In his lab, USC's Dave Hutchins is simulating possible future
atmospheres and temperatures for the Earth. He says he's trying
to figure out how tiny organisms that form the base of the food
web will react to a more carbon-intense ocean. Burning fossil
fuels doesn't just put more carbon into the atmosphere and help
warm the climate. It's also changing the chemistry of sea water.
KPCC's Molly Peterson visits a University of Southern California
researcher who studies the consequences of a more corrosive
ocean. Tailpipes and refineries and smokestacks as far as the
eye can see in Los Angeles symbolize the way people change the
planet's climate. They remind Dave Hutchins that the ocean's
changing too. Hutchins teaches marine biology at USC. He says
about a third of all the carbon, or CO2, that people have pushed
into earth’s atmosphere ends up in sea water – "which is a good
thing for us because if the ocean hadn’t taken up that CO2 the
greenhouse effect would be far more advanced than it is." He
smiles. Hutchins