Oceans Regulate Climate: Earth’s Resilience

Introduction

Oceans play a massive role in regulating Earth’s climate, driven by natural forces like ocean currents, plate tectonics, and volcanism—not just CO2, as alarmists claim. Life has thrived under far higher CO2 levels than today’s 420 ppm, and fears of “ocean acidification” or catastrophic sea level rise are overblown. I’ve seen environmental damage in Southwest Virginia, like polluted creeks from coal mining, but I also know Earth is resilient, self-regulating through science, not some spiritual “balance.” Here, I’ll show how oceans shape climate, why high CO2 didn’t harm ancient life, and why alarmist claims—like “acid” oceans or sinking islands—don’t match the data.

Earth regulates itself, no mysticism needed.

Oceans and Climate: Geological Drivers

Oceans, covering 71% of Earth, control global heat flow through currents shaped by land masses—positions determined by plate tectonics, often called continental drift. During the Eocene Epoch (55.8–33.9 MYA), a vast equatorial current distributed heat, keeping Earth warm. South America was still connected to Antarctica, blocking the modern circumpolar current that formed ~34 million years ago, cooling and drying the planet.

Volcanism also played a role. The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO, ~40.5 MYA), a ~500,000-year warming event, coincided with massive volcanic activity in Iran and Azerbaijan. This released 1052–12,565 Pg of carbon (a wide estimate), raising CO2 to ~2000 ppm. The heat came from geology—volcanoes and continental positions—not just CO2, as alarmists claim. Modern conditions (e.g., circumpolar current, separated continents) mean even 2000 ppm CO2 wouldn’t recreate the Eocene’s warmth today. [Ref: van der Boon et al., 2021, Clim. Past]

Illustration of ancient life thriving under high CO2 levels, such as Cambrian corals showing Earth’s resilience.

Life’s Resilience Under High CO2

Life has thrived under CO2 levels far higher than today’s 420 ppm, showing Earth’s resilience. During the Cambrian Explosion (541–485.4 MYA), when complex life like corals and shelled animals emerged, CO2 was 7,000–8,000 ppm. Oceans weren’t fatally “acid” (likely pH ~7.6–7.8); in fact, rising seas eroded shorelines, tripling calcium levels in seawater, which helped animals build thicker shells. [Ref: Beth Geiger, SN Explores, 2014]

In the Eocene (55.8–33.9 MYA), CO2 hit ~2000 ppm during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). Mammals thrived, with modern groups appearing despite the warmth. Modern corals evolved 225 MYA at ~1800 ppm CO2, with no mass die-offs from “acidic” oceans. The fact we’re here proves life adapts to high CO2—alarmists ignore this history.

Ocean pH: Debunking Acidification Alarmism

Alarmists claim today’s oceans are “30% more acidic” since 1750, dropping from pH 8.2 to 8.1, due to CO2 (420 ppm). This is scare-mongering. First, oceans are alkaline (pH 8.1), not acidic (below 7). Second, that 1750 pH of 8.2 is a modeled guess—no direct measurements exist. The pH scale is logarithmic, so a 0.1 drop isn’t “30% more acidic” in practical terms—it’s a tiny shift, well within life’s tolerance.

Aquatic life thrives at pH 6.5–8.0, per the Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership. Freshwater mussels near my home in Southwest Virginia, like those in Copper Creek, Scott County, live in streams with pH often below 8.0—yet they persist. Soil for growing vegetables needs pH 6–7, showing even “acidic” conditions support life. Ancient oceans at 7,000–8,000 ppm CO2 (pH ~7.6–7.8) supported corals and shells. Today’s pH 8.1 is no threat—calling it “acid” is just fear tactics.

Hysteresis: Long-Term Change vs. Short-Term Hype

Real climate change takes millennia, a concept called hysteresis, not the decades alarmists focus on. The Eocene’s warmth lasted 22 million years, driven by ocean currents and volcanism. The PETM saw ~5–8°C warming over 20,000 years at 1000–2000 ppm CO2, with Earth recovering over 100,000 years via feedbacks (e.g., silicate weathering, ~0.1–0.5 GtC/year). The Hypsithermal (9,000–5,000 years ago) warmed 2–4°C over millennia, with ecosystems adapting (e.g., greener Sahara).

Modern warming (~1.1°C since 1850, ~0.01°C/year) is steady, driven by natural recovery from the Little Ice Age (1300–1850) and human activity (CO2 at 260–320 ppm to 420 ppm). Decades of storms or heatwaves aren’t climate collapse—they’re weather variability. Alarmists ignore hysteresis, hyping short-term events as proof of doom, like the Maldives sinking by 2018—yet they’re still here.

Real-World Contradictions and Local Focus

Alarmist predictions often fail. In 1988, the Canberra Times claimed the Maldives would be underwater by 2018 due to a 20–30 cm sea level rise. Instead, a 2000–2017 study shows the Maldives gained 37.50 km² of land area, part of a 61.74 km² increase across 221 Indian and Pacific atolls. [Ref: ScienceDirect, 2021]

This kind of hype isn’t new. In 1989, climate scientist Stephen Schneider explained the strategy behind such claims: “On the one hand, as scientists we are ethically bound to the scientific method. On the other hand, we are not just scientists but human beings as well. We'd like to reduce the risk of disastrous climatic change. That entails getting media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have.” (Discover magazine, 1989) I don’t think Schneider was an outright liar—far from it—but his activism poisoned his objectivity, contributing to the alarmist narratives that overshadow data, like the Maldives’ growth or Earth’s resilience at high CO2 levels.

We should focus on real issues, not fear. Near my home, Copper Creek in Scott County, Southwest Virginia, hosts freshwater mussels. They’re in decline but recovering, per studies. That’s where our efforts should go—solving local problems with data, not chasing global scare stories that don’t match reality.

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Conclusion

Oceans regulate climate through currents, geology, and feedbacks, not just CO2, as alarmists claim. Life thrived at 7,000–8,000 ppm CO2 in the Cambrian, and oceans at pH 8.1 today are far from “acidic”—fear tactics don’t match data. Real change takes millennia (hysteresis), not decades, and predictions like the Maldives sinking have failed. In Southwest Virginia, I’ve seen coal’s damage, but also nature’s resilience—like Copper Creek mussels recovering. For more on how activism fuels alarmism, see my page on Lovelock, Earth vs. Venus, and Hansen’s Alarmism, where I critique similar distortions in climate science. Let’s focus on real, local solutions, not global fear. Earth is self-regulating, and the data, not hype, tells the story.