Via Craig D. Idso – August 22, 2022
“However, concerns about ocean acidification and warming are overstated and generally out of touch with reality. In almost all cases, the predicted hazard level is overstated because the scenario inputs are not appropriate using the most extreme scenarios for future seawater temperature and pH. Furthermore, their projections do not take into account the adaptive and adaptive capacity of species, both within and across generations.
Shark Week became the mainstay of American television. Launched in the summer of 1988, the event morphed into a week-long series of shows at the Discovery Channel featuring all sorts of shark-focused educational and entertainment programming.
Hot after this year’s event, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the headline of an article concerning these threatened but often misunderstood fishes:”Shark teeth can fight ocean acidification. “
Written by Leung et al. (2022) and published in the journal Global change biologythe paper looked at how the supposed twin evils of the radical environmental movement, i.e. global warming and ocean acidification, could impact sharks, and in particular their teeth as how.
Story
To insert a bit of background here, for decades, climate alarmists have produced model-driven projections claiming that global warming and ocean acidification are causing the effects of climate change. serious harm and damage to the flora and fauna on Earth. And if such damage is not prevented, they say it will eventually lead to the extinction of many species.
However, ocean acidification and warming are overstated and often far removed from reality. In almost all cases, the predicted hazard level is overstated because the scenario inputs are not appropriate using the most extreme scenarios for future seawater temperature and pH. Furthermore, their projections do not take into account the adaptive and adaptive capacity of species, both within and across generations.
When these and other limitations are properly accounted for, predictions of future doom and gloom give way to hopeful scenarios as scientists acknowledge warming. Globalization and ocean acidification are largely not a problem.
Misleading analysis
Article by Leung et al. classified in this second category, despite the fact that they used one of the more extreme scenarios of future global warming and ocean acidification. Focus on the Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) a team of six researchers reared the newly hatched sharks for two months under two temperatures (ambient or ambient +3°C) and two modes of ocean acidification (ambient seawater pH around or -0.3 pH units) under controlled laboratory conditions.
At the end of the trial period, the authors examined the mechanical and mineralogy properties of the shark’s teeth in an attempt to discern any differences between the treatments. The significance of their work is its implications for predator-prey interactions and energy dynamics in future marine environments where ocean acidification and warming positive is predicted to affect them.
The results of the study showed slight differences in different mechanical properties when only ocean acidification or temperature alone. Higher temperatures, for example, reduce both tooth elasticity (indicated by a higher modulus of elasticity) and mechanical resilience, while ocean acidification increases tooth elasticity and reduced tooth hardness (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. The mechanical properties of shark teeth, including (a) hardness, (b) elastic modulus, and (c) mechanical resilience after exposure to seawater temperature and pH treatment conditions different (mean + SE, n = 4). Control = 16°C, pH 8.0; OA = 16°C, pH 7.7; Temperature = 19°C, pH 8.0; OA × Temperature = 19°C, pH 7.7. Source: Leung et al. (In 2022).
However, when in combinationLeung et al. found that “this benthic shark can modulate the mineral properties of its teeth to maintain their strength in future seawater conditions (i.e. increased acidity and temperature), suggesting potential adaptability to withstand the stressors of climate change.”
In other words, the researchers observed that the strength of the shark’s teeth increased; they “are less vulnerable to physical damage because they have more elastic teeth.” Therefore, Leung et al. concluded their findings “provided a more optimistic sense of [the shark species’] fitness and survival in the future. “
Inference
So that’s another scientific study that has shown ocean acidification and warming isn’t an issue. And that’s good news for future manufacturers Shark Week televised events — they’ll go on to get all the footage they could want of giant whites being devoured in another classic shark-eating frenzy!
References
Leung, JYS, Nagelkerken, I., Pistevos, JCA, Xie, Z., Zhang, S. and Connell, SD 2022. Shark teeth may resist ocean acidification. Global change biology 28: 2286-2295, DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16052.
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