Environment
From the National Wildlife Federation: A guide for parents and teachers
How to Talk With Kids About the Gulf Oil Spill
The article below was published in the September 2008 edition of American Conchologist:
Imperiled Seashells, by Karla Cisneros
The beautiful seashells we collect and study, and the fascinating animals that create and inhabit them, are only part of the story. We must remember that each shell is also part of an inter-linking and inter-dependent ecological system. The most important role that these creatures play, just might be as an integral part in the health of the world's marine environments. Because mollusks and their eggs and young are major sources of food for so many other species up the food chain, they play an essential role in maintaining the integrity of countless ecosystems.
The health of the oceans is inextricably tied to the quality of all life on land. It is widely known that the world is roughly 70% water (as is the human body). In 2003, a chemical oceanographer at the Carnegie Institution of Washington first documented that the carbon footprint that we as humans are leaving on our water planet, is resulting in a change of the ocean's chemistry. We are currently pouring man-made CO2 into the atmosphere at 50 times the natural rate. Our seas are soaking up this excess CO2 and are becoming more acidic.
There is now growing awareness and alarm that at current rates, the acidity of seawater in the next century will dissolve the calcium carbonate shells of sea creatures. This could mean that shelled-mollusks and reef-building corals will die. Mollusks, hard corals, crustaceans, plankton and other microscopic organisms are in danger, as are the larger animals that are sustained by them. The magnitude of the environmental change underway is profound. The oceans that divide and separate the continents also connect us all. It is imperative that we work together to alter human behavior and drastically reduce the amount of CO2 that we produce.
Communication, cooperation and education are our best tools. The next time you see a list of suggestions on how to reduce your personal carbon footprint, think about what you can do to help. The actions of each individual are a step in the right direction, but altered human behavior must happen at a much larger scale. We have an opportunity as a community of shell lovers to raise public awareness, build support for ocean saving strategies, and influence policy makers. In today's world, a true appreciation of seashells mandates a commitment to the protection and conservation of our oceans.
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