Monday, August 20, 2007 A conservation group says the Pacific
and Atlantic oceans are absorbing too much carbon from excessive
greenhouse gas emissions. The organization wants California and
other west coast states to use the federal Clean Water Act to
protect the waters off their coasts. KPBS reporter Ed Joyce has
details. The Center for Biological Diversity says acidification
is changing the chemistry of the world's oceans. The group says
the oceans are absorbing excess carbon dioxide produced by
humans, which makes sea water more acidic. Brendan Cummings is
the center's oceans program director. He says the acidity hurts
the growth of plankton -- a key player in the ocean food chain.
Cummings : Without phytoplankton in the abundant numbers we have
now, marine life which relies upon it, which is the building
block of the oceanic food webs, starts to decline. He says
higher acidity could affect the growth of shellfish and remove
food sources for several salmon species. Cummings says ocean
waters should be lis