The absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the oceans results in a decline in ocean pH, hence ‘ocean acidification’, and reduces the availability of carbonate. This presents a problem to calcifying organisms (those that deposit calcium as either calcite or aragonite as hard parts) because they cannot produce their shells, valves (in the case of bivalves), or tests (in the case of diatoms) as readily. To ...[Read More]
Communicating Climate Change
The UK House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee has recently launched an inquiry entitled “Climate Change: public understanding and its policy implications”, which is due to address the issue of communicating climate change research. This inquiry was raised following a recent surge in climate change scepticism and a diminishing public concern regarding its effects, with ...[Read More]
Meet Future Earth
This week at the EGU General Assembly, we’ve heard how the global environment is changing before our very eyes. As the Earth warms, sea levels rise, and weather patterns shift, the food security, health, and economic prosperity of societies around the world has come under threat. In the Anthropocene, an era dominated by human impact on the natural world, it seems that environmental and development ...[Read More]
Supermodels!
You’ve probably heard of supermodels like Heidi Klum and Kate Moss, but have you heard of SUMO? It’s an abbreviation for a project called Super Modeling by Combining Imperfect Models, and although it doesn’t sound nearly as glamorous, it may mean big things for climate modeling. This innovative approach, pioneered by an interdisciplinary group of scientists from around the world, seeks to build on ...[Read More]