Anthropocene Epoch: Impacting Climate Change & Oceans

Studies are showing that increased atmospheric CO₂, the result of burning of fossil fuels, are being absorbed by the oceans resulting in the acidification of water. This poses substantial risks to all types of marine ecosystems and impacts the physiology, behavior, and population dynamics of all species. One of the most impacted organisms by ocean acidification are coral reefs which are key ecosystems in the oceans. Coral reefs are vulnerable to temperature and pH levels of water and this in turn puts ecosystems dependent on corals in danger.

Listen to Prof. Marcus Elvert, Sr. Scientist at MARUM University (Germany) talk about ocean acidification in this podcast.

Plants & Increased CO₂: A Golden Era for Agriculture?

Do you agree that the rise in carbon dioxide (CO₂) will usher in a new golden age where food production will be higher than ever before and most plants and animals will thrive as never before? Most scientists disagree because while plants do like elevated CO₂, other factors, such as weather patterns, water, soil, and ozone levels, affecting plant efficiency will be adversely affected by climate change.

Deep Carbon Cycle: Volcanoes & Seismic Activity

Geologists believe that up to 90% of carbon--the backbone of all life--is located in the deep Earth. This CO₂, also known as deep carbon, carries valuable information about the processes deep below the Earth's surface. The Deep Carbon Cycle refers to the movement of CO₂ from ocean depths and seismic activity up to the Earth's surface through a volcano.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Inland Water Sources

Did you know that inland waters are also among natural sources of greenhouse gases because sunlight breaks down carbon-rich plant and soil material in the lakes to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? A recent study of over 1000 lakes in Sweden was able to model how much carbon dioxide was produced by the breakdown of carbon-rich materials.

Climate Change: Disappearing Glaciers

Glaciers have been shrinking very fast over the last decades worldwide; for example, Kilimanjaro in Kenya has melted more than 80% in the last 100 years and researchers believe that most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035. A study has found that 70% of Canadian glaciers could disappear by the end of this century. The melting of glaciers is of deep concern because it turns out that glaciers are critical to the Earth and its ecosystems and their survival because even though they only cover 10% of the Earth's land, they hold about 77% of Earth's freshwater.

Urban Air Quality: Public Health Issus

Did you know that globally, urban air pollution has been linked to 1 million premature deaths and more than 1 billion people are exposed to outdoor air pollution annually? The impact continues into economics: urban air pollution is estimated to cost approximately 2% of GDP in developed countries and 5% in developing countries. The sources of air pollution can range from natural and anthropogenic causes. Gases released by humans have been recognized as a cause of stratospheric ozone depletion further damaging the atmosphere that is essential to support life on Earth.

Carbon Sequestration: Mitigating Climate Change

Carbon sequestration is the process by which CO₂ is captured and then placed into long-term storage in subsurface saline aquifers, reservoirs, oceans, aging oil fields and soils. The goal of removing atmospheric carbon is to mitigate or defer climate change and hence avoid destabilizing ecosystems on Earth. Biological carbon sequestration includes peat bogs, reforestation, wetland restoration, agriculture and reducing emissions. Many geoengineering techniques, such as ocean iron fertilization, urea fertilization, and mixing ocean layers are under study to find effective solutions to store CO₂.

Forests & Fires: Influencing Climate

Forests are critical to supporting life on Earth and are vital for the existence of our bio-diverse ecosystems, are sources of energy, provide humans with livelihoods, and are major influencers on our climate. Scientists are concerned about how forests will adapt in context of a changing climate, and how it will affect humans.