PhD position for investigating impacts of ocean acidification on benthic primary producers

The prospected start of funding will be 1 September 2009. In the subproject “Competitive success of calcifying and non-calcifying macroalgae under shifting pH regimes in tropical vs. temperate regions” the candidate will conduct research on physiological responses of benthic primary producers subjected to scenarios of ocean acidification. This is a collaborative project between the Department of Marine Botany at the University of Bremen and the Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT Bremen).

For further information download the announcement pdf an/or contact Prof. Dr. Kai Bischof (kbischof (at) uni-bremen.de).

Stormy waters

With World Ocean Day on June 8, we see how acid, over-fishing and five-star hotels have hurt Dubai’s sea

It’s World Ocean Day on June 8. And while it’s a date to celebrate the value of the sea, it also seems like a good time to face up to the problems we’ve caused and have a think about how we can make things better. Read on and you’ll agree.

On acid

The oceans are becoming more acidic thanks to that old chestnut, excessive carbon dioxide emissions. So dire are the levels of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere that it’s changing the chemistry of the ocean, and the increased acidity is having ‘a major adverse effect on corals and other marine life’, according to the boffs at international environmental agency Oceana.

Ocean health declining (audio)

Industrial Revolution Takes Toll On Oceans

It’s World Ocean Day. The international celebration is designated by the United Nations as day to take action to protect marine ecosystems. KPBS Environment Reporter Ed Joyce tells us UC San Diego research shows the health of the oceans has declined in recent decades.

Scientists say pollution, declining fisheries and climate change are causing severe deterioration of the oceans.

Andrew Dickson is a marine chemistry professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

He says the world’s oceans are becoming more acidic.

“There’s fewer fish,” Dickson says. “There’s more obvious traces of man’s activities if you analyze the water. CO2 is one of those. It’s a huge one, because we’re talking about hundreds of billions of tons of CO2 dissolving in the oceans since the industrial revolution began.”

Cooperative research with the European Commission and European scientists

In October of 2001 the European Commission and the National Science Foundation signed an Implementing Arrangement to foster cooperative activities in the area of environmental research between European Union and US Scientists. This activity is under the framework of the Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the European Community and the Government of the United States of America, entered into force in 1998. The EC-NSF agreement was established to give particular attention to research on climate change, marine science and technology, seismic risk and hazards reduction, Arctic processes, and environmental biology. Since the agreement was signed, there have been annual meetings between the EC (Directorate-General for Research: Environment Directorate) and the NSF (Division of Ocean Sciences) to identify areas of common interest and to discuss ways to facilitate collaborative efforts. Most recently, these meetings were included in the Joint Consultative Meetings between the EC and the US Government.