1 . Vast underwater meadows (草甸) of gently waving sea grass cover hundreds of miles up and down the West Coast. These blue-green fields perform a variety of important services. They protect the shoreline from erosion, clear pollutants from the water and provide habitats for all kinds of marine animals.

New research suggests sea grass meadows may also mitigate a serious consequence of greenhouse gas emissions: the steady acidification of ocean waters. The study published in the journal Global Change Biology finds that sea grass forests can raise pH levels in coastal waters. As they perform photosynthesis (光合作用), they remove carbon dioxide from the water, counteracting the acidifying effect of the gas.

“I think we are all very excited about it,” said lead study author Aurora Ricart, a scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Marine Sciences.

Ocean acidification is a side effect of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Some of this CO₂ dissolves out of the air and into the sea, causing a chemical reaction that lowers the water’s pH. Scientists sometimes refer to it as global warming’s “evil twin”—an invisible companion to climate change.

Ocean acidification can have harmful effects on marine organisms like shellfish and coral by preventing them from properly forming the hard shells they need to survive. It’s a threat both to natural ecosystems and to shellfish fisheries around the world. The study presents a natural way to address the problem.

Researchers analyzed six years of data from sea grass meadows spanning more than 600 miles off the California coastline. It focused on the common eelgrass, one of the most widespread sea grass species on the West Coast. The authors claim it’s the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind.

According to the study, sea grass ecosystems can raise pH levels by more than 0.1 unit, equivalent to about a 30% decrease in acidity. The effect isn’t constant. It comes in waves and is influenced by temperature, daylight, ocean currents and other factors that affect water chemistry and sea grass photosynthesis rates. But the tempering influence on acidification can be lasting, sometimes persisting for up to three weeks at a time. The study also shows that pH is higher in sea grass ecosystems, compared to nearby areas with no sea grass, about 65% of the time.

The study didn’t investigate the effects of higher pH on marine organisms — that’s a question for future research. But there’s reason to believe these meadows may have a positive influence on shellfish and other ocean animals.

2 . Vast underwater meadows (草甸) of gently waving sea grass cover hundreds of miles up and down the West Coast. These blue-green fields perform a variety of important services. They protect the shoreline from erosion, clear pollutants from the water and provide habitats for all kinds of marine animals.

New research suggests sea grass meadows may also mitigate a serious consequence of greenhouse gas emissions: the steady acidification of ocean waters. The study published in the journal Global Change Biology finds that sea grass forests can raise pH levels in coastal waters. As they perform photosynthesis (光合作用), they remove carbon dioxide from the water, counteracting the acidifying effect of the gas.

“I think we are all very excited about it,” said lead study author Aurora Ricart, a scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Marine Sciences.

Ocean acidification is a side effect of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Some of this CO₂ dissolves out of the air and into the sea, causing a chemical reaction that lowers the water’s pH. Scientists sometimes refer to it as global warming’s “evil twin”—an invisible companion to climate change.

Ocean acidification can have harmful effects on marine organisms like shellfish and coral by preventing them from properly forming the hard shells they need to survive. It’s a threat both to natural ecosystems and to shellfish fisheries around the world. The study presents a natural way to address the problem.

Researchers analyzed six years of data from sea grass meadows spanning more than 600 miles off the California coastline. It focused on the common eelgrass, one of the most widespread sea grass species on the West Coast. The authors claim it’s the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind.

According to the study, sea grass ecosystems can raise pH levels by more than 0.1 unit, equivalent to about a 30% decrease in acidity. The effect isn’t constant. It comes in waves and is influenced by temperature, daylight, ocean currents and other factors that affect water chemistry and sea grass photosynthesis rates. But the tempering influence on acidification can be lasting, sometimes persisting for up to three weeks at a time. The study also shows that pH is higher in sea grass ecosystems, compared to nearby areas with no sea grass, about 65% of the time.

The study didn’t investigate the effects of higher pH on marine organisms — that’s a question for future research. But there’s reason to believe these meadows may have a positive influence on shellfish and other ocean animals.

8 . When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.

After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.

The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.

He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.

Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from I,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.

“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”

9 . When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.

After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.

The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.

He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.

Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from I,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.

“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”