Howard Dryden

Ask the Experts (3)

• There is now 17 million tonnes of microplastic in the Atlantic Ocean, it becomes 80 times more toxic after absorption of lipophilic toxic chemicals such as PAHs. We masure 1000 times more partially combusted carbon particles in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in comparison to plastic. While carbon is non toxic it is much better at absorbing liphillic chemicals than plastic, and as such it is probably more toxic. Why are carbon particles not considered in Oceanic pollution?

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• There should only be around 1 million tonnes of Sargassum in the Equatorial Atlantic, there is now 30 million tonnes and the Sargassum as used up all the trace nutrients, and phosphate that would otherwise be used by phytoplankton. We measure less than 1 phytoplankton and zooplankton in 80 litres of water in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Why is this not being flagged up as a catastrophy?

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• Ocanic pH is currentlu 8.03, aragonite and magnesium starts to dissolver at pH8.04. Under RCP8.5 Oceanic pH will be 7.95 by 2045 and most of the aragonie and magnesium calcite will have dissolved. Given that more than 50% of all marine life depends upon these minerals, do you not expect a trophic cascade collapse of the entire marine system, and is this not a much greater threat to the planet and humanity than climate change.

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