http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014987150


Rise in mass die-offs seen among birds, fish and marine invertebrates

Source: Science Daily-University of California - Berkeley

Date:
January 12, 2015

Source:
University of California - Berkeley

Summary:
An analysis of 727 studies reveals that there have been more instances of rapid, catastrophic animal die-offs over the past 75 years. These mass kills appear to have hit birds, fish and marine invertebrates harder than other species.

An analysis of 727 mass die-offs of nearly 2,500 animal species from the past 70 years has found that such events are increasing among birds, fish and marine invertebrates. At the same time, the number of individuals killed appears to be decreasing for reptiles and amphibians, and unchanged for mammals.

Such mass mortality events occur when a large percentage of a population dies in a short time frame. While the die-offs are rare and fall short of extinction, they can pack a devastating punch, potentially killing more than 90 percent of a population in one shot. However, until this study, there had been no quantitative analysis of the patterns of mass mortality events among animals, the study authors noted.

"This is the first attempt to quantify patterns in the frequency, magnitude and cause of such mass kill events," said study senior author Stephanie Carlson, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley's Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

The study, published Monday, Jan. 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was led by researchers at UC Berkeley, the University of San Diego and Yale University.


Read more: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150112181319.htm
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That's curious. Haven't we been reading for years about widespread declines in amphibian populations?
Amphibians have been said to be "canaries in the coal mines" b/c of their sensitivity to environmental changes.

start doing something about the rapidly deteriorating environment. nt

wants to kill it with its excrement and byproducts.

If American Republicans would not be standing in the way, standing on the holy grounds of Christian theology and firmly held beliefs that the planet was given to Mankind to rape and plunder, we could move on.

In short order

I don't have a lot of confidence in "us" these days.

The impacts are accelerating, but they're not so bad we can't reverse them.

And "we" don't want to do anything to upset Penny Pritzker's fellow billionaires.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3648867

to have to spend their money, their world would come to an end... an extinction I can wholeheartedly endorse.

Earning their keep, their learning how to become productive. Real work would be torture for them.

I'd love to see that. I should clarify that by extinction I am referring to their practices and the industry served not necessarily the actual humans, but I don't think I would mourn them either.

... that their right to profit from the exploitation of finite resources should supersede our right to live. And the Supreme Court will support them.

I love that hook line. As if to say, don't give up all hope. If we all just came together to recognize the peril we and all the other species on this planet are in, we could still do something positive about it.

WRONG! We'll never get consensus, we're too competitive and profit driven. We'd rather see someone else lose and be the sole remaining winner.

extinction of humans is a hell of a thing to live your kids and grand kids.

good luck with that.

What a greedy, stupid, short-sighted species we humans have been.

So heartbreaking.