Author Posts Archive:
Jeremy Jacquot
The time has come for scientists to stand up and communicate to policymakers the reasons why science helps Americans live safer, healthier, and more productive lives.
Because plants and soils act as major carbon sinks, any reduction in their ability to draw down and store CO2 could have dramatic consequences for the climate. As things stand, ecosystems are already struggling to keep up with the meteoric growth in emissions over the past few decades.
Climate modelers work with the data they have and play a role in understanding the complexities of the Earth’s environments. But to adapt to future climate changes, we have to invest in their predictive tools.
Some scientists are suggesting that marine algae are responding to manmade temperature increases by generating dimethylsulfide, a gas that forms reflective clouds. The cycle is important to understand, but a geoengineering solution that exploits it will not solve our problems.
We risk losing what makes the world’s oceans a valuable natural resource: their rich biodiversity. It’s time to get the concept on the cultural radar.
Like an unstable canoe that tips without warning, sudden climate changes can bring dramatic and unpredictable ecosystem transformations. If an abrupt change hit, would it doom our best efforts to save the planet?
Could a mad scientist-like approach to reversing climate change provide our only remaining hope? A close look at geoengineering schemes.
Human activity, from farming to energy generation, is upsetting ocean ecosystems and creating massive “dead zones” off our coasts. Unchecked, the number of such zones around the world will continue to grow.
A growing body of research demonstrates that global waters are absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide, threatening species at the bottom of the food chain. So why are we still paying so little attention to climate change’s elephant in the room?
Though well understood, the challenges presented by the changing nitrogen cycle remain under-appreciated. A global integrated approach will be needed to mitigate its future impacts on the climate, ecosystem biodiversity, and human health.
