Blue Planet

So we got "Blue Planet" for Christmas this year. It is a nature documentary series by the BBC, the same folks that created the outstanding series: "Planet Earth". The Blue Planet series was done first and while it is not quiet as impressive as the later series, it is still very cool. It covers the wet majority of our world and a recent edition adds a 5th DVD to the set. We've only made it through a few episodes but I'm really enjoying it. Learning new stuff too. I'd never heard of brine pools before. Wow!

Get the DVD's and watch them. Then go dive or snorkel on a coral reef while you still can. It won't be long before they are gone. A couple of new studies paint a pretty bleak picture for the future of coral reefs. See a report on a study published in Science in Dec. here, or read the abstract from the journal online. Increases in acidity are also a threat from rising carbon dioxide. Another report (here) based on the same study suggests that changes in water chemistry, coupled with increasing water temperature will kill 98% of all coral reefs by 2050.

2008 is the International year of the Reef. So take action today. Even though coral reefs seem exotic and far away to those of us in the great white north, the ecological processes that happen there have profound impacts on us. There are a bunch of coral reef conservation organizations out there that are doing good work. Support one like the Coral Reef Alliance. And don't buy cheap farmed shrimp. Shrimp farms are destroying critical mangrove and reef ecosystems at a frightening rate. National Geographic magazine had a great article about the problem in a recent issue and it included their usual outstanding photography including this image of a landscape of shrimp farms in a former mangrove forest. Instead of buying shrimp, use the guide by Seafood Watch to find sustainable fish for your table.

Our blue planet is a wondrous place. Let's keep it that way.