Category: Ocean Associates, Inc. – Camryn F, Mickey L, Sofia P

Today, I presented the research that I have found so far to Mr. Newton and he gave me advice on what to find more information on and where to look. He suggested I read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report which I found to be very helpful and informative. The IPCC states that the goal of the report is to give comprehensive information “about the state of scientific, technical and socio-economic knowledge on climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for reducing the rate at which climate change is taking place.” It also creates a summary for policy makers as a way of allowing climate policy to be implemented more easily. Policy makers do not have as much knowledge on specific topics as scientists do because their job is to know the general information, so it is helpful for environmental groups to present their data to these members of government so they can implement policy based on the information.

This table is from the IPCC report and I thought it was really important to see how much of an impact climate change has had and is projected to have on both humans and ecosystems.

 

Camryn

Today, I continued my research and worked to find more information on the history of sea levels rising and specific examples of places being inundated due to this rise. I found a graph which illustrates the unprecedented CO2 and sea levels that we are seeing and projected to see in the near future. I

I also found this diagram which displays the increased frequency of floods across the coasts along the United States. Mr. Newton and I discussed these major increases and the problems that stem from them.

 

Camryn

Today, my research focused on the methodology for scientist’s predictions for global warming and the tactics they use to find potential warming scenarios. I began looking at examples of different methods, such as mathematical and climate models, and read about why scientists use a combination of many methods in order to come up with the most accurate predictions. It is difficult to come up with global warming scenarios because of the room for error in the prediction models, however, scientists are working towards finding the most accurate prediction methods and have decreased the amount of error on them. Below is an example of a climate model explained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Camryn

Today, I worked on more specific research based on the information I found yesterday. I found it interesting how dramatic of a difference scientists project there to be between a 1.5°C versus 2°C increase in global warming. It is predicted that with a 1.5 degree increase, the Arctic ocean would be ice-free in the summer once every hundred years, however, if there is a 2 degree increase, it would be ice-free in the summer every ten years. This leads to the albedo effect, where an ice-free area causes global warming to happen faster because the ocean is absorbing more heat from the sun than the ice would have. 

I also did more research on human adaptations for sea level rise and different approaches for protecting ourselves from the rising sea levels. Below is an image which shows three of these different methods.

Camryn

Today, we were introduced to Mr. Eric Newton and Ms. Juleen Savarese. They told us about OAI and our projects that we’d be assisting them with. We’re doing research that will help OAI write scientific paper on these topics. The topic I’ve been assigned is down below.

• What are the impacts of offshore wind on species of interest? – endangered species; economically/culturally significant species
  • Impact during construction, operation of offshore wind farms
    • North Atlantic Right Whales – fewer than 400 individuals remaining
    • Cod, herring, haddock, silver hake, lobster, scallops
  • Mitigation strategies
    • Artificial reefs, exclusion zones, co-location of fisheries

Today, I spent my time researching the construction process of offshore wind farms to better establish my knowledge. Essentially, they are a method of sustainable energy; however, we don’t know the specific impacts these farms will have on local ecosystems. Mr. Newton emphasized that when making decisions about these policies a wholistic view is essential. Below, I’ve provided an example of an offshore wind farm.

Today, Mr. Eric Newton walked us through our individual research projects and what we will be working on for the next two weeks, and we were able to start our work on them. It was very interesting for me to begin in-depth research on rising sea levels, climate change, and the impact on humans, and I was able to find a lot of important information for the project.

Recently, an ice shelf found in Antarctica collapsed. This led to increased concern among scientists because they are realizing that previous assumptions that East Antarctica was stable could be incorrect. If the ice in the East Antarctic melted, it could raise sea levels across the world by around 160 feet.

I also began researching effects of different climate change scenarios (increases of 1.5 degrees C, 2 degrees C, and 3 degrees C) and how these changes would impact the world. Even a half a degree makes a major difference, which is why it is crucial that the predictions and information we collect are as accurate as possible.

 

I am really looking forward to continuing to work with Oceans Associate Inc and further researching these topics!

 

Camryn