How does rising atmospheric CO2 affect marine organisms?

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Volume 4 Number 29:  18 July 2001

Temperature Record of the Week
This issue's Temperature Record of the week is from Farmington, Missouri. Visit our
U.S. Climate Data section to plot and view these data for yourself.

Current Editorial
The Art of Swallowing Camels Just Got a Whole Lot Harder: Evidence for the nil to minor forcing of climate by carbon dioxide continues to accumulate.  It is getting to the point where climate alarmists may soon be choking on their own words.

Subject Index Summaries
Plant Growth Response to CO2 and Nitrogen (Agricultural Crops): As the air’s CO2 content rises, most plants will likely exhibit increased rates of photosynthesis and biomass production under optimal growth conditions.  But what will happen if the soil is low in nutrients, especially nitrogen?

Temperature Trends -- Asia: In light of recent record cold and declining decadal temperature trends in Asia, it sounds like the data are once again speaking loud and clear on the subject of climate change: not much global warming here!

Current Journal Reviews
Previous Interglacial Sea Surface Temperatures Off the Western Coast of North America: If sea surface temperatures off the California coast were to rise a half-degree Celsius or more over the next few decades, would CO2-induced global warming be to blame?  A recent study of the region’s climate history says much about this important subject.

Climate Variability in the Penultimate Interglacial: Climate alarmists insist that global warming will result in an unstable climate.  When will they ever learn to check with the real world before they speak?

Coral Bleaching and Climate Change: Is coral bleaching really the dreaded "grim reaper" climate alarmists have made it out to be?

Effects of Elevated CO2 and Temperature on the Growth of Birch Seedlings: Boreal forests possess the ability to sequester enormous amounts of carbon.  But what will happen if global warming occurs?  This study seeks to answer this question by evaluating the combined impacts of elevated CO2 and air temperature on photosynthesis and biomass production in birch, a widespread boreal forest species.

Effects of Elevated CO2 on Aspen Leaf Litter Quality and Decomposition: Atmospheric CO2 enrichment often alters the chemical properties of intact green leaves, which has led to predictions of reduced leaf litter decomposition rates in CO2-enriched environments, possibly contributing to reductions in nutrient cycling.  But do CO2-induced changes in living leaf chemical properties persist in senesced leaves, which are the objects that actually decompose?