Theory of Global Warming Formulated in Oklahoma by Gene the Bean

by Gene Franks

Sometime around 1948, when I was almost ten years old and was still known to friends and family as Gene the Bean, I put forth the theory of Global Warming.

My family home in Okemah, OK was only two lots off of the three-service-station intersection of red brick North 4th St. and the very busy black-topped Highway 62–the highway that carried all the traffic between Oklahoma City and Ft. Smith.

When I sat on the south porch of the house in summer, it was hot.

My grandfather lived nine miles north on a seldom-traveled gravel country road that ran the mile that separated Last Chance and Morse (combined population of about 75). On hot summer days when I visited my grandfather and sat on his south-facing porch, it was cool and breezy.

It did not take my nine-year-old brain long to figure out that when you’re in a place where the breeze blows through pastures, thickets  and big shady trees, a place where  there are no cars and trucks in sight, it’s a lot cooler than when you’re in a place where the breeze is blocked by houses and greasy service stations and the sun’s heat is being soaked up by red bricks and black pavement and there is a steady stream of cars and trucks with heat-belching exhaust pipes. That’s when I made my prediction that as more and more cars and trucks come on the scene, and we cut down more and more trees and thickets, and we pave more and more of the land, the warmer the world is going to get.

I formed that theory without computer models or sophisticated analytical equipment, proving that “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” It was my theory, and I’m sticking with it.

WOTUS Explained

by Gene Franks

When my grandfather built a house on his farm in Oklahoma just before the Great Depression he decided to leave behind the outdoor toilet and washtubs of his family’s previous home and go with modern indoor plumbing. Indoor plumbing was not yet common in farmhouses at the time.

The new house was in the middle of a 160-acre farm and there were no nearby neighbors, so he saw no problem in simply letting the raw sewage and grey water from the home discharge from a pipe into an empty field that sloped down to a small creek. Except on the days when the wind came from the wrong direction, it was easy to forget that raw sewage was collecting just a few feet down the slope. Conveniently, rain washed everything down the hill and eventually into the creek.

My grandfather built his new house about 50 years before the 1972 Clean Water Act when the concept of WOTUS, which stands for “Waters of the United States,” came into being. He followed the prevailing logic that since the land was his, it was no one else’s business where he discharged his sewer water. In 1972 the initial understanding of what the “Waters of the United States” consists of applied mainly to navigable water so my grandfather’s pasture and the tiny creek his sewage eventually washed into were not a great concern.

In 2025, defining WOTUS has become a complicated on-going political dilemma. The scope of WOTUS changes depending on which party is running the EPA. In broad terms, those who value private property ownership over public wellbeing and water quality, most often Republicans, take the view that my grandfather was within his rights to dump his sewage and his leftover farm chemicals and the used crankcase oil from his tractor on the side of his hill and let the rain wash it into “his” little creek. The other side, the radical lefties, take the view that the “Waters of the United States” concept includes the water on a farm in Oklahoma regardless of who owns the land, that all water is part of the Waters of the United States, just as McElligott’s little pool is part of an underground stream which is part of a river which is part of the oceans.

Under President Obama, WOTUS was broadened and more restriction was placed on what could be done on private land and by private businesses. Greater restrictions were placed on private activities that had an effect on the public water supply. The current administration is now working to redefine WOTUS and thus loosen restrictions on private individuals and businesses. Most recently, the new EPA administrator is seeking to remove wetlands, an essential component of nature’s water management system, from control under WOTUS.

Redefining WOTUS according to the way the political winds blow is now expected.  Today’s rural homebuilders have accepted that they have to have an approved septic system for disposal of sewage. That’s progress. The battle today has shifted to do land developers have to be burdened by bothersome WOTUS rules about draining wetlands to build apartments.

Water News for November 2025

By Riley Kleemeier

The Basics for Backwashing Water Filters for Residential Applications

A backwashing filter is a water filter that cleans itself periodically by rinsing away impurities it has filtered from water. An equally important purpose of the backwash is to resettle the filter’s media bed.

Although a backwashing filter may look like a water softener and be the same size, it’s a different animal. Softeners are “ion exchangers,” not filters.

A backwashing filter is a simple device that consists of a large tank called a “mineral tank” that is filled with a filtering substance called a filter medium. (The plural is media.) Water enters the top of the tank through a special control valve and passes downward through the medium, which removes impurities and holds them. Some media do not hold impurities, but cause a change to occur. Calcite, for example, dissolves and in the process increases the pH of acidic water. The treated water then enters a tube at the bottom of the mineral tank, passes upward through the tube (called a riser), and exits the filter via the control valve.

When the filter medium is saturated with contaminants, the control valve initiates a backwash. The backwash is an operation in which water passes backward through the filter at a rapid rate. It enters the tank at the bottom via the riser tube, then passes upward through the filter medium, exiting at the top, via the control valve. The rapid upward flow, in addition to washing away stored impurities, fluffs and resettles the media bed, preparing it for another filtering cycle.

Media

Filter media are selected according to purpose. Some of the most common are Katalox (iron removal), Zeolite (sediment removal), Calcite (increase pH of acidic water),  and KDF55 (chlorine and lead removal), KDF85 (iron and hydrogen sulfide reduction). Older favorites that are still around but not as widely used as before are Manganese Greensand (iron and sulfide removal), Birm (iron removal), and Filter Ag (sediment reduction).

Some media have numerous applications, like the very useful and widely used GAC, or Granular Activated Carbon, which is used to remove chlorine, the by-products of chlorination, pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals in general. GAC, following proper pretreatment, also removes iron and hydrogen sulfide. It comes in various formulations made from a variety of materials (bituminous coal, coconut shells, wood, etc.), each with its own special properties. Catalytic carbon, a specially processed version of GAC, is aimed at special problems like chloramines in city tap water and iron and hydrogen sulfide in well water. GAC is proving to be an effective treatment for new contaminants like PFAS as well.

The Pure Water Products website includes a useful Filter Media Guide and a second guide that gives flow and backwash features of the various media.

City Water Problems

• Chlorine/Chloramines and Taste/Odor

  The standard medium for removal of chlorine, both free and combined, and for the enhancement of taste and odor in city tap water is granular activated carbon (GAC).  Catalytic carbon, sold under such brand names as Centaur® and Aquasorb,, is a specially processed carbon designed for effective removal of chloramine. KDF55, an excellent long-term remover of free chlorine, is not effective against chloramine or combined chlorine. It is often mixed in small quantities with GAC to enhance its performance.

• Fluoride Reduction

  Unfortunately, there isn’t a practical way to get significant, dependable fluoride reduction with a residential backwashing filter. Activated Alumina, the most commonly used medium for fluoride removal, requires very low flow rates and must be used in large quantities. These problems make it impractical for use in standard “whole house” filters.Although reduction of fluoride by standard GAC is not claimed by manufacturers, the reality is that carbon often reduces fluoride. Although fluoride reduction by carbon filtration may depend on many variables (pH, mineral content of the water, etc.) that make performance uncertain, a good carbon filter is probably your best bet for fluoride reduction in city water. We can’t promise it, but it often works. A specialty carbon called “bone char” (made from animal bones) is often sold as a fluoride treatment. We have not seen evidence that it removes fluoride better than standard GAC.

• Chemical Reduction

  For general chemical reduction — removal of pesticides, herbicides, etc.— carbon (GAC) is the standard. Filter carbon is made from a variety of substances, the most common being bituminous coal. Carbon made from coconut shells is generally regarded as the medium of choice for the removal of chlorinated solvents or Volatile Organics. Catalytic carbon is superior for treatment of chloramine. Catalytic carbon is made from either bituminous coal or coconut shells.

• Hard Water

  “Hardness” is an overabundance of calcium and magnesium. It is removed by a water softener, which is an ion exchanger, not a filter. Go here to see water softeners.

Well Water Problems

• Iron Removal

  You should not simply purchase a filter with “iron removal” media and expect it to solve your iron problems. Although a simple Katalox filter is sometimes all that’s needed, iron removal often requires pretreatment by chlorination or aeration or some other oxidization strategy. In many cases, a common water softener is a great iron removal tool. A free-standing Katalox filter will usually work quite well to remove a reasonably small amount of iron if your water has a pH of 7.0 or higher and there is sufficient dissolved oxygen in the water to be treated. If pH is low, an ordinary water softener may be your best choice for removal of small amounts of iron.

• pH Increase

  Backwashing filters with calcite can increase the pH of acidic water to neutral. They can also remove sediment and, if the water is properly oxidized, they can remove iron. Increasing pH is often necessary as a pretreatment for iron removal with a backwashing filter.

• Hydrogen Sulfide Removal

  Small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, the noxious gas that produces the “rotten egg” smell that wells are sometimes plagued with, can be removed by carbon filters and KDF/carbon combinations. If the problem is significant, you’ll get best results by treating with aeration or chlorination before filtering with carbon. This is a case where catalytic carbon works better than standard GAC.

• Sediment

  Most standard filter media will provide some filtration of larger particles, 20 microns and larger. Zeolite filters are superior for sediment removal and can effectively remove particles down to 5 microns or smaller.

• Hard Water

  “Hardness” is an overabundance of calcium and magnesium. It is removed by a softener, not a filter. Go here to see water softeners. Hardness can also be “sequestered” by filtration through poly-phosphate, though this is not commonly done with backwashing filters.

• Bacteria

  Filters are not designed to make water contaminated with bacteria safe to drink. For that, you need a chlorination system or an ultraviolet system.

Fleck 5600 Backwashing Filter.  Our popular Fleck 5600 SXT series of backwashing filters.

How Backwashing Filters Work.

Practical Advise for Residential City Water Applications

Carbon filtration is a valuable resource for providing all around good tasting, aesthetically pleasing water for the whole home or for drinking. Be sure the product you select is adequately sized, then renew the carbon media is replaced before it is spent.

The article above is adapted, very freely, from a Calgon Corporation article. See original at Water Online.

Water News for September 2025

Raw Sewage Taints the Delaware River

Philadelphia discharges an incredible 12.7 billion gallons of raw, diluted sewage into the Delaware River’s watershed each year according to a new report. The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Amazing Recovery of the Klamath River after Hydroelectric Dam Removal

The final of four hydroelectric dams was removed last year from the Klamath River, in the largest project of its kind in US history. The following July, 28 teenage tribal representatives completed a 30-day journey that spanned roughly 310 miles (500km) from the headwaters in the Cascades to the Pacific. They were the very first to kayak the entirety of the mighty river in more than a century. The Guardian.

Water Projects Ordered Cancelled May Not Be Cancelled

A week after the White House signaled its intention to “immediately” pause or cancel $11 billion worth of water projects in 12 states that lean politically toward Democrats, it’s unclear what — if any — work might be affected.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which would oversee those projects, lacks the authority to cancel work authorized by Congress, multiple former corps officials said.

A former corps official, who is now senior adviser at Dawson and Associates, a Washington firm specializing in federal water regulation and environmental permitting, said he doesn’t know of any funds being paused or redirected away from blue-state projects. E&E News.

Severe Drought in Washington

Unprecedent drought conditions in Washington’s Yakima River Basin has made necessary a population-wide total ban on irrigation and lawn or garden watering. This is Washington’s third straight drought year in a row. Seattle Times. 

Congresswoman Seeks Release of PFAS Report

A drinking water report studying the toxicity of perfluorononanoic acid, or PFNA, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized in mid-April has yet to be released to the public, sparking concerns from Representative Chellie Pingree.

PNFA is a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance, or PFAS. PFAS encompass thousands of man-made chemicals found in everyday items like non-stick cookware, firefighting foams, grease-resistant food wrappers, water-resistant clothing and other items. PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” because of the long time it takes the chemicals to break down, can cause harm in high exposure amounts.

During the breakdown process, PFAS can leach into the soil and water supply. These chemicals also threaten the water supply when products containing them are dumped onto the ground or into lakes and rivers. A 2023 study from the U.S. Geological Survey found that PFAS are present in the tap water of nearly half of U.S. homes.

On October 16, Pingree, a Democrat from Maine, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin asking him why the report has yet to be released and who is responsible for its delay, among other questions. Newsweek 

After Decades, Camp LeJeune Water Scandal Still On Hold in Congress

Decades after Marines and families at North Carolina’s Camp Lejeune bathed and drank in poisoned water, the law meant to bring them justice has stalled. The 2022 Camp Lejeune Justice Act — intended to finally allow victims their day in court — has instead become mired in legal backlogs and procedural fights.

As medical bills mount from lifetimes of chronic illness and loved ones pass away, families say Washington’s delays have turned a promise of justice into yet another bureaucratic waiting game.  Fox News for full article.

Another Chemical Industry Lobbyist Being Appointed to EPA

The US Senate is poised to approve Donald Trump’s nomination of an industry lobbyist to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency’s chemical safety office. If the nominee, Douglas Troutman, is confirmed, the top four toxics office positions at the EPA will be held by former chemical industry lobbyists, raising new fears about the health and safety of the American public, consumers and workers, campaigners say.

“The lunatics are running the asylum, and industry is firmly in charge of chemical safety,” said Scott Faber, vice-president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group non-profit, which lobbies on chemical safety issues. “They will stop at nothing to reverse the progress that we’ve made in recent years on toxic chemicals.” The Guardian

Politics and the Waters of the United States

In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the definition of the Waters of the United States in the case Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. The result of that decision is estimated to have eliminated more than half of the nation’s wetland acres eligible for protections by the Clean Water Act. Iowa Public Radio.

Nobel Prize for Chemistry

Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025.Using techniques that they discovered, other scientists are applying their techniques to applications that include separating PFAS from water, breaking down traces of pharmaceuticals in the environment, capturing carbon dioxide or harvesting water from desert air. Water Online.

Lead Pipe Removal Lags As Federal Government Fails to Release Funds

The Trump administration is months behind schedule in distributing an estimated $3 billion to remove and replace lead water pipes, delaying infrastructure projects critical to protecting people from the toxic heavy metal. The 2021 infrastructure law included $15 billion to help fund the replacement of millions of lead-based drinking water pipes nationwide. The money has been divvied up and distributed in tranches to states each year, typically in the spring.

But nearly five months after EPA announced other funding this year for water projects through the State Revolving Funds, money for lead pipes remains held up. At least three states with a large number of lead pipes — Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts — said the delay could push back construction schedules for pipe replacement projects. Politico Pro

Heavy Rains Increase Microplastics in Water

Research conducted in India and South Africa demonstrates a sharp increase in microplastics in water after heavy rains. Yahoo News.

Microplastics Are Concentrated in Brain Tissue

A new study at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences, which examined the bodies of 47 cadavers, found microplastics in the brain are much higher in concentration than other parts of the body.The worst part is that this concentration has increased by 50% in only eight years. Researchers found 4,800 micrograms of microplastics per gram of brain tissue, the equivalent of a plastic spoon in total. Though the exact impact is unknown with these microplastics, One of the researchers said, “We start thinking that maybe these plastics obstruct blood flow in capillaries. There’s the potential that these nanomaterials interfere with the connections between axons in the brain. They could also be a seed for aggregation of proteins involved in dementia. We just don’t know.” Yahoo News.

Residential Removal of Microplastics from Water

Avoiding microplastics in the environment is becoming increasingly difficult. Removing them from drinking water is relatively easy.

Standard treatments for drinking water like reverse osmosis and carbon filtration do an excellent job on microplastics, so no special equipment is needed.

Reverse osmosis, which filters out particles down to 0.001 microns, is the best treatment, but standard carbon filtration also works very well. Highest removal percentages with carbon filtration are obtained with carbon block filters. The tighter the filter, the better the result, but even small end-of-faucet filters and pitcher filters are reasonably effective. Changing cartridges frequently is important.

Bottled Water may not be the cleaner choice

New study links microplastics to chronic health issues as industry spokespeople cite limitations

By Angelica Stabile

“Individuals who drink bottled water regularly ingest up to 90,000 more particles each year than those who drink mainly tap water.”

Microplastics are a known threat to overall health — and eating and drinking from plastic containers, like water bottles, could be a great offender, researchers suggest. A new study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials analyzed 141 existing scientific papers on microplastics and nanoplastics from single-use plastic water bottles to gauge how much plastic people may be ingesting. Researchers at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, discovered that the average person consumes 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles per year, according to a university press release.

Individuals who drink bottled water regularly ingest up to 90,000 more particles each year than those who drink mainly tap water, the study found.

The researchers noted that nanoplastics are especially concerning, as they’re invisible to the naked eye and smaller than 1 micron. They can also enter human cells, cross biological barriers and have the potential to reach organs and tissues, they cautioned.

“People need to understand that the issue is not acute toxicity – it is chronic toxicity,” said the lead researcher of the study.

Nanoplastics and microplastics have both been linked to serious and long-term health complications, including respiratory and reproductive issues, brain and nerve toxicity, and cancer risks.

These particles entering the bloodstream and vital organs can also cause chronic inflammation, oxidative stress on cells and hormonal disruption, according to the release.

These tiny plastic pieces emerge as bottles are made, stored, transported and broken down, and shed particles when they’re manipulated and exposed to sunlight or temperature changes, experts cautioned.

Exposure to sunlight and temperature changes can cause plastic particles to shed, experts warn.

“The long-term effects remain poorly understood due to a lack of widespread testing and standardized methods of measurement and detection,” the release stated.

Lead study author Sarah Sajedi, an environmental management expert and Ph.D. candidate at Concordia University, said in the press release that the health risks of plastic water bottles are “seriously understudied.”

“Education is the most important action we can take,” she said. “Drinking water from plastic bottles is fine in an emergency, but it is not something that should be used in daily life. People need to understand that the issue is not acute toxicity — it is chronic toxicity.”

Individuals who drink bottled water regularly ingest up to 90,000 more particles each year than those who drink mainly tap water.

The analysis did have some limitations, the researchers noted. The numerous studies used various testing methods, which means results are not always comparable. Some were also lacking in data on the size and composition of these particles.

The researchers called for further standardized testing and stronger policies to control the contamination of plastics in bottled water.

The analysis was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Concordia University.

Industry reps speak out

In January 2025, the International Bottled Water Association issued a statement related to the risk associated with microplastics and nanoplastics, pointing out that bottled water is among thousands of food and beverage products that are packaged in plastic containers.

“The bottled water industry is committed to providing consumers with the safest and highest quality healthy hydration products,” says the statement on IBWA’s website. “Micro- and nanoplastics are found everywhere in the environment — in the air, soil and water.”

“Because there are no certified testing methods and no scientific consensus on the potential health impacts of micro- and nanoplastics, the industry supports conducting additional research on this important issue.”

The FDA issued a statement on the topic in 2024, stating that “current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health.”

In 2024, the FDA issued a statement on the topic, stating that “current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health.”

The agency noted that it will continue to monitor research on microplastics and nanoplastics in foods and that it is “taking steps to advance the science and ensure our food remains safe.”

In a 2022 report from the World Health Organization, the agency stated that “no adverse health effects could be drawn from dietary exposure to micro- and nanoplastic particles less than 10 microns due to minimal scientific research.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Concordia University researchers and to multiple bottled water companies for comment.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

This article is truncated. See full article, with graphics, at Fox News.

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Water News for September of 2025

EPA Chickens Out on Much Needed Regulation of Meat and Poultry Slaughter Facilities

In a move celebrated by US meat and poultry producers but mourned by environment and health advocates, federal regulators are walking back a proposed rule that would have strengthened water pollution standards for slaughterhouse operators.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that “it is not appropriate to impose additional regulation on the [Meat and Poultry Products] industry, given Administration priorities and policy concerns, including protecting food supply and mitigating inflationary prices for American consumers.” Additional regulations on the industry’s wastewater would also result in increased air pollution and solid waste, the EPA wrote. [This interesting argument seems to say that we can keep contaminants out of our landfills by putting them instead into our bodies.] Source:  New Lead. Full article can be found in the Pure Water Gazette.

Campbell Soup Excels in Clean Water Act Violations

Campbell Soup Supply Co. admitted to violating the Clean Water Act at least 5,400 times between April 2018 through Dec.2024 by dumping waste from its canning factory in Napoleon, Ohio, into the Maumee River, according to a court document filed recently.

The lawsuits claim the Napolean plant has been violating the Clean Water Act by discharging millions of gallons of wastewater into Lake Erie and the Maumee River since 2018. Court documents state the wastewater included high levels of phosphorous, which can contribute to the toxic algal blooms in the lake each year.

Other substances alleged to have contaminated the water include ammonia, E. coli, oil, grease and more. Spectrum News 

Towns Are Sinking Because of Groundwater Depletion

A town in Arizona is literally sinking, and local officials say they are in a race against time, megafarms, climate change and state politicians to stop it.

The desert community of Wenden resides roughly 100 miles west of Phoenix, in La Paz County.  NBC News reports it has sunken into a subsidence bowl, dropping 3.5 feet over 15 years and continuing at more than 2 inches annually.

The culprit? The depletion of groundwater via wells that supply the town with its drinking water. Yahoo News.

Water Monitor Lizard is on the Rise

The Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) is the world’s second-largest species of lizard, reaching lengths of about two metres (7ft). It can be found in rivers, lakes and swamps across south-east Asia and into India and China. Increasingly, however, the dark brown lizard can be spotted in urban areas, joining an exclusive league of animals that have carved out a stronghold in cities. The Guardian for the full story.

PFAS Contamination is more widespread than previously thought

Toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are in everything from Band-Aids and clothing to water and floss. However, new research reveals they are potentially even more widespread in the U.S. than previously thought.

The research done by Northeastern University’s PFAS Project Lab reveals that while there are about 2,200 known sites of PFAS contamination in the U.S., there are close to another 80,000 likely contaminated sites. It presents what the researchers say is a much more complete — and stark — picture of PFAS contamination while also presenting legislators, communities and environmental activists with a roadmap of where to focus their efforts. Water Online. See full article. 

Iowa Is Losing Most of its water quality sensors

At a critical time when nitrate contamination is growing at an alarming rate, time has run out on a short-term plan to continue funding a network of sensors that monitors the water quality in Iowa’s rivers and streams. Unless new funding can be secured, dozens of sensors will be taken offline next year, eliminating the ability to measure nitrate and phosphorus to see if conservation practices are working. TheGazette.com 

The Hidden Cruelty of the Tropical Fish Trade

In a world of problems, you probably haven’t given a lot of thought to what’s going on inside the attractive aquarium in the bank lobby. What seems like a peaceful hobby often hides a trail of harm. The tropical fish trade is massive: the global ornamental fish market was estimated at $5.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to surpass $11 billion by 2030. About 55 million marine animals—including fish, corals, and invertebrates—are sold annually, worth more than 2.1 billion. In this trade, up to 30 million marine fish may be removed from coral reefs each year. Full story, if you would like to pursue it, in Wiki Observatory.

EPA will no longer publish ongoing research

Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water, which ensures drinking water is safe, have been instructed by Trump officials to halt publishing ongoing research in an “unprecedented” move.

Staffers at the agency’s research office told the Washington Post they were summoned to a town hall this week and told that their studies would be subject to a new review process, a change they said was ordered by political appointees. The Independent. Full report. 

Chicago River makes a comeback

Chicago River that was too polluted for human contact for decades was just opened for swimming because of gains resulting from the Clean Water Act. Full story in The Guardian.

The Planet’s Waters are Failing the critical pH test

The world’s oceans have failed a key planetary health check for the first time, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, a report has shown. In its latest annual assessment, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said ocean acidity had crossed a critical threshold for marine life.

This makes it the seventh of nine planetary boundaries to be transgressed, prompting scientists to call for a renewed global effort to curb fossil fuels, deforestation and other human-driven pressures that are tilting the Earth out of a habitable equilibrium. Oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface and play an essential role as a climate stabilizer. Read more.