Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
1NC Exploration/Development
Before we get into the substance of this debate, we will begin
by discussing the stock issue of Topicality, or whether or not
the affirmative falls under the bounds of the resolution. The
resolution for this year is as follows: Resolved: The United
States federal government should substantially increase its
non-military exploration and/or development of the Earths
oceans.
The affirmative plan clearly does not meet this resolution
monitoring is not exploration
Sarah Grimes, program manager at the Perth Regional
Programme Office of UNESCO's Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission, 12
involved was entirely geologists and geophysicists. There wasn't a single biologist on board to appreciate the
significance of what was to become the most important discovery in marine biology. Ever. Lacking basic biological
supplies, the geophysicists had to sacrifice all of their vodka to preserve the novel specimens they collected. Such
discoveries don't need to be rare, accidental, or potentially unappreciated with a strong, vigorous, and systematic
ocean exploration program. I created a graphic (Figure 1) to show how NOAA's OE program might ideally relate to
the broader ocean research agenda and to the NURP program. The upper box is meant to represent NOAA's Ocean
95 percent of the ocean still unexplored, and new tools that image the physics, chemistry, biology, and geology of
the ocean at all scales being developed constantly, the opportunities for discovery are virtually limitless. The
greatest strength of having a federal organization such as NOAA leading this effort is the fact that it can undertake
a systematic, multi-disciplinary exploration of the ocean. However, if I had to identify NOAA's weakness in terms of
being the lead agency for this effort, it is the fact that NOAA is not widely known for its prowess in developing new
technology. For this reason, I support the provision in H.R. 3835 that establishes an interagency task force which
includes NASA and ONR to facilitate the transfer of new exploration technology to the program.
Inherency
Nonetheless, these agencies have taken a variety of actions to support the federal response to ocean acidification.
New Zealand that brought together shellfish experts from both countries to share their experiences with ocean
is conducting research in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, to better understand the contributions of nutrient
5 It also administers
agricultural conservation programs that provide billions of dollars in
assistance to farmers to reduce nutrient pollutionone of the factors
contributing to ocean acidificationand achieve other conservation
objectives.6 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The service has updated its planning requirements to include
pollution to ocean acidification in estuarine and coastal environments.
ocean acidification as a potential factor to consider in drafting conservation plans and vulnerability analyses for
West Florida Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico, where it has studied spatial and temporal variations in carbon chemistry
The agency, in
conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, also monitored ocean chemistry in
and the effects of ocean acidification on the growth of calcifying organisms.
the Arctic Ocean from 2010 through 2012, documenting that about 20
percent of the area was undersaturated with respect to aragonite,
according to an agency official. In addition, it is considering establishing
coral reefs located in national wildlife refuges, which are often in remote
areas and experience little human disturbance, as sentinel sites where
the service can monitor the effects of ocean acidification. 8 U.S. Navy.
The Navy has monitored research on ocean acidification conducted by
others to assess any potential implications for naval operations. One implication
for naval operations described in the research and monitoring plan is the potential for ocean acidification to
threaten the food supply in areas of the world that are heavily dependent on marine resources for food, which, in
turn, could lead to increased political instability in those regions.9 The Navy has also helped fund research on the
effects that ocean acidification might have on how sound travels through water, because of its potential impact on
sonar systems, which are important to naval operations.
1NC NOAA
NOAA is already making a concerted effort to resolve
acidification
Kelly House, Writer for the Oregonian, 2014 [NOAA offers $1.4
million to help shellfish growers track ocean acidification, December 17 th 2014,
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/12/noaa_offers_14_million_t
o_help.html] TYBG
That National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is ponying up $1.4
million to help West Coast shellfish growers and scientists address ocean
acidification. The new three-year grant will help commercial shellfish
growers find ways to adapt their oyster and mussel-rearing businesses to
keep the animals from dying when waves of carbon dioxide-saturated
water come through. High levels of carbon dioxide throw the waters chemistry out of balance, making it
difficult for bivalves to form their shells. The phenomenon has contributed to massive shellfish die-offs throughout
researchers discovery this fall that ocean acidification isnt caused by carbon dioxide alone, but the imbalance
created when carbon dioxide rises without a concurrent rise in seawater calcium carbonate levels.
Acidification Advantage
1NC NOAA-Gate
NOAA is a fraudulent agency that produces inaccurate
scientific data
Marta Noon, executive director for Energy Makes America
Great Inc., 2014 (Noon, Marta, 12/22/14, " What if Obamas Climate Change
Policies are based on pHraud?",
Heartland,news.heartland.org/editorial/2014/12/22/what-if-obamas-climate-changepolicies-are-based-phraud, accessed 1/15/14)
Ocean acidification (OA) is claimed to be a phenomenon that will destroy ocean lifeall due to mankinds use of
Dr.
Richard A. Feely is a senior scientist with the Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL)part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). His four-page report: Carbon Dioxide and Our Ocean Legacy, offered on the
fossil fuels. The claim of OA is a critical scientific foundation to the full spectrum of climate change assertions.
NOAA website, contains a chart titled Historical & Projected pH & Dissolved Co2, which shows a decline in
Mike
Wallace is a hydrologist with nearly 30 years experience, who is now
working on his Ph.D. in nanogeosciences at the University of New Mexico.
seawater pH (making it more acidic) that appears to coincide with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
In the course of his studies, he uncovered something that he told me: eclipses even the so-called climategate
Feely chart began in 1850, which caught Wallaces attention since similar charts all began in 1988. Needing the
historic pH data for a project, he went to the source. The NOAA paper with the chart lists Dave Bard, with Pew
Charitable Trust, as the contact. Wallace sent Bard an email: Im looking in fact for the source references for the
red curve in their plot which was labeled Historical & Projected pH & Dissolved Co2. This plot is at the top of the
second page. It covers the period of my interest. Bard responded and suggested that Wallace communicate with
spending hours reviewing them, called blind alleys. Sabine concludes the email with: I hope you will refrain from
In an effort to
obtain access to the records Feely/Sabine didnt want to provide, Wallace
filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. In a May 25, 2013 email, Wallace
contacting me again. But communications did continue for several more exchanges.
offers some statements, which he asks Feely/Sabine to confirm: it is possible that Dr. Sabine WAS partially
responsive to my request. That could only be possible however, if only data from 1989 and later was used to
develop the 20th century portion of the subject curve. its possible that Dr. Feely also WAS partially responsive
to my request. Yet again, this could not be possible unless the measurement data used to define 20th century
ocean pH for their curve, came exclusively from 1989 and later (thereby omitting 80 previous years of ocean pH
20th century measurement data, which is the very data I'm hoping to find). Sabine writes: Your statements in
italics are essentially correct. He adds: The rest of the curve you are trying to reproduce is from a modeling study
(when the pH metric was first devised, and ocean pH values likely were first instrumentally measured and recorded)
through and up to just before 1988. Wallace received no reply, but the FOIA was closed in July 2013 with a no
1NC Adaptation
No impact to ocean acidification its over-exaggerated and
species can adapt
Ridley, British Scientist and Journalist, 12 (Matt, Jan 7, Taking Fears of
Acid Oceans With a Grain of Salt, Wall Street Journal,
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB100014240529702035503045771385614444
64028, Tang)
Coral reefs around the world are suffering badly from overfishing and various forms of pollution. Yet many experts
argue that the greatest threat to them is the acidification of the oceans from the dissolving of man-made carbon
dioxide emissions. The effect of acidification, according to J.E.N. Veron, an Australian coral scientist, will be "nothing
less than catastrophic.... What were once thriving coral gardens that supported the greatest biodiversity of the
marine realm will become red-black bacterial slime, and they will stay that way." Humans have placed marine life
The
Natural Resources Defense Council has called ocean acidification "the
scariest environmental problem you've never heard of." Sigourney Weaver, who
under pressure, but the chief culprits are overfishing and pollution. John S. Dykes This is a common view.
narrated a film about the issue, said that "the scientists are freaked out." The head of the National Oceanic and
from Reuters in 2009: "Climate Change Turning Seas Acid"). If the average pH of the ocean drops to 7.8 from 8.1 by
The
central concern is that lower pH will make it harder for corals, clams and
other "calcifier" creatures to make calcium carbonate skeletons and shells.
Yet this concern also may be overstated. Off Papua New Guinea and the Italian island of
2100 as predicted, it will still be well above seven, the neutral point where alkalinity becomes acidity.
Ischia, where natural carbon-dioxide bubbles from volcanic vents make the sea less alkaline, and off the Yucatan,
pH is as low as five. Laboratory experiments find that more marine creatures thrive than suffer when
carbon dioxide lowers the pH level to 7.8. This is because the carbon dioxide dissolves mainly as bicarbonate, which
many calcifiers use as raw material for carbonate. Human beings have indeed placed marine ecosystems under
based on fossil-fuel carbon utilization estimates from Tans (2009) and IPCCs A2 scenario. Climate Change
0.163, according to Feely et al.). Graphical data presented by Pelejero et al. (2010) depict interannual pH variations
in the North Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda ranging from a high of approximately 8.18 to a low of about 8.03 at
various times over the years 1984 to 2007 (Bates, 2007), further demonstrating large pH variations are occurring in
Reef in Australias Great Barrier Reef system ranged from a high of approximately 8.25 to a low of about 7.71 (Wei
These natural and recurring pH declines (0.50 and 0.54) are greater
than the 0.3 to 0.4 decline IPCC expects to occur between now and the
end of the century, and much greater than Tans estimate of about 0.2. Hofmann et al. (2011) state
natural variability in pH is seldom considered when effects of ocean
acidification are considered, and they suggest this omission is disturbing
because natural variability may occur at rates much higher than the rate
at which carbon dioxide is decreasing ocean pH, which is about 0.0017 pH unit per year,
et al., 2009).
according to Dore et al. (2009) and Byrne et al. (2010). They contend ambient fluctuation in pH may have a large
impact on the development of resilience in marine populations, noting heterogeneity
in the
environment with regard to pH and pCO2 exposure may result in
populations that are acclimatized to variable pH or extremes in pH.
Hofmann
et al. recorded continuous highresolution time series of upper-ocean patterns of pH variability with autonomous
sensors deployed at 15 locations from 40.7303N to 77.8000S latitude and from 0 to 166.6712E longitude and 0
to 162.1218W longitude, over a variety of ecosystems ranging from polar to tropical, open ocean to coastal, and
kelp forest to coral reef. The 18 researchers report their measurements revealed a continuum of month-long pH
variability with standard deviations from 0.004 to 0.277 and ranges spanning 0.024 to 1.430 pH units. This
variability was highly site-dependent, with characteristic diel, semi-diurnal, and stochastic patterns of varying
amplitudes. Hofmann et al. write, these biome-specific pH signatures disclose current levels of exposure to both
high and low dissolved CO2, often demonstrating that resident organisms are already experiencing pH regimes that
are not predicted until 2100. These facts suggest the current real-world heterogeneity of the worlds oceans with
regard to pH and pCO2 exposure may already have result[ed] in populations that are acclimatized to variable pH or
Lower ocean pH
levels may therefore not mature in the way projected by IPCC, a
conclusion Loaiciga (2006) shares, having written years earlier, on a
global scale and over the time scales considered (hundreds of years),
there would not be accentuated changes in either seawater salinity or
acidity from the rising concentration of atmospheric CO2 . Marine photosynthesis
extremes in pH, such as those that have been predicted to be the new norm in 2100.
may also reduce CO2- induced lowering of ocean pH levels lower ocean pH levels, as it tends to increase surface
seawater pH, countering the tendency for pH to decline as the airs CO2 content rises, as demonstrated by
Lindholm and Nummelin (1999). This phenomenon has been found to dramatically increase the pH of marine bays,
Aquatic Life 825 lagoons, and tidal pools (Gnaiger et al., 1978; Santhanam, 1994; Macedo et al., 2001; Hansen,
2002) and significantly enhance the surface water pH of areas as large as the North Sea (Brussaard et al., 1996).
Middelboe and Hansen (2007) studied a waveexposed boulder reef in Aalsgaarde on the northern coast of Zealand,
Denmark, plus a sheltered shallowwater area in Kildebakkerne in the Roskilde Fjord, Denmark. As one would expect
if photosynthesis tends to increase surface-water pH, the two researchers found daytime pH was significantly
higher in spring, summer and autumn than in winter at both study sites, often reaching values of 9 or more during
peak summer growth periods vs. 8 or less in winter. They also found diurnal measurements at the most exposed
site showed significantly higher pH during the day than during the night, sometimes reaching values greater than
9 during daylight hours but typically dipping below 8 at night, and diurnal variations were largest in the shallow
water and decreased with increasing water depth. In addition to their own findings, Middelboe and Hansen cite
Pearson et al. (1998), who found pH averaged about 9 during the summer in populations of Fucus vesiculosus in the
Baltic Sea; Menendez et al. (2001), who found maximum pH was 9 to 9.5 in dense floating macroalgae in a brackish
coastal lagoon in the Ebro River Delta; and Bjork et al. (2004), who found pH values as high as 9.8 to 10.1 in
isolated rock pools in Sweden. Noting pH in the sea is usually considered to be stable at around 8 to 8.2, the two
Danish researchers conclude pH is higher in natural shallow-water habitats than previously thought. Liu et al.
(2009) note, the history of ocean pH variation during the current interglacial (Holocene) remains largely unknown,
and it would provide critical insights on the possible impact of acidification on marine ecosystems. Working with
18 samples of fossil and modern Porites corals recovered from the South China Sea, the nine researchers employed
14C dating using the liquid scintillation counting method, along with positive thermal ionization mass spectrometry
to generate high-precision 11B (boron) data, from which they reconstructed the paleo-pH record of the past 7,000
for the prior portion of the record, Liu et al. note there is also no correlation between the atmospheric CO2
concentration record from Antarctica ice cores and 11B-reconstructed paleo-pH over the mid-late Holocene up to
the Industrial Revolution. Further insight comes from the earlier work of Pelejero et al. (2005), who developed a
more refined history of seawater pH spanning the period 1708 1988 (depicted in Figure 6.3.1.1.3), based on 11B
data obtained from a massive Porites coral from Flinders Reef in the western Coral Sea of the southwestern Pacific.
These researchers also found no notable trend toward lower 11B values. They discovered the dominant feature
of the coral 11B record is a clear interdecadal oscillation of pH, with 11B values ranging between 23 and 25 per
mil (7.9 and 8.2 pH units), which they say is synchronous with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. Figure
6.3.1.1.2. Reconstructed pH history of the South China Sea. Created from Table 1 of Liu et al. (2009). Figure
6.3.1.1.3. Reconstructed pH history of Flinders Reef of the Western Coral Sea of the Southwestern Pacific. Adapted
from Pelejero et al. (2005). Climate Change Reconsidered II: Biological Impacts 826 Pelejero et al. also compared
their results with coral extension and calcification rates obtained by Lough and Barnes (1997) over the same 1708
1988 time period. As best as can be determined from their graphical representations of these two coral growth
parameters, extension rates over the last 50 years of this period were about 12% greater than they were over the
first 50 years, and calcification rates were approximately 13% greater over the last 50 years. Wei et al. (2009)
derived the pH history of Arlington Reef (off the north-east coast of Australia). Their data show a 10-year pH
minimum centered at about 1935 (which obviously was not CO2-induced) and a shorter, more variable minimum at
the end of the record (which also was not CO2-induced). Apart from these two non-CO2-related exceptions, the
Numerous scientific
studies have demonstrated atmospheric CO2 enrichment stimulates pHboosting photosynthesis in marine micro- and macro-algae (see Sections 6.3.2 and
6.5.1). This phenomenon suggests anything else that enhances marine
photosynthesis such as nutrient delivery to the waters of the worlds
coastal zones (i.e., eutrophication)may do so as well, as Borges and Gypens (2010) have found. Employing
majority of the data once again fall within a band that exhibits no long-term trend.
an idealized biogeochemical model of a river system (Billen et al., 2001) and a complex biogeochemical model
describing carbon and nutrient cycles in the marine domain (Gypens et al., 2004), the two researchers investigated
the decadal changes of seawater carbonate chemistry variables related to the increase of atmospheric CO2 and of
nutrient delivery in the highly eutrophied Belgian coastal zone over the period 19511998. They write, the
concluded that during certain seasonal periods, foremost in coastal areas in the northern hemisphere, ship
emissions may cause just as much acidification as do annual carbon emissions. Earlier models for judging the
acidification effects of shipping were based on an annual globally averaged acidification .
In this new
study, a new model has been created which reveals the numbers for each
month. This has given quite different results. We have been able to localise areas with intensive shipping
traffic where the surface water is quite thin during the spring and summers and the mixing of surface and deeper
waters is minimal. Whatever is deposited from the atmosphere is not mixed down into deeper waters, which makes
the effect on surface waters much greater, explains David Turner, professor of Marine Chemistry at the University of
that organisms which need calcium carbonates find it more difficult to build their skeletons and shells, which is a
Solvency
the salmon that we are working very hard to recover? Kilmer said Monday during a press conference at Northern
Fish, a food company based in South Tacoma. Will it affect other species of fish and crabs that our economy is
dependent on? Weve got a lot to learn about ocean acidification. Northern Fish President John Swanes and vice
president Ross Swanes both said they had seen a drop-off in shellfish supplies along the coast in recent years. This
is a big deal for our industry and for Lilliwaup, a little town I live in, there arent a lot of jobs, said Lissa James,
retail and marketing manager for the Hama Hama Co., which raises shellfish in Hood Canal. James said the
Scientists say
the Pacific Ocean is absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,
shifting the acidity of the seas and making it harder for oyster growers to
produce baby oysters, or seed, naturally from larvae. Research shows waters off the coast and
availability of oyster seed is the challenge and that demand for products is not a problem.
in Puget Sound are prone to the upwelling of more acidic waters. But lately acidic waters are present far more
frequently, harming organisms at the base of the food chain such as plankton and tiny snails called pteropods, as
well as oysters higher up on the chain, according to Terrie Klinger and Jan Newton, co-directors of the Washington
information and messages . Earlier the this year leading scientists declared
that we are fast approaching the critical point of no return for climate
change -- a point with predictable devastating consequences. But who is
listening? The public continues to be frighteningly indifferent . Who
among the public is willing to place the salvation of the planet over
immediate personal concerns? That question was dramatically called to my attention recently when
I presented a list of critical issues to a group of seniors enrolled in a life-long learning program and asked them
which one they would place first. The list included: terrorism and national defense, global warming, jobs, vanishing
icebergs, protecting Social Security, income inequality, ocean pollution, sustaining Medicare, protecting the Amazon
rain forests, reducing fossil fuel emissions, regulating Wall Street and the banks, stopping fracking (shale gas
drilling), protecting wildlife (elephants, lions, whales, etc.), eliminating genetically modified foods (GMOs), campaign
finance reform, free college education for all, national healthcare (Medicare for all). I was particularly interested in
the seniors' answers since popular wisdom says that seniors are more concerned than other age groups with the
welfare of children, grandchildren, and future generations. And no issue is more vital for the well-being of future
generations than the viability of life on the planet. Psychologist Erik Erikson called this concern of older adults
"generativity." But the seniors defied conventional wisdom. Jobs, Social Security, and income inequality topped their
listings. Only one person, toward the end of the discussion, cited climate change -- and his response seemed almost
gratuitous in recognition that we were about to screen a documentary on the melting of icebergs. Perhaps I should
financial security. During the 2012 presidential debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney environmental
in the
throes of an economic crisis placing the salvation of the planet high on the
national agenda would not generate votes. It might even take away votes
from people who feared the candidate would be indifferent to their
personal struggles. So where does this leave us? If more environmental studies and
more alarming news will not mobilize leaders and the public for an all-out
commitment to the preservation of our small vulnerable corner of the
universe, what will? Perhaps we need to shift our focus from information to
changing human behavior. Let's enlist leading behavioral scientists and psychological associations to
issues took a far back seat; in fact, they were barely mentioned. Both candidates knew instinctively that
address how to awaken the public to the urgency of protecting the planet. Let's launch a campaign to make this the
number-one priority. And let's adopt these mantras: No planet, no jobs; no planet, no Social Security; no planet, no
mortgages; no planet, no corporate bonus packages. No planet, no us.
1NC
Now well address the stock issue of the disadvantage, or the
negative consequences of the affirmative teams plan.
The affirmative plan mandates that the United States federal
government should spend large and wasteful amounts of
money on <the plan>. While this may seem like a good idea,
this spending doesnt tackle the real cause of the problem.
Instead, the money could be better directed towards improving
other more efficient projects.
They said in cross examination that the plan costs 50-100
million dollars
Because the plan is already happening in the current system
as per our inherency arguments, this risky and repetitive
spending is needless and harmful to our economy. Just after
exceeding the debt ceiling and enduring the government shut
down last year, the last thing the US and its economy needs is
more reckless spending