Share Your Thoughts

Welcome to the Los Angeles Times' 'Altered Oceans' message board. 'Altered Oceans' is a five-part series on the crisis in our seas and how its transformation affects us all. This message board is a forum for you, our readers, to express your concerns or share your own expreiences and observations on the subject of our changing oceans.

UPDATE: Ken Weiss plans to write about ways to ease the stress on the seas. Read Ken's message to readers here.

Comments will be moderated for profanity and will not appear until they've been approved, so please post only once. Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. Here are the full legal terms.

Comments

[Los Angeles Times]

The discussion board is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

[Sean Farrer]

The better we educate people and the faster we do it, the sooner we will help rejuvinate the damages we have already done.

We can't as humans keep polluting our environment. It was the only free thing we had given too us. Everything each and everyone of us can do will help. ie recycle and only purchase eco-friendly products, they may cost a little more in the short term.

[quinzz]

This may sound weird but please bare with me. I live in the prairies, Edmonton Alberta Canada to be exact. Many people here seem to suffer simultaneously from sinus relate problems. Sneezing, Sinus infections, running nose, itching eye's etc.. .They say perhaps its snow mold, when the snow melts theres a mold left on the grass underneath. To me the symptoms get worse when the wind is blowing. But what strikes me is the similar effect from what was described by red tide in this video. People here use allot of pesticides & fertilizer and there is farm land on every side of the city. Also there are many oil refineries near the city. Sometimes I cant help but think the toxic red tide is a cousin of snow mold or other toxic mold etc.. that gets airborne in spores from mold from farmers fields, grass etc.. Perhaps this mold is getting more toxic (not unlike like red tide algae ) because of pollution, pesticides and or nutrients from fertilizers etc...

Anybody care to comment on this?

[Adam Smith]

Dear Free Markets Work,

I appreciate you weighing in for the free market and trusting that it will create a solution to the problem of the killing of the oceans, but you missed a crucial aspect that drives the theory of the invisible hand: in order for the theory to hold, EVERYTHING must have a price. Allow me to explain:

Let's take farmers for example: Farmer A uses traditional commercal fertilizer which is relatively cheap and allows him a handsome profit. Unconcerned or unaware of the effects of the runoff from his farm he has not considered switching to organic practices. Farmer B is well informed and has decided to go organic. For this he is penalized by paying more for fertilizer and makes a decidedly smaller profit than Farmer A.

How will the invisible hand cause Farmer A to go organic? It cannot. In fact, the theory holds that instead Farmer B will eventually abandon his organic practices for those that will bring him a higher profit.

The solution lies in pricing all aspects of the farming process, including pollution created. Identifying the connection between farm runoff and ecosystem destruction allows us to back out an appropriate price for, lets say, each pound of runoff. Equating that to the amount of fertilizer used allows us to decide an appropriate tax to apply to each type of fertilizer. With the taxes lower on the organic fertilizer, it now becomes an attractive option for all farmers, at which point the free market takes hold. Pollution pricing is a strong incentive for corporations to factor the environment into their business plans, and produces tangible results.

-KJM
“I’m universal on all planes, whats your claim?”

[Matt Horns]

This information on direct damage to the oceans from atmospheric CO2 makes what to do about global warming a moot question. We do not know with certainty what human-coused CO2 is doing to global climate and the Kyoto Protocol lets the potentially worst greenhouse gas offender off the hook. Kyoto and the other climate change programs and discussions promise decades of uncertainty and debate, which will do little to change anyone's behavior or to get any government or industry to change policies.

Now we know that the most prevalent greenhouse gas, CO2, threatens to destroy the marine ecosystem. Lets stop quibbling about climate change and do something about CO2.

[Colette Schamet]

I saw this documentary on LA Times website the day it was released. Very alarming! Ever since, I've been spreading the word. Most recently, I sent the link of this documentary to COOL Conserve Our Ocean Legacy Campaign in Washington DC, who, to my surprise, never heard or seen "Altered Oceans." YOU need to make a big effort to reach out and educate the whole nation and the whole world. This is a very powerful documentary, and it speaks for itself, it will make an impact. I wish you could do more to spread the word.
Colette

[Jill Clark]

How long (playing time) is each series segment?

Thanks

Jill

[Rajith Dissanayake]

It's a wonderful thing to see a US paper giving such high priority to Marine Conservation issues. To date not a single UK newspaper has highlighted these issues too prominently though one journalist from the UK Daily Telegraph has done some justice to the overfishing crisis. See the tuna page one web.mac.com/rajith

I uploaded the Monterey Bay seafood watch program on to YouTube along with another of their videos. Though explicitly designed for sharing freely, I fear I will be instructed to remove these videos (having sought permission). I'd like to give links to the LA Times info, but again, I'm only allowed to use the main LA Times domain name, so the Marine news will hardly appear when people link up. The only way I found this stuff was after a tip off from a woman at Monterey Bay during a random call.

I get mad about the inattention paid to the rights of fish, especially tuna which I regard as the most astonishing bony fish in the sea. Not a single comprehensive popular volume has yet been written on tuna. When people think of them, they think of them merely as food, not as living things. Thanks to BBCs Blue Planet which showed magnificient images of tuna some interest may be raised. Whenever I write to newspapers in the UK about the problems with sushi or tuna fishing - in as measured a tone as I can muster (and I'm quite good at getting letters published) they never get in. No one cares about the distress of tuna. After watching the jellyman film, I suppose I can safely say that those people care as much about tuna as I do about jellyfish that are the only things some people can catch now.

Tuna can't speak up for themselves. Some of us must do so on their behalf. Some people at the Natural History Museum London where I work think professor Jeremy Jackson is like Chicken Likken in the story about the sky falling on our heads - the evidence must be spread around.

Please, stand up for marine reserves and sustainable fishing. We have every right to eat chickens and pigs as we breed them and feed them and take care of them ... but we seem to assume we can steal from the sea without doing anything to replenish what we take out. Maybe someone could organise sea watching tourism. Movies, films, education, communication. Tuna look better alive than in a can. No books, no films and they remain just food. With books, films and management people will appreciate them even more for food as well if needed.

[Brett Young]

High praise for the LA Times for this piece-- top-of-the-line investigative journalism, truly Pulitzer-worthy.

Bear in mind that overpopulation of the earth, and sustainability of the ecosystem relating to that, are the greatest issues underlying this. As a youngster in the 1980s I recall learning that 4 billion people inhabited the earth, only to learn later in university that our numbers were then estimated to have just crossed the 6 billion barrier. How many people can live on earth in a sustainable fashion? Nobody knows... 10 billion? 50 billion? (the latter number being proposed by another professor of mine.) Competition for resources will only increase if the population increases, and the oceans will continue to suffer.

Know too that oil, and all of its related woes, isn`t disappearing anytime soon either. Something like 80% of American energy production is still nonrenewable, and nuclear power is falling out of fashion worldwide (with rare exceptions like France.) With the population going up, expect oil to be a critical component of the global economy for years to come.

Riding your bicycle to work, or buying an energy-efficient home, will help the problem. But by far the greatest impacts are made by corporations and governments worldwide. Don`t let them ignore this and continue to go about their business. Patronize companies and shops with an environmental agenda. Make noise so that politicians can`t put this on the back burner. Push for global treaties that work-- treaties more effective than the Kyoto Protocol (which ignores 2/5ths of the world`s people... better than nothing, but at a `get the ball rolling` level only perhaps.) The destruction of the world`s oceans by our hand is something we shouldn`t ignore, and eventually they won`t be able to ignore it any longer. Simply put: don`t let this issue go away.

[Royce Lam]

I go diving a lot and within the last few years I have seen a huge difference in the amount of life in the oceans off of California, especially in Laguna where just two years ago there was a thriving kelp forest, now its completely gone, replaced by sea urchins. I have also noticed a reduction in the number of fish and amount of kelp in these areas.

[Dean]

I'm always wondering why can't we just dump our trash and sewage deep underground, perhaps in empty pockets left over after all the oil was pumped out?

That seems like a very elegant solution to me but would love to hear arguments against it.

[KenO]

I've always liked seafood of all varieties. I don't think I'll be eating it anymore. It appears we're headed toward a 'soylent green' kind of a world.

[LL]

Please maintain this series' availability as long as possible. It is an effective referral tool to educate those who are either unaware or in denial with regard to the condition of our environment.

[l mckinnon]

i picked up garbage along a crescent city, ca shoreline today. Even along the remote north coast there is a lot of trash, especially plastics. what i'm doing isn't much, but it's better than doing nothing.

[Shawna]

I think that your killing our killer whales. It has more affect on them than it does on us...

[Mary Radavich]

Thanks to the LA Times for this great piece documentary info.

This is our greatest challenge. Forget Iraq,
al-Qaeda and the cost of gasoline. They will pale in contrast.

I would highly recommend everyone see Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". Republican, Democrat, Independent it
doesn't matter. He brings up issues that every thinking person will need to deal with sooner rather than later.

This is not a soap opera or a sit com. This is real and the sooner we all get used to the idea and change the way we live the
better off we will all be.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

“ditto” mr

[Mary R.]

Dear Free Markets,

I hope you like to breathe. 60% of the earth's oxygen is produced by phytoplankton in the ocean. If these tiny plants should die, that's it for all of us.

To keep this dialog going, here is a message from the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and a link to another group working to avert ocean degradation.

"The California Academy of Sciences proudly supports the "Thank You Ocean" campaign, which urges California residents to learn, experience, respect, choose, and make a difference for our oceans. Visit thankyouocean.org today!"

[bd]

Perhaps all that plastic could be used for generating Electricity, It would not solve global warming, and a lot of other problems, but it might reduce the need to mine coal or oil, and reduce the plastic load from the ocean. Due to transport costs, Hawaii, particularly could be helped. I cannot be the only person to think of this.

In Orlando much of the treated sewage is used to provide water and fertilizer together, on park land and even golf courses, solving the problem of the sewage and freeing up scarce water needed elsewhere, and not increasing the nitrogen load of "brought in ' fertilizer.

These are only dings in a huge problem and perhaps that is why you had all warnings, and not much on the solution front, but solutions are desperately needed, and an action program to do something about the problem is the only solution, if there is a solution.

Otherwise I was most impressed with the first story I have seen that uses concepts tailored to the Media the presentation is in, and not recycled newspaper text or television clips, perhaps the first time NOT recycling is a good thing.

[debbi Mandel]

i grew up in colorado and visit cabo san lucas often with my family. i am shocked to see the trash that is along the beautiful beach there and always on my daily walk pick up bottles and plastic. when will we as humans realize how we are not only killing what is still alive in the sea but take a stand and say no more dumping in our waters. we need to save what little we have left........and do it now-not later. debbi

[Free Markets Work]

The free market will kick in when there is an incentive. Nature itself has no value until it has been shaped by free human enterprise. Once the supply of any valuable resource is reduced, market forces will bring about a solution in the form of an alternative or increase supply. Econ 101 it's that simple.

All this doomsday stuff is nonsense and nothing but scaremongering. I love my fish and seafood. Im sure cooked right jellytfish taste great too. Im sure humans will be enjoying the oceans harvest for many decades to come.

[S.O.S ARRECIFES (S.O.S CORAL REEFS)]

The staff of S.O.S ARRECIFES from latin america wants to thanks us for your fabulous articles and all the web. Also, we want to invite you to our web. The objetive of our web is to protect the coral reef giving info. to everybody!

One more time: thanks!

S.O.S ARRECIFES (CORAL REEFS) STAFF.

[Lucy Barnett]

Great article about sustainable fishing in Alaska. We all can make a difference by asking our local markets to carry fish caught like Taku River Reds (check out their website!). We can make a change by what we buy. Pressure on those who make a living selling us our food can be simple yet effective. Support those who are doing it right. Lucy Barnett

[JACQUELINE CORDOVA]

WE CAN'T JUST WATCH THIS AND DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. WE ARE DESTROYING OUR WORLD. LET'S DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, TELL SOMEONE, E-MAIL THE VIDEO WEBSITE TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW. LET'S WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE THE LIVES OF MARINE ANIMALS AND OUR OWN LIVES. DON'T IGNORE THIS MESSAGE. WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR OCEANS. WE HAVE TO STOP THIS TO PRESERVE OUR OWN SPECIES.

[Grammee]

This excellent series should win a Pulitzer. How can the public nominate?...

My 9 year-old was inspired to tell all of her friends what we are doing to stop pollution & believes she can help change the world. It's all about choices and my choice has been to email this to everyone I know and bring this series up in discussion. Thanks to the authors and the L.A. Times for bringing the science and the facts of this disturbing truth to the web.

[willtaylor]

I think we need petotion the governer or a local polotician and pray that they might help

[Sam]

A scientific community is now studying dumping more acid into the atmosphere to combat global warming. Wow. Maybe if they do that, all the fish will be gone in 10 years instead of 40.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/11/16/smog.warming.ap/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/11/02/seafood.crisis.ap/index.html

[Michel T. Pierre]

When I read articles, such as this, I am thoroughly convinced without a doubt that, the human race is placing a devastating burden upon our planet's ability to survive. Therefore, our own existence at our current course of conducting every day life must change, or we SHALL cease to exist!

[freddie hollander]

About time that the LA Times shifted its singular focus from "overfishing", especially in CA with the most draconian and successful state and federal fisheries management in the world, to pollution of the seas and coastal development. The series is excellent. I only hope that the LA Times follows up on Malibu's unmitigated septic pollution of Santa Monica Bay.

[J.C. Sylvan]

A brilliant series of articles. Groundbreaking, Pulitzer material. My deepest thanks to the authors.

[Brian Whary]

This series is a real eye opener. It's clear that worldwide development and the quest for a rising standard of living are taking their toll on our oceans. Even if the developed nations decide to finally get serious and clean up their act by not dumping pollutants into the oceans, the developing nations have to follow suit or the trends will surely continue. The US needs to provide leadership on this by getting back to basics. The US should host a Global Environmental Summit, where all world leaders are tasked with providing enforceable solutions to meet our common energy, development and environmental needs before its too late.

[Tom]

When I was growing up in So. California I could go to Redondo pier and catch more fish than I could carry on my bike. Often I gave the fish to others. Today if you fish off the piers you'll probably catch nothing or if you do catch a fish, the size will probably be too small or the species may be show signs of toxicity. This is just my experience but imagine these events on a worldwide scale. The signs are everywhere. The beaches are virtually shutdown with each winter storm. Surfers have to be aware of the bacteria level in the seawater. Reefs are dying throughout the globe. This is no fantasy or 'doomsday' scenario. These issues are real. I have stopped eating seafood because so many fisheries are in deep trouble either because of overfishing and/or pollution. Those of us who are older have seen this process occur before our eyes. If we don't turn the tide (no pun intended) we will soon have few fish but even if we have fish, they may not be fit for animal or human consumption.

Tom

[Laurie Eng]

Another source of the plastic is the result of coastal flooding. The US needs to stop allowing people to build in areas that flood repeatedly. Sections on the Eastern coast, they are allowed to build on the sand! how crazy is that?

There are sections of the Nehalem river in Oregon that flood every year, i knew some people with a river house down there and they were always getting flooded and always staying there because the structure wasnt destroyed. How much junk was washed into the river from that?

People asked what we can do to help, teach your children not to litter! stop trying to maintain a golf course green lawn, live in a sensible location, lobby for proper waste treatment and a reduction in cheap plastic junk goods that people buy and then throw away after it breaks or they dont want it anymore. If we invest in quality goods and take care of them, there's much much less waste! thank you to all who recycle! Now if only one of those 200 million dollar power ball winners could help put a recycle plant on the hawaiin islands where they are forced to deal with all that ocean garbage! Or maybe some of our super wealthy corporate leaders and owners who just got all those big tax breaks?

[Jack Likins]

This problem will not be solved by politicians or the "other guy". It will only be solved when you and I are willing to sacrifice the conveniences that we have grown to take for granted. Jack Likins

[Bob Wright]

I just want to say thank you very much for your beatiful and disturbing series. You've done your job well; now it's time for us to do ours.

[pamela rodriguez]

yep, we are killing everything but not listening to the earth when its trying to tell us to fix it we just keep on going and nobody cares well they will care when its to late and we will all suffer for it

[Ron Taggart]

I'm a homeless guy living on the beach in Santa Barbara...going to City College full time...I can smell the ocean...surfed for 30 years until recently...last time I surfed, I threw up...no wonder I'm suicidal...I am the Sea///

[Ron Taggart]

I'm a homeless guy living on the beach in Santa Barbara, going to school full time at City College...I can smell the ocean going downhill...I surfed for 30 years until just recently...no wonder I'm suicidal...I am the Sea///

[sharon bissett]

fantastic article - universally relevant.
The oceans are dying across the globe - yet our two countries australia and the us are still yet to sign the kyoto treaty, we need to reduce the amount of waste as a society we produce and consume each day- reduce the use of pesticides on the farms and in gardens - this effects our waterways at a local level - which leads to the international crisis we have today.... lets not wait until it is too late - lets help by reducing waste today

[ricardo]

Where can we find pictures of the "Eastern Garbagae Patch"? This is the biggest news story in maybe the whole history! This is major. We have to make an effort to show pictures of that to as many people as possible.

[Salvador]

What if anything is being done , and how can individuals help to solve this growing problem..

I have told many of my surfing friends about this report.. We are all older guys who have been surfing for over 20 years... We all love the ocean.

Salvador

[Lindsay]

Wow...I always knew that the oceans were being polluted and I always have recycled and cut the plastic rings that soda comes in but I mean, its just horrible. I watched the tape on the toxic algae and I was wondering what I could help do to diminish this algae. I don't live near an ocean but if there is anything to help with that algae I would love to know.

[Mia Lipton]

Hi! I have just moved to LA, wich organization are doing the best work when it comes to saving the ocean? And what can I as a citicent of LA do to help keeping the ocean and the beaches clean? I mean - except for cleaning up after my self..

I really want to make a difference. Mia

[Mellie Lewis]

This is an outstanding article. I'm a fifth grade teacher in Maryland and would like to use this article with my ocanography classes. Can I get a copy of the article on a CD or DVD? How long will the article be availbe to teachers?

Thank you.

[Irl Stalcup]

This series is too important to languish in a Times archive. Please consider publishing it -- with its excellend photos and graphics -- in a special magazine to sell at grocery checkout lines and on TV. There used to be an audience for the Time/Life books, and I believe you will find an interested audience, too, if you hook them with the right photos and shocking statistics.

[Kathy Harper]

Info on the way humans are killing mother nature is a must. It breaks my heart to think how we are killing these wonderful creatures. I used to rent a little boat and fish in Newport Beach harbor. Every 15 feet give or take had runoff drains that said warning hazardous water. You should see that. It is a mindblower. I am willing to help in any way I can.

[terry]

Wonderful series! Hope you will do one about plants and animals outside the ocean, too! I just attended a retreat about the entire world environment, and we need the media to help wake up the world to all of the serious environmental challenges of the planet - on land and at sea. I am a college teacher, and plan to direct all my lesson plans to some area pertaining to respecting and healing our environment. P.S. Put the series at the TOP of the web page rather than the bottom so more people see it and get the idea of its importance.

[Ben]

I think this has been an important piece in attempting to inform the public, but how can the LA Times do a series about altered oceans and not discuss the harmful effects of overfishing and the growing consumption of seafood?

[Constantin G]

We made it, we must clean it up. Bravo for starting up! The seas rights must be updated in order to assure a clean environement for future.

[Bob Hazen]

There are many wonderful comments here. However, if people want to do something about it, the key is education.

People must be taught about the planet's water system/cycle or they just won't think about it. I just received a free video that I will use in presentations to educators, who will in turn use the information with their students, who will (ultimately) be in charge of the future of this planet. It's called "After the Storm" and was co-produced by the Weather Channel and EPA. Just write to weatherchannel@epamail.epa.gov if you would like a copy.

Another great source of information and ideas about "what you can do" can be found in Project WET materials. http://www.projectwet.org/

If you are not a teacher, just share this with a teacher. Yes we can do something about it. It took a long time for the oceans to reach this point, and will take a long time to save the oceans. We're in it for the long haul, and we all must take a role. Investigate. "Think globally and act locally" is not just a great sentiment for a bumper sticker; it's a way of life. It's a way FOR life.

[Bruce]

What would happen if the Eastern Garbage Patch caught fire?

[Kella MAXO]

Someone PLEASE upload The Tipping Point" Video to youtube, millions will see it and the collective effort to return the oceans to thie natural state can begin.. We can do something if we are aware of the probelem. This video presents in an upclose and personal way the time is now, before it's too late.

[Joelle Dietrick]

The series is great, but I'd like more information about how the average citizen can make changes to their life to improve the situation. I've been searching through the links and the forum, and I'm only finding a few recommendations. The recommendations should be connected to a link on the main page. Something like "what you can do."

Thanks for drawing attention to the debates.

[Mary Anne]

I live seasonally in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico on the Bay of Banderas. We go out in th ocean quite often. What we see often is floating debris from party boats, and sewage from all sorts of floating vessels. Also, illegal long-line fishing. How long can this go on, without reaping havoc on the oceanic
environment?

[Arthur (R.D.) Grunbaum]

This is an incredible series, that should be made available for distribution as an educational DVD.

[Gregor Hodgson]

Great series! The good news is that we can reverse these disturbing trends. For those of you who would like to DO SOMETHING about this, please join and support your local marine conservation organizations including ours. Reef Check is an international marine conservation non-profit based in Pacific Palisades. Reef Check has recently launched the RC California program to monitor and report on the ecological health of California rocky reef ecosystems. The public is welcome to participate. www.reefcheck.org/california/index.asp

Dr. Gregor Hodgson, PhD, Executive Director, Reef Check
ReefCheck.org

[Matt Campbell]

A very important series indeed. The images of the dying sea lions and the garbage-filled birds were really heart-breaking.

The collective short-sightedness and downright stupidity of the human race never fails to boggle my mind. It's too bad so many innocent creatures are having to pay the price for our arrogant recklessness.

[Mangroves]

Help Save Sharks and Mangroves from Environmental Havoc
Please, take a moment to sign the petition at:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/885814782

Photos of destruction see here:

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=523092

For more information about Bimini destruction see:

http://www.restrictbiminibayresort.org

We really need your help,
Thanks for every signature!

[Natalie Carter]

It's Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" mirrored against the LA Times' heartbreaking series.

What reference will our grandchildren have to speak about the abundant, once thriving ocean life/trees/clear skies/...fill in the blank?

The time is now.

[Debra Smith]

This has upset me so much, that I couldn't read it all in one day. I had to go back to it and pick up where I left off!! why are we letting this happen to our ocean's and mother earth? By letting the ocean's and mother earth die,we are kiiling ourselves and we don't even seem to care! How sick does this make us?

[Mary R.]

The New York Times has a story and picture today of a manatee drinking from a storm drain pipe in Warwick, R.I.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/us/25manatee.html

This is another illustration of how important it is to keep the waters in our watersheds clean- marine mammals drink freshwater runoff!

[Bill Bugbee]

One of the most important stories of our time is being told by the Tmes. It was more than 30 year ago with a look into a future that predicted the collapse of the world’s ocean ecosystems and marine life. This was shortly followed thereafter by the worldwide terrestrial collapse of ecosystems and corresponding food production. All this was foretold in the story “Soylent Green”, of a possible eerie future in which the only thing left to eat is ourselves. One part of this story is already coming true with the economic and ecology destruction of our oceans, that is, we are in a sense already on the path to self-consumption and self-destruction.

[Lloyd Carter]

The Times has done a great public service with this series. Similiar journalistic efforts need to be focused on the deteriorating condition of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and the misuse of Northern California rivers for corporate agribusiness on high selenium soils in the Western San Joaquin Valley. If you are interested in statewide water issues please visit the California Water Impact Network at www.c-win.org

Lloyd Carter
California Water Impact Network director

[Solis Lujan]

Email this article to everyone you know.............

[Michael V. McGinnis, PhD]

This is an important series of stories, supplemented very nicely by multi-media presentations on the weblink. For those who are interested in more information on the ecology and human uses of southern California's coastal and marine ecosystems, I recommend the following webpage and link:
http://www.bioregionalism.org/index.htm

The stories and images are a great example of how the popular press can highlight the loss of our maritime culture. Indeed, the loss of maritime culture goes hand in hand with the loss of marine life and general ecosystem health.

Michael V. McGinnis, PhD
Acting Director
Ocean and Coastal Policy Center
UC Santa Barbara

[mika e]

We are so allowed to be free we can throw trash in the wind.
Because the victims of that effect will be birds and such, not us.
For now.

We strive to be academically excellent but how about to be living ecologically
smart?
We live only, like, 85 years old, if that.

What are we teaching our young generations?

The earth may not last so long.

[Debi Seals]

This story needs to go out to everyone on this planet. I spend much time at Catalina Island, which is very pristine. This story brought me to tears. I knew the oceans are changing due to the global warming, but had no idea to this extreme already. Thank you for this information. Please try to get this story across the world to as many as possible.
Thank you.

[Melinda Barrett]

I enjoyed Ken Weiss’ series on “Altered Oceans” and feel sure that the vivid images of the devastating impact our waste has on the ocean and marine life has resonated with readers. The photo of the L.A. River Trash Boom in the Wednesday (8/8) issue was taken at an event sponsored by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works to demonstrate that much of the litter and garbage we casually dump in the street ends up in the ocean.

I’d like to take this opportunity to remind your readers that each one of us is responsible for putting an end to this problem. The pet waste left on the ground, the pesticides applied to lawns or the used oil and paint dumped into the gutter eventually ends up in our waterways – poisoning the environment and endangering the health of the children who play there.

The County of Los Angeles reminds you: If you wouldn’t put it in your swimming pool, then don’t put it in a gutter! If you do, you could end up swimming with it one day. Here are some helpful tips:

 Only rain down the storm drain. Storm drains and flood control channels carry surface runoff directly to the ocean or to groundwater supplies without treatment. Make sure that runoff carries only rainwater.

 Use trash cans for everything from cigarette butts to street clippings. Trash-laden gutters increase pollution. They are also ugly, making your neighborhood unsightly. Trashy gutters can clog storm drains, causing street flooding.

 Recycle used motor oil. More than 650 gas stations, auto parts stores and repair shops in Los Angeles County collect and recycle used motor oil. Call 1(888)CleanLA or visit www.888CleanLA.com to find the one nearest you.

 Pick up after your pet. Animal waste left on the ground washes down storm drains and eventually contaminates beaches. Picking up dog waste is a County ordinance. Dog owners disregarding this law may be fined.

And perhaps most importantly, instill in your children the belief that their ability to carry on an environmentally-friendly way of life is not negotiable – it’s absolutely necessary. Then, maybe our beaches, rivers and communities will remain clean and healthy.

Your readers can learn more about how to prevent stormwater pollution at www.888CleanLA.com or by calling 1(888) CLEAN LA.

Sincerely,

Melinda Barrett,
Head, Public Relations Group
County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works

[Paul]

Extreme Capitalism is the culpret. The anything for a buck crowd is selling us down the drain. It will get worse unless enough people stand up. The CONservitives have shown us what they have, perhaps it is time to give the liberals a swing at it. They could'nt be any worse.

[Crista Worthy]

Bravo to the Times for publishing this series.

Being a Los Angeles native, I grew up at the ocean. As a child in the 60's I played in the surf and dug for sand crabs. I can still remember the way they felt in my hands, their little legs churning. When we got our driver's licenses in the mid-70's, my friends and I spent every day at the beach, all summer.

By the mid 1980's, however, I started sneezing after every time I went to the beach. I stopped swimming in the water - it didn't smell fresh any more. I couldn't find any more sand crabs. Since 1988 I have been in the water maybe twice. It's been many years since I have even walked on the beach, yet I look out at it daily.

My children have grown up, being driven to school via PCH every day. The smell from the water that invades the car makes them screw up their faces with distaste. They have literally NEVER played in the surf - they don't want to, and who can blame them? They have no idea what it feels like to dive under a big wave, or even be picked up and tossed around by nature's force in the ocean. They have never laid down in bed at night and felt the echo of the ocean's rocking as they drift off to sleep.

A minor personal tragedy that is a reflection of the fact that we are destroying this planet, our only home.

[DN]

Thanks LA Times. This is one of the best mulitmedia reporting I've seen so far.

Unfortunately, one of the major root causes of most of our environmental problems is over population. How can we maintain economic growth and improve the standard of living of the World's population without draining our natural resources and destroying the delicate balance of our eco system? As developing countries like India and China becoming more prosperious. There'll be even more demands for energy and natural resources . I hope there'll be a follow on series to address the population issues.

[Michael]

Apathy is a word to use, about what humans leave "your" next generation to clean up in the way of global pollution and (Toxicities TM), you cant take it with you was the saying, prove me wrong!

[Kathleen Ostridge]

Ok, this is a major ticket of "what to do" with the plastic patch. Still, there remains the need to know about the toxin load and any leeching that could occur.

Plastic asphalt paving material and method of making same
Document Type and Number: United States Patent 6000877
Link to this Page: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6000877.html
Abstract: An asphaltic concrete or paving material includes at least 5 percent, and preferably from 5 to 20 percent, of granular recycled plastic, which supplements or replaces the rock aggregate component of the mixture. The material produces a structurally superior paving material and longer lived roadbed. The plastic may include any and all residual classes of recyclable plastic, including thermosetting plastics and other plastics having little to no current widespread utility. The material produces roadbeds of higher strength with less total asphalt thickness and having greater water impermeability, and is most useful for all layers below the surface layer. The recyclable plastic component of the material is preferably a mixture of all recyclable classes 3 through 7, or of those materials from such classes from which potentially more valuable recyclable materials have been selectively removed. The paving product is preferably formed by a process of shredding or mechanically granulating used and industrial waste plastic to a no. 4 to 1/2 inch sieve size, and preferably to 1/4 inch to 3/8 inch granules. The granules are then treated with an energized activating medium such as a plasma or a reducing flame, to activate the surface of the granules, preferably without burning or melting the plastic. The activated treated granules are then added to the aggregate and mixed with the asphalt binder to produce the paving material. A slurry or sand mix of plastic and binder may also be applied over an aggregate layer, base layer or roadbed.

[Dennis in Torrance]

The series is great! Thank you. Will a CD become available with the graphics and videos. These would be great for schools and younger kids who don't read the paper.
Thanks
Dennis

[Jennifer DeMuth]

A good read is "The Last Gasp" by Trevor Hoyle. This book was published in the 1980's and provides a glimpse of what our world may become as fiction is usually based on actual fact. I suggest people read it. It is out of print but can still be purchased on Amazon or Ebay.

[Katherine Frazier]

Mr. Spalding,
just to follow up. I have written to the LA Times, asking that my August 1 comment (aT 1:27 P.M.) be deleted. However, there has been no response, and the erroneous comment remains. I also wrote an apology regarding it to the message board, explaining my mistake. That has not been posted. This is distressing. Perhaps you can follow up and urge some action on this.
Again, my sincere regrets for the error. I certainly do not want to besmirch the reputation of a constructive organization!
J.K. Frazier

On Aug 7, 2006, at 2:09 PM, Mark J. Spalding wrote:

Much appreciated!

On Aug 7, 2006, at 3:01 PM, J. K. Frazier wrote:

Dear Mr. Spalding,
Thank you for letting me know this, and I sincerely apologize for the mistake. I'll write to the LA Times and see what can be done to delete my comment. Moreover, it is a great relief to know that your organization is not guilty of contributing to the problem.
Again, thank you for correcting me on this.
jkf

On Aug 7, 2006, at 8:38 AM, Mark J. Spalding wrote:

Katherine,

Just read your posting on the message board for the LA Times' excellent Altered Oceans series of articles.

For the record, I was not the one who called the series of LA Times articles a bunch of whooey, that was someone else (who gave their name as John Doe).

My posting, which appeared above my name (not below) reads:
Excellent start to the series, this is a clear description that we have gone beyond warning signs, and into documenting change. It is an outstanding multi-media approach to reporting. Accurate and compelling; this story details the results from the kind land-based pollution that we as a society ought to easily be able to control. Also, this is precisely the kind of issue we should be addressing in the face of climate change, overfishing etc. As we address this nutrient overload threat, the oceans can become healthier again and thus more resilient. Great job Ken, Usha and Rick. Kudos to the Los Angeles Times!

Further, we do not, and will not accept money or provide support for those who despoil our oceans.

Thank you,

Mark

[S. Dekany]

Altered Oceans represent the best newspaper reading I've seen in a while.

Please follow up these articles with an in-depth look at waste water treatment. Continuously we hear how our existing treatment methods fail us and release untreated sewage to our environment. What cost do we pay for inadequate services?

I just finished reading "Future Water" by John R. Sheaffer and Leonard A. Stevens. This book written in 1983 describes land treatment systems such as are used in the City of Santee, CA for recycling of all their sewage. There are other examples within our state - Golden Gate Park, and Whittier Narrows. Examples from around the country are Muskegon, MI, and Lubbock, TX. Have there been any California additions to this list since 1983? Land treatment systems can be developed to provide a nutrient rich water source for cropland, extra water for recreation or recharging aquifers. Every drop of water reused is a drop that doesn't have to be displaced from where it naturally fell.

I cringe and am thinking about the fate of every drop of water that goes down a drain. We need to change. Recycle water!

S. Dekany

[Tammy Campbell]

I agree with what you all are saying. I cringe to think what this world will be like when my young children have their own children and grandchildren. Dramatic changes have occurred so quickly in my thirty-six years of life, I cannot imagine what the future lies. I hate to say that I like what is happening with hurricanes(I live in Florida) and gas prices of recent, but something has got to give and it seems that the only thing we understand here in this country is when it hurts us in the pocketbook. Whatever it takes, change has got to come now.

[Louise Pharand Doren]

Ezekiel 34: 17, 18 As for you, my flock. . . .Is it not enough for you to feed on good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

This is more than an environmental problem. It is well beyond that. It is of the utmost primal intelligence to not deplete the Earth's resources. Each person as per each ion has a conscience and must apply itself towards being better self-contained and regulated. Our wasteful attitude will serve to waste us in the greater scheme.Thanks for the thorough look at the state of affairs in our oceans.

Louise Pharand, Canada

[Richard Hake]

The last sentence of my previous post today was:

I have taken the liberty of advertising "ALTERED OCEANS" on 21 academic discussion lists in a post titled "LA Times Report on ALTERED OCEANS" http://tinyurl.com/s2ea7.

Unfortunately clicking on the hot-linked URL http://tinyurl.com/s2ea7. yields a "not found" panel. If the period after the URL is omitted then clicking will bring in the post as intended.

I should greatly appreciate your editing my previous message so as to remove the period, that is change the URL to http://tinyurl.com/s2ea7

Many thanks.

Richard Hake

[Richard Hake]

Congratulations to Ken Weiss, Usha Lee McFarling, and Rick Loomis for their superb work on the incisive and dramatic Los Angeles Times report "ALTERED OCEANS."

I was pleased that Ken Weiss, in his forum post of 4 August wrote:

"In the coming weeks and months, I will be writing about ways to ease the stress on the seas.. . .What should our government leaders do to address these issues? How can the United States lead by example, so that developing nations with BURGEONING POPULATIONS [my CAPS] can learn from our mistakes rather than repeat them?. . . . . . ."

And speaking of "burgeoning populations," a search for "population" in the 191 posts online as of 06 Aug 2006 13:42:00-0700 indicated that only 12 posters (6.3%) pointed to what I regard as the root cause of the problem – human population growth.

"You cannot preserve the environment by accepting the population growth and the increased affluence that are destroying the environment"
A.A. Bartlett

The perceptive posters, in order of posting times, were: Guy Jones, cb, JJ, Walter, Rise Briggs, Karen, DD, Eric Turner, Ken Weiss, Helmut Lubbers, Lucy, & Ellary Eddy.

I have taken the liberty of advertising "ALTERED OCEANS" on 21 academic discussion lists in a post titled "LA Times Report on ALTERED OCEANS" http://tinyurl.com/s2ea7.

Richard Hake

[Admiral James Watkins and Leon Panetta, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative]

Kudos to the Times on the excellent five-part series Altered Oceans. This is one of the most comprehensive examinations of the threats and problems facing what few Americans realize is one of our nation’s most precious resources – the oceans.

After reading this series no one could dispute the extent or seriousness of the crisis. In light of the dire state of the oceans, it’s astonishing to learn that the House of Representatives has just proposed a life-threatening half-billion dollar cut for key National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs. As the lead federal agency charged with protecting and enhancing the long-term vitality of the oceans, NOAA has little hope of surmounting the enormous challenges confronting it with a significant cut in its current budget.

The diminished House funding, if enacted, could be a devastating blow to our national security, economy, safety, food supply, and recreation – all dependent upon the seas around us. Far more reasonable is the Senate’s proposal – a $536 million boost in funding, more than three-quarters of a billion dollars above the President’s budget request.

The only way economically and ecologically healthy oceans and coasts will survive and thrive is with a serious commitment and increased federal investment as set forth by the Senate, which we hope House and Senate Members keep in mind as they gear up to hash out funding differences.

The ocean and coastal community appreciates the enormous contribution your series has made to bring these important issues to the attention of your readers.

Admiral James Watkins and Leon Panetta
Co-chairs, Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

[Miriam]

This problem won't be remedied by a weekend of trash pick up on the beach. This problem needs the level of committment and energy that was seen during WWII...collecting metal, planting VIctory gardens and churniing out as many planes and tanks as possible. If we expended that much energy towards clearing up the mess of our oceans, we might have a chance of turning this thing around. We need to educate the public more, talk about this with family and friends and let our elected officials kniow that this topic is #1 at the voting booth. The horrors pictured daily in the Middle East will be as nothing compared to the break down of society when our oceans die.

[George Siroki]

The amount of uncaring destruction we have heaped upon our "Blue Marble" is atrocious. People and Governments do care until it affects them directly,which is usually to late. I do believe that within our lifetimes that the we will experience a population correction due to bird flu or Disaster or whatever as the earth tries to balance itself. For some very good articles along this line and some HiResolution satellite photos for such things as the the huge amount of Amazon Rainforest that is burning and other Human activity taht is altering the Earth please visit "http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/"

[Antonio San Marco]

My Letter to the "Los Angeles Times"

2006-08-08

Dear Editor:

The ?Los Angeles Times?, reporter Kenneth R. Weiss(copy), photographer Rick Loomis(copy) and other supporting staff all deserve a ?Well Done? for their work on the ?Altered Oceans?series.

Unfortunately, like man's other assault on our planet which is leading to ?Global Warming? the future, this case too, seems bleak.

Unlike the spokesperson for 'Heal the Bay?, who wrote an optimistic letter to the Times Sunday, 6 Aug. 2006 page 1), I have a dimmer view and cannot share his provincial naivet鮠 In stating that ?... these problems are solvable ...?, he takes only the narrowest view and looks only at our local situation. It seems to me that the status of Morton Bay in Australia is not easily reversible. A careful reading of Part One of the series (Sunday, 30 Jul. 2006, page 1) attributes the present situation there to overfishing, runoff of fertilizer and other material from land based sites and the constituents of combustion which also contribute to ?Global Warming?. Replacing the fish population in what can only be described as a ?dead zone? controlled by lyngbya majuscula, is an immense and expensive task.

In Part Four of the Times series, the western gyre is described as being ?... twice the size of Texas. ...? - certainly a cleanup of this and the eastern gyre will require more that a weekend of beach cleanup and is quite possibly Sisyphean in nature. Modern day agriculture is likely impossible without fertilizer and countries such as China, arguably the most environmentally damaged country in the world(1), add to atmospheric pollutants daily.

Looking toward the future, our hopes for a solution by future generations are diminished by several factors. The ?dumbing down of America? continues unabated, today's young people seem to be self centered and focused on new cars, perpetually plugged into various personal entertainment devices, and, by viewing ?fake news programs? they reduce what very little time that they might have to focus on real news, including environmental issues.

More than a generation ago, Rachel Carson, in ?Silent Spring(2)? foretold the future. She was, over the longer term, with the exception of some reduction in DDT usage, ignored. This seems destined to be the fate of the Times series as well. People just don't care!

As I read about the various kinds garbage which is washed out to sea, I considered other litter which originates on land. In their May 2006 issue, ?Vanity Fair? included a brochure(3) which cited the fact that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide annually. With this as a starting point, I computed that this is the equivalent of 124 shipping containers(4) full of cigarette butt each and every year!

Much of Los Angeles' contribution to this litter wash through the gutters, into the storm drains and ultimately into the ocean where no nets will stop them. In many, if not most parts of the city of the city one can see this litter all around.

Until we can educate our citizens and the entire world's population to stop all forms of littering, curtail runoff from the land and the explosive growth of lyngbya majuscula etc. can be stopped and reversed, mankind may be near its final chapter.

Best regards,

Antonio San Marco
Los Angeles

(1) Economy, Elizabeth C. ?The River Runs Black? 2004 Cornell University

(2) Carson, Rachel ?Silent Spring?, 1962 Houghton Mifflin Company

(3)?What You Can Do: 50 Ways To Help Save The Planet?

(4) Computational Worksheet

Volume of a cylinder = Length * radius2

Assuming a cigarette butt measures 8mm in diameter and is 4 cm long then, the volume is

V = 4 * 42
V = 4 * 3.14159 * .16
V = 2.01cc

Total disposal in cc is 4,500,000,000 * 2.01cc = 90,449,999,999cc

Total disposal in cubic feet is Total disposal in cc / number of cc in one cu foot, viz., 28,317 =

9044999999 / 28317 = 319419

Standard container 40' X 8' X 8' contains 2560 cu feet

The 319,419 of cigarette butts disposed of daily would fill
(319419 / 2560) 124+ cargo containers!

N.B. I made no allowance for compression when loading these containers, doing so will reduce the number of containers by
the compression factor.

[Michele Mooney]

TAX everything made of non-biodegradable plastic a 1/3 of its price.
If a foam container of 16 oz. full of soda retails for $1.00 , demand $1.33 for it from now on . Charge a dime for each plastic bag used by markets and other retail stores .
Use popped corn insteas of foam "peanuts" as package filler .
TAX heavily . It'll work .

[Julie Vagts]

I am 63 years old and never thought I'd read an article in the LA Times and cry...literal tears. Just being back here at the web site makes my heart ache. If we don't stop this madness we will kill the earth. We are worse than dogs....at least they don't poop where they sleep. We seem to be turning the clock backwards at an alarming pace. SHAME ON US. Who needs to drive a Hummvee....who needs to live in a 7,000 sq. foot house. We, not just Americans, but increasingly all of the world are becoming greedy little lemmings....hell bent on raping and pilliaging the earth for all she is worth and leaving her as desolate as Easter Island. We can do something....we can consume less we can eat seasonly and locally, we can bring our own bags to the store or not take a bag when we have only a couple of items....we can walk a mile to get a few groceries and not pollute, we can turn the lights out when we leave a room. I am sure that the rest of you commentors can come up with many more soulutions then I have posted. AND WE CAN TELL ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN. And when we vote we can vote for those that really care about the earth. What happens in the middle east will be of little consequence if the earth starts to kill all living things becasuse we didn't care enough to do our very best to stop the madness.

[Scott]

A job well done identifying the problems, but it left me wondering "So what do we do about it?" I'm pleased to see that you are already planning to answer that question in the near future.

[Rob]

A Very sobering article.

I think cities should be responsible for all the pollution that they create:

1) Air - Filter the air by sucking it into the storm drains, filtering the particles, Ozone, Carbon Monx, et all and blow out the purified air at the top of buildings.

2) Water - Clean the water going out of a city JUST like you do for the water going into the city. Clean up the crap (Literally) in the water, the nitrogen, Phosperous, and all the rest. The water supposably came into city clean, have it leave clean.

3) All manufacturing should be required to clean up after itself 100% or sell wastes to those that use it as commodities.

4) Any dumping of trash or poop into the ocean should be severely punished.

The idea is that we live in a closed system just like a fish tank. Your SUV is peeing in it. Either stop polluting or create ways to manage that pollution.

Just my thoughts,
-Rob

P.S. If we successfully change our enviroment the oceans will kill much more then just the other animals in the ocean. We will be wiped out as well, and I suspect after we are gone, the earth will return to normalicy rather quickly.

[D. K. Takeda]

Great series on creating more awareness of how we are adversely affecting the oceans and the environment. We all can play a role in saving the oceans.
I just hope the Bush Administration would take the oceans and the environment more seriously so it is preserved for future generations.

[Kathy]

This series made me very sad. I live in Virginia, but grew up in Orange County near the beaches of Newport, Laguna and Corona trekking down there in my VW to view the tidepools on early mornings way back when; I have always had an affinity for the ocean. I have noticed it here in the Atlantic when 20 years ago we used to surfcast off the Outer Banks, and catch great fish for dinner, and now, we never, not rarely, but never, catch any decent fish. I was shocked to see this area is already considered a dead zone.
We vacationed in Eleuthra a few years ago, and woke up early before the beach cleaning crew had arrived and witnessed the incredible load of trash just from one night, coming from the shipping lanes. That we need all this stuff, that we feel entitled to have it, and to then regurgitate it back to the seas is appalling. At 55 I HAVE to live more simply for my grandkids and ask myself, is it worth buying this to add it to the pile of worthless trash swirling in the ocean? If we cannot convert our economy to one of repair and custodianship of all of the earth's systems, our future as human beings is no better than our garbage swirling around like the trash "states" described in your piece. Excellent series, and sobering indeed.

[Harrison Banks]

I concur. Please, L.A. Times, release this on a DVD. Take advantage of the medium of the DVD to present slideshows of the pictures. Additional content that didn't make the web-edit could be included, too. This would benefit the public that doesn't have an internet connection, even those that have 56k, as broadband is required for the streaming video.

Educators would love this. I know, as I work at a university. Teaching is in my blood. Now, if we could resolve IP differences to get necessary information to the brains that need to see it. Hopefully, so they can react in a positive, responsible manner.

A modest price for educators and grassroots viewings would be acceptable. A price that, at least, covers the medium and postage.

Perhaps, this could be a new road for traditional newspapers to branch out to for visibility and profit. Video delivery via web for free and educator subscription models for K-12 and colleges, grassroots organizations, and non-profits, could prove a winning model.

[Ralf-Peter Rohbeck]

I can only concur with most of the other posters. Congratulations on a fantastic series - sobering and scary stuff. If you live on the coast, that is. A Midwest farmer won't get very excited about it.

Just wondering... can we grow (through genetic engineering or conventional breeding methods) natural enemies to the red algae and other offending organisms, i.e. partly re-engineer the marine food chain? Sounds less than trivial, sure, but imagine how much it would help to have a jellyfish that can neutralize some of the toxin(s) of those algae.

[Paul]

I have met the enemy and know its face. I cannot tell a lie, it's me, my family, my friends, my relatives and everyone I know.

[Meg Loretta]

This is the MOST fantastic and complete article about my favorite subject that I have ever read in one series!! I could not wait until each day's paper came out to read the next Part. Thankyou!!! Since moving to Fresno from Camarillo, Ventura Co., I still read L A Times.

[Mary]

Thanks for the eye opening series. Although it was depressing to read, it gives me great pause when I'm shopping now. Please follow up with information on how we as homeowners can reduce waste that will enter the oceans. I'd like to do more.

[Ellary Eddy]

LA Times – brave, bold, this is what journalism should be. Please take the ball and run on all the other big dark issues plaguing civilization. If only you could initiate public referendums along the way!

Sorting this out?
There is a first step: raising everyday consciousness - what we flush down our drains, what we spray on our lawns, (perfect lawns are killers!) how much we drive our cars (what ever happened to tele-commuting and ‘flex-time’? which would alleviate some traffic congestion and CO2 levels)…

Then there are the larger issues. Bad government. (Yes, to an earlier entry – DRAFT AL GORE!) And the issue of OVER-POPULATION – back in the seventies the issue was of primary concern but seems to have been swept away by the deluge unleashed upon us by the media – the ongoing spectacle of daily news – serial killers, white-collar criminals, hideous wars that never end, celebrities who never fail to implode… And how do you address such a diffuse issue as over-population? Go socialist and restrict the number of births per family? Probably not. But then what?

EDUCATION. Perhaps there should be a mandate that all American citizens take a course teaching basic Earth science, the cause and effect of everyday actions, the opportunities for political change in the system… This country is suffering from ignorance at every level of society.

One thing I’m going to do is email this article to every person I know, asking them to pass it on (ala chain letters) to ten people within the hour or suffer the consequences ;-)

[Peggy]

We all know what is going on in our oceans and with our ozones.....Its good to know BUT WE MUST ACT...the powers that be must somehow be forced to really make our ecosystem a priority. Just saying they care to get elected isnt right. I do my small part.

I bought a car with an Ecotech engine, I recycle, dont use anything toxic but
realize its just a drop in a huge bucket. Maybe if we ALL do a little bit, it will equal a whole lot for the ocean and ozones.

Awesome but rather sad and disturbing presentation. I wish the politicians could all be forced to watch it...maybe then it will permeate.

[Helmut LUBBERS]

So. What now?

If we want to reverse the trends of total toxification and depletion of our planet we'll have to become radical and this rapidly.

We must democratically chase all those opinion leaders out of office, who still believe that we must and can maintain economic growth on a finite planet.

Since it's a ludicrous fallacy to believe that we can grow forever.
In fact, humanity has already overshot the planet's carying capacity by far.

We are 6.5 billion people. But the planet can probably only support sustainably a population of 1 billion at a level of luxury comparable to the 17th century.

How tio get there? I don't know. Ithink we're lost. Full stop.

Helmut Lubbers

[A Surfer]

The times should be absolutely congratulated on having the courage to produce this article! What a wakeup call and thanks! I'm a surfer and have experienced some of the symptoms described in the red tide section (coughing, breathing issues, even some dizziness). I used to shrug it off as allergies, but it often strangely coincided with surfing. I love the ocean, but this is really a mess, and it seems the current trend is for the worse.

How is it that in such an age of progress, this civilization can have such a detrimental effect on the natural world? Is so big and vast that there is nothing that we could possibly do to “effect” it. In light of this article and numerous others, it’s obvious that this belief is basically flawed.

I'm not an end of the world-er, but this article really raises the question "what is progress?" Is progress some endless good that we just haven’t yet reached or shopping malls and housing tracts, two hour commutes, an epidemic of obesity, and poisoned land, air and water. So, this is the fruit of all our labors?

I think maybe one of the basic flaws of civilization is the belief that man is the only creature capable of creating anything “good”. Our current belief system seems to ignore the fact that man evolved out of something much larger (we didn’t create this thing of course), and to ignore this greater truth is maybe a bit perilous.

[Gary Rosenblum]

Two points emerge from this extraordinarily brilliant series.

First, because we are so clearly all part of an immense web of life that involves incredibly complex interplay between biology, chemistry and physics it is overarchingly important it is that every child understand biology, chemistry and physics so that they will be able to attempt to hold off the catastrophe we are racing towards at an ever accelerating rate. (unfortunately our government leaders and a heartbreakingly vast majority of our children are willfully ignorant of these subjects)

Secondly, when the big story of the 21st century is written, it will not be oil or religious wars. It will be the century when we reached the tipping point for the extinction of humans on earth.

[Steven Henderson]

I thought it was getting bad when the Red Tide in S W Florida stayed for 6 months instead of 2 weeks. Now I know that as individuals we are only seeing a small part of the global problem.

THANKS for the work to tell part fo the rest of the story!!

Is this complete presentation avaiallbe on CD?

[Andrew]

A nice series of articles. I'd like to see you address SONAR as well.

[Taylor]

Many people consider the environment a priority, the problems the planet face today arise because the environment is rarely a TOP priority for most. With our busy schedules and demanding lives, it is difficult to find time to think about the environment. Faith, family, friends, work, and others come before the care of the planet.

However, it IS NOT too late to act.

The hopelessness seen out and about on the street and even on this message board will only expediate the problem. We need to get rid of the mentality that "one person can't change anything." If everyone starts believing that they can't make a difference, then nothing will happen. so everyone do what you can, however small you think it is, in the long run and in the big picture, everyone doing their part will make a difference.

Thanks to these great articles, hopefully the environment will move up a step or two in our priorities and we can all start doing small things that combined have a significant impact, but DO NOT let hopelessness enter into the picture or we are doomed

[Hardy Jones]

This is a brilliant series of articles which is sorely needed. I am a wildlife filmmaker and produce films for Discovery, National Geographic and PBS. The degradation I've seen in the oceans is staggering. Killer whales I filmed in the 1990s have died off due to high levels of PCBs. On a personal level I have been diagnosed with mercury poisoning (at a time when I ate a lot of tuna and swordfish) and more recently with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer. Along with a prominent Myeloma specialist I am studying the correlation between incidence of this disease and people who eat a lot of fish. The correlations so far are quite compelling.

Hardy Jones, executive director, bluevoice.org

[MJ Spaulding, Washington DC]

I wanted to let the reporters and readers of this series know of a direct effect it had on Capitol Hill yesterday. I attended the State of the Oceans 2006 National Ocean Policy Study Subcommittee congressional hearing where five prominent witnesses from the government, industry, and academia gave testimony. During the questioning, California Senator Barbara Boxer read aloud from the beginning paragraphs of Part 3: Dark Tides, Ill Winds. She then pointedly questioned the witnesses why more progress has not been made on research and responses to Harmful Algal Blooms in the federal government. The answer: Don't know, will get back to you as soon as possible.

LA Times - thank you, thank you, thank you for presenting the extremely pressing issues of ocean pollution in such a comprehensive, professional, and humanizing way. While our government may be moving like molasses on these issues, you may just have hurried it up a bit.

[Susan Simpson]

The first installment of Altered Oceans is one of the scariest articles I've read in a long time! Hopefully the series will make an impact. As a beach lover, I am always amazed at the amount of trash people leave behind - when trash recepticals are easily available within a few steps. Thanks to all who put the series together - wish I could download the photos.
Susan Simpson

[Shelly]

I would like to purchase this series on DVD or via download. Just name your price. Please consider making it available to all for the long-term so that it will continue to educate our environmentally-illiterate masses.

[Susann Perry]

Thank you for your outstanding article on Our Altered Oceans. We have all know that we our causing this terrible pollution to our environment. NOW is time we do something about it. We need our Government officials to promote the beginning of a new a better world. I am looking at all aspects of my life how I can be part of the solution.

S.Perry - Los Angeles, CA

[Albert Schram]

I live on South Caicos, a Caribbean island bordering on the Atlantic Ocean. The currents of garbage from Europe deposit huge quantities of trash on our beaches. Added to this, is the garbage left by the cruise ship industry and local sources. The awesome pictures and informative graphs in this "Altered Oceans" series bring home the message: only coordinated international action through the UN can bring any kind of alleviation for our oceans.

[Nelson Campbell]

I have read each installment with horror and sadness, but not necessarily surprise. I thank all the authors and photographers for this incredible undertaking - they are deserving of a Pulitzer and more. However it is clear that their greatest reward would be a sea change in behaviour and practice by corporations, governments and the general populace. We are all participants, on verying levels, of what seems much like a massive criminal enterprise. The poisonous tide has not yet hit close enough to home - psychologically or practically - for us to react and act. It will, but it may be too late. Thank you for the warnings, reminders and new information. May we use them wisely and quickly.

[James C. Talbot]

As a psychologist, and lay environmentalist, I've always been an optomistic proponent of our continued evolution and survival as a species. But, in recent years, doubt has creeped into that assessment. I'm now thinking that humanity cannot continue to grow and evolve in the absence of a healthy environment.

[Robert J. Stull]

Forty years of travel and study as a professional geologist have shown me the truth of your terrific articles on our oceans. It is abundantly clear that our oceans are in serious trouble and the consequences for life on Earth will be very bad. Simple prudence requires that we take immediate action to improve the situation. Instead, I expect decades of demands from our world and national leaders for further study. It is only journalism like this that can get our leaders to pull their heads out of the sand.

[Gabriel Washington]

Economics over ecology has turned out to be a bad idea. I wish we could have worked together with the Native American Indians they really understood the delicate balance of life. But most thought they were uneducated. Now we know we were all wrong. Hindsight is 20/20

[Karen]

http://www.redtidealert.com/default.asp

[Ron Howell]

Congratulations to the LA Times for the excellent series on Altered Oceans. It certainly brings to mind the summary that I originally read in a Greenpeace handout in London some 20 years ago.
"Planet Earth is 4,600,000,000 years old. If we condensed this inconceivable time span into an understandable concept, we can liken Earth to a person of 46 years of age. Nothing is known about the first seven years of the person’s life, and whilst only scattered information exists about the middle span, we know that only at the age of 42 did the Earth begin to flower. Dinosaurs and great reptiles did not appear until one year ago and in the middle of last week, man-like apes evolved in to ape-like men and at the weekend, the last ice age enveloped the Earth.
Modern man has been around for 4 hours. During the last hour, Man discovered agriculture. The industrial revolution began a minute ago. During those 60 seconds of biological time, modern man has made a rubbish tip of a paradise. He has multiplied his numbers to plague proportions, caused the extinction of 500 species of animals, ransacked the planet for fuels. And now man stands, like a brutish infant, gloating over his meteoric rise to ascendancy, on the brink of a war to end all wars and effectively destroying an oasis of life in the solar system.”

A little harsh perhaps, but so true.

[Dennis]

I llive on the east coast near Chesapeake Bay. A couple of years back, the Washington Post did an article on the decline of oysters in the bay. Apparently oysters filter the water at an astonishing rate. There was a major project to repopulate the oysters. Now the Maryland Blue Crab (crabcakes) are endangered.

Where will humanity stop? This reminds me a bit of Stephen King's book, "The Stand", where mankind killed 99% of the population with manufactured bio agents. Well, it looks like Mother Nature may eventually do the same--not on purpose, but by man's ignorance and callous disregard for the planet.

Am I guilty of being a source of the problem? Absolutely. A year and half ago, I was one of those that bought "a 60 thousand dollar gas guzzling SUV". I plan on being part of the solution: by riding a motorcyle (forget public transportation in parts of Virginia), changing my driving habits, and purchasing less plastic. I also plan on starting to recycle the plastic and bottles I do use.

Anyone have thoughts on how to clean a toilet without chemicals?

[Karen Johnston]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to Altered Oceans. We need more responsible journalism like this to improve our lives and preserve our future on planet Earth. I'd like to more about the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum and current theories of what caused it. I can't shake the feeling that the earth itself is on a mission to purge itself of it's greatest threat - man.

[Jennifer Burk]

This would make a great PBS show/miniseries. Or NPR. This needs to get more publicity and a greater audience. This is incredible journalism. Thank you to all involved for your work. You deserve more praise than I can give you.

[Bobby Jimenez]

Thanks for the great jounalism and coverage of the Altered Oceans series. I recently moved to Arizona and missed the awesome series content provided by the LA TIMES. Thanks for making an online version of the series. I miss the LA Times at my door. As a frequent beach goer, I noticed the red tides more often within the past few years and I hope this series will make people more aware of the current conditions happening in our oceans. Let's nominate this for a Pulitzer!

[Carmela Phillips]

Please send copies of the week's LA Times articles on our altered oceans to Orange County's U.S. Rep Dana Rohrabacher who apparently was quoted in today's Daily Pilot (that incidenlty comes with the LA Times subscription) that global warming is a myth. Rohrabacher's response was" If you believe what the global warming people say about greenhouse gases causing this,what you really want to do is bulldoze all the rain forests and plant young trees...because that's where most of the greenhouse gases come from."
With this type of ignorant attitude permeating all levels of our government, it's no wonder that there's been and sadly continues, a dismissal of scientific evidence and data and a coninued disregard for the fragile environment that we live in.
Government has never affected real change- it's up to each and every one of us that is passionate for the truth to start the change and protect our world for future generations. Spread the word.

[Kimberly Kaplan]

Thank you, thank you to Kenneth Weiss, Usha Lee McFarling, Rick Loomis, and the staff at the L.A. Times. As a marine biologist and ocean lover, I applaud the fantastic journalism and photography that will surely reach people who would otherwise not have known about the tragedies that are occuring in our world's oceans. Please add my name to nominate this talented group for a Pulitzer.

This was a beautiful series that should open the eyes of everyone to make a difference now before it is too late.

[Sharline Chiang]

Congratulations to Kenneth Weiss, Rick Loomis, Usha Lee McFarling and everyone at the LA Times who helped create and suported this stunning and important series. I, too, would like to nominate it for a Pulitzer.

Through words and images the project conveys a heart-wrenching, breathtaking, and sobering tale. I was reminded of how easy it is to forget the beauty that lies beneath our waters, not only because we spend so much time on land, but because so many of us exist away from nature, inside the confines of asphalt, glass and steel. This has served as a reminder to spend more time in Nature, to care for it, fight for it, for the sake of our planet and generations to come.

Thank you again.

You've all seen the analogy of the man that wants water, yet it is spread thinly over a vast area since it is due. A spring or stream is much more useful as it is concentrated. Extend to oil wells, small plays, etc.

I'd heard of the plastic accretion zone somewhere else over the years, but reading the LA times series I was struck by an idea.

It is possible to recycle plastic. It is pretty much in one area.

If you took a trawler, netted through the "trash latitudes," ran the catch through a shredder, then to an on shore recycling site.

Do you think it possible, from both an EROI and economic standpoint that it might be positive? Or simply a way to reduce the ecologically bothersome debris from the ocean. I'm aware that it would take trawlers quite a while to make a dent in this, but doing something is better than nothing.

One paragraph from the article might well 86 the whole scheme, though it would be good to get it out of the environment.

"The jars were filled with plastic pellets the size and shape of pills. They come in all colors and are the raw material for a vast array of plastic