists learned about the Trouvadore while tracing artifacts from the Islands sold to museums in the United States and Europe, said NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, which funded their work. While examining records, Don Keith and Toni Carrell of Ships of Discovery, an underwater archaeology research institute, found the account of the Trouvadore wreck.
The Spanish vessel Trouvadore participated in slave trade, outlawed in the British Indies, including the Turks and Caicos Islands. After the ship was grounded on a reef, Caicos authorities arrested the crew and most of the 192 African survivors settled on Grand Turk Island.
"What makes a people different and distinct is their unique history," Keith said. "The people of the Turks and Caicos have a direct line to this dramatic, historic event -- it's how so many of them ended up being there."
Carrell said he and other researchers were surprised to learn that Turks and Caicos residents "never heard of the shipwreck that brought their ancestors to the islands."
"It's rare and exciting to find a wreck of such importance that has been forgotten for so many years," said Frank Cantelas, marine archaeologist for NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. "By identifying the Trouvadore, Don and Toni have really made a contribution to history and given the Islands' people a better sense of place."
China sews forests from tree-starved areas
BEIJING, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- China's "Green Great Wall" forest project could become a model that could help lower environmental disasters, researchers said.
The project, relying on a method called afforestation that changes land lacking dense tree cover into a forest, could lead to an increase in precipitation and a decrease in temperature in the area, researchers wrote in an article published in Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
The Green Great Wall is a forest project in northern China that runs nearly parallel to the Great Wall and likely would improve climatic and hydrological conditions in the area once it's completed, the researchers said.
"Many regions in the world are facing climate-related environmental disasters such as persistent drought, dust storms and water shortage," lead author Yongqiang Liu said. "Furthermore, it is very likely that disasters will become more severe in the future due to projected climate change in response to greenhouse effects."
Since forests can regulate regional climate, the team said afforestation may be a useful approach to mitigate effects of environmental disasters and climate change.
Researchers said they used a climate model to simulate the potential of improving regional hydroclimate conditions, which also showed precipitation and temperature changes and improved relative humidity.
Americans' midsection a weighty issue
PRINCETON, N.J., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Six-in-10 Americans say they want to lose weight but a Gallup Poll released Wednesday indicates only 30 percent really try to do so.
While the number of people saying they want to shed a few pounds -- 59 percent -- is unchanged from 2001, Americans report carrying an average of 6 pounds more than they did seven years ago -- 177 now versus 171, Gallup reported.
On average, women report weighing 160 pounds, up from 153 in 2001, while men report weighing 194 pounds, up from 189, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.
The desire to lose weight is more prevalent among middle-aged Americans, of whom two-thirds say they would like to lose weight, the poll said. Middle-aged adults are about twice as likely as those ages 18 to 29 to say they are making a concerted effort to lose weight.
Overall, 30 percent of Americans say they are seriously trying to lose weight, up from the 28 percent pledging the same during each of the last two years, Gallup said.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews Nov. 13-16 with 1,009 adults. The margin of sampling error is 3 percentage points.
