Event Description:
Jeff Bowman - Introducing the Multidisciplinary Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC)
The Multidisciplinary Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) is an audacious effort to fill key gaps in Arctic observations by drifting the German icebreaker Polarstern in the central Arctic for an entire year. Involving over 600 scientists from 20 nations, this 150 million Euro effort is over 10 years in the making. Despite challenging ice conditions, an unexpectedly rapid drift across the central Arctic, and the logistical challenges imposed by a global pandemic, MOSAiC has prevailed and is approaching its final cruise leg. In this talk I'll give an overview of the MOSAiC concept, highlight some of the challenges of developing effective international collaborations on this scale, and introduce some of the core science objectives for our group. In collaboration with researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute we are making continuous measurements of oxygen and argon in the surface ocean throughout the MOSAiC drift in combination with high frequency observations of microbial community structure. From these data we hope to build models of the physical and biological controls on net community production in the central Arctic.
Octavio Aburto - Mangroves: The skin of our coasts
Mangrove ecosystems are critical hubs of biodiversity, protectors of our coastlines from damaging effects of storms and erosion, and play a major role in the mitigation of climate change through the sequestration and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon. Members of the Lab study the ecological and economic value of mangroves. From otolith and soil analysis, to drone and satellite technologies, we analyze how these forests provide ecosystem services for humans and we answer questions about ecosystem management at the municipal, state, federal, and international levels. Together, these benefits are worth up to US$100,000 per hectare annually. However, squeezed between industrial activities—such as agricultural and tourism developments—and rising seas, we are losing mangrove ecosystems and their invaluable services. Deforestation has led to global losses of over 35% of mangrove cover in the last three decades. For this reason, Aburto Lab is generating science to improve the efficiency and success of global mangrove conservation and restoration, starting with Mexico, one of the top ten countries with the greatest mangrove extent. We propose a framework to connect large, international climate action agreements with local on-the-ground community-based conservation in Mexico to make tangible progress towards the goal of 0% mangrove deforestation and 20% mangrove restoration by 2030.