Props to our own LA Times for paying attention to the sad state of our oceans these days. LAT’s put out a 5-part series, Altered Oceans, “on the crisis in the seas.”

Cuz I know a lotta you aren’t gonna wade through the whole multimedia package, here’s a summary of what’s going on. To watch the films, click on the part in question, then click on Multimedia Presentation.

For one, our pollution’s encouraged massive growths of primitive organisms like bacteria and jellyfish. And these organisms are not only killing larger species, but also injuring people, giving them blisters, sores, and skin peels. Why these weird things’re happening: “over time, the accumulation of environmental pressures has altered the basic chemistry of the seas,” and that’s “made the ocean more hospitable to primitive organisms by putting too much food into the water.”

Some of these people air their woes in a short video, “Perfect Slime.” “Tipping Point” talks about how we’re pushing the oceans back to an evolutionary age when bacteria and jellyfish ruled, and “Jellyball Man” features a man catching boatloads of cannonball jellyfish — which’re proliferating unnaturaly in our oceans — for export to countries that consider these a culinary delicacy.

Second: Sea lions and other marine life are dying. Why? Due to domoic acid poisoning, which they pick up by eating anchovies and sardines that have fed on toxic algae, which’re thriving due “to warming waters, excessive fishing, and a torrent of nutrients unleashed by farming, deforestation and urban development.”

The video “Invisible Killer” tells the story of Neuschwander, a sea lion who suffered from seizures and disorientation before finally dying from domoic acid poisoning. “Razor’s Edge” shows people who eat regularly eat clams that may be affected by domoic acid — and whose health may be suffering as a result.

Third: Harmful algae blooms — which were once a freak of nature — are now becoming commonplace, for the usual reasons: “Overfishing, destruction of wetlands, industrial pollution and climate change have made the seas inhospitable for fish and more advanced forms of life and freed the lowliest — algae and bacteria — to flourish.”

The video “Fade to Green” shows how our underwater landscape’s being transformed by a “phase shift” from coral to algae. “Toxic Tide” chronicles how people and their pets in Sarasota, Florida are suffering physically — coughing, sinus infections, etc. — due to the “red tide” due to marine toxine poisoning. And “Manatee’s New Threat” shows how manatees are dying of toxic shock.

Fourth: We’re killing birdies like crazy. “On Midway Atoll, 40% of albatross chicks die, their bellies full of trash…. A piece of plastic found in an albatross stomach last year bore a serial number that was traced to a World War II seaplane shot down in 1944.”

“Trashing the Ocean” is a video that shows the buildup of plastic trash in the islands of Hawaii. “The Plastic Diet” shows the dying, plastic-filled albatross phenomenon in sad detail :(

And lastly: With pollution, our oceans are getting more acidic. So: “Growing seawater acidity threatens to wipe out coral, fish and other crucial species worldwide.”

A post about what to do about this sad state of affairs to come really really soon –

Update, 8/9/06: If you’re into film, maybe you can use your artistic interest to save the ocean –

Update, 12/11/06: The Altered Oceans series wins the 2006 John B. Oakes award for distinguished environmental journalism presented by Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

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