Geoengineering - Picture a scene out of a Philip K. Dick book. Yep, that’s likely our future.4/2/2019 Deflecting the sun’s rays with aerosols, using space mirrors to diffuse sunlight, artificial trees that ‘eat’ carbon, and seeding the ocean to produce more fish. Scenes out of a Philip K. Dick novel? No, just one of the many proposed ideas on how to deal with climate change impacts. Source: https://visual.ly/community/infographic/environment/climate-engineering Research continues to support that human activities are causing climate change and the carbon dioxide level in our atmosphere was most recently measured at 411ppm. Various projected outcomes of climate change impacts vary from downright scary to truly horrifying with continued extreme weather events, melting glaciers, inundated coastlines and an increasingly acidified ocean. Global action on increasing carbon emissions have stalled and atmospheric carbon emissions continue to rise. What is geoengineering? Climate geoengineering is the deliberate and large-scale manipulation of the Earth’s climate system, usually with the goal of preventing the impacts of climate change. Some of the ideas proposed include aerosol injection, marine cloud brightening, high albedo crops and buildings, ocean mirror and cloud thinning. These ideas seem futuristic though some are within our technological capabilities to make happen. The real issue is, if we enact one of these ideas, will the impact be the one that we want? Or will it create other issues that transcends geopolitical boundaries since all countries share one ocean and one atmosphere? As humans, we tend to like a quick fix. We live short geological lives, and we think in days, weeks and years, while planet earth has been in existence for billions of years. We have long manipulated our environment to benefit ourselves. Still, we have a poor track record when it comes to understanding the complexities and interconnectedness of our natural environment. One example is the introduction of the poisonous Cane toads into Australia, in an attempt to control the native cane beetle, which eat the economically important sugar cane crops. Instead of having the desired effect, the toads impacted the predator population, causing an unintended trophic cascade of an ecosystem. Implementing geoengineering could do the same – side effects that could potentially be disastrous for our natural environment and we would not be able to stop it. What are the risks of geoengineering? As we share one ocean, an experiment done in one part of the ocean, can drift by currents to another part, transcending any country’s political boundaries. And what happens if you try to manipulate weather patterns and the actions negatively impacts other countries? Additionally, who decides to implement geoengineering? All good questions to be carefully thought about before trying out some of these ideas, which could have irreversible impacts. If we decide to move forward with geoengineering, is this not just putting a band aid on the issue of climate change impacts, instead of tackling the source of the problem - decreasing our output of carbon into the atmosphere? As humans, we tend to simplify our environment and it's only been recently that we have been able to figure out the structure of the DNA, split the atom and peer to the limits of the observable universe. We should proceed carefully with geoengineering ideas. Still, carbon eating artificial trees is a pretty cool concept.
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The thumping of the bass from the deejay’s music set went on until 4am as I awoke a few times from my jet-lagged slumber. I had arrived into Vanuatu right in the midst of its week-long Independence celebration. I was staying in a dorm room at Hideaway Island resort and it is my favorite place to stay on Efate island in Vanuatu. Relatively inexpensive dorm accommodations, breakfast buffet included and access to their marine park by just walking into the ocean off of their beach! I love this place. Wade after some neon-striped wrasse or peek underwater to see parrotfish, duck dive to see urchins and anemone fish hiding in anemones, ogle the broken coral rubble to view the elusive and well-camouflaged octopus and hover over the giant clams and be enthralled by their brilliant colors. Or be like me, and just float around watching the marine life go about their day. I visited this place 6 years ago and loved that I could step into the saltwater and be surrounded by decent-sized parrot fish, surgeon fish and a myriad of other marine life. This was the case this time around too, though the relatively recent cyclone Pam had done a lot of damage to the coral reef but I was heartened to see signs of regrowth. I have decided to create a signboard for them that lists the marine life to be seen while snorkeling about and the ecological importance of some of these. Oh, and to re-emphasize to NOT step on the corals as this can kill them and I have seen plenty of tourists do this. I am sure they do not mean to but still.. Knowledge is power! There is an establishment called the Beach bar that is on Mele bay, a 3-minute water taxi ride from Hideaway Island. They have a troupe that weekly performs fire shows and it is incredible to watch. They are all local artists and I highly recommend their show. Plus, skip the last drink and instead put a fiver (AUD or USD) into the pot collecting donations after their show and support local artistry. I was originally meant to go to the Solomon Islands, the Temotu province to be exact, but due to an unforeseen event, here I was, temporarily residing on a 38’ Wharram-designed catamaran in the harbor of Port Vila. As I previously mentioned, I was here 6 years ago, volunteering as a marine biologist for a marine conservation organization that uses donated sailboats to visit remote small-island communities to help implement programs to better manage their marine resources and to build capacity. Such memories. There was a big team present at that time, congregating in Port Vila on 2 sailboats – one heading to northern Vanuatu and the other (mine) to the Solomon Islands. After a week preparing for our respective trips 6 years ago, and with other yachties, evenings were spent at the Voodoo lounge drinking flaming shots and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. One specific night, a few of us visited another boat that housed 2 mecs Francais and after imbibing all of their vanilla rum and trying to play French songs on guitar, the night culminated into drunkenly driving the dinghy back to our own boat at 6am, just in time for our boss to wake up and get a start on the day. Good morning and good night Chris! The yachting community is both wonderful and unique, a certain camaraderie while visiting various ports around the world. I have met sailors who have been traveling for 7 years and some traveling just from New Caledonia to Vanuatu, a 16-hour journey. I can’t figure out the people who continually travel for years, are they running away from something or towards something? Then again, the world is an amazing place with so many natural wonders and incredible people. That’s why I keep traveling and to lead an unconventional lifestyle, as my parents keep reminding me. Marine conservation is a tough profession but I do love working in this field so I keep returning to remote small island / coastal communities. Having been born and raised in the U.S. (with a 7-year residence in Belgium as a child), I feel rather cultureless. I'm not sure what the culture of the United States is. 3,000 miles of Walmarts, McDonalds, Home Depots, and strip malls. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the U.S. (not a fan of the current anti-science political environment), but it does feel rather lacking in culture. Then again, the national parks are incredible! That said, here is more information about the Republic of Vanuatu. It is a South Pacific archipelago of 12,189 square kilometers, consisting of 82 islands of volcanic origin and a population of approximately 243,000. The people of Vanuatu speak 113 Austronesian languages and each has its own traditions and customs, making this country the most culturally diverse one on the planet. There are 3 official languages – Bislama, English and French. France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of Vanuatu starting in the 1880’s and jointly ruled it until it became independent on July 30th, 1980. Life moves at a slower pace here and revolves around tradition, customs and the natural environment. 80% of this country’s rural populace relies on subsistence farming for both food and an income. The capital city of Port Vila is vibrant with an amazing market, where women come from all over the island of Efate to sell their fruits, vegetables and locally made wares and spend the nights there until all of their produce is sold. I love walking through the market to see all the local women in their colorful clothing, tending to their goods and many bring their children to stay there with them. Vanuatu’s main crops are taro, yam, coconut, kumara and bananas. One specific crop, Kava Kava, has been cultivated locally for thousands of years. Kava is a root vegetable that is a member of the pepper family, has psychoactive qualities, is highly prized and signifies Vanuatu’s kastom (custom) and national identity. It is advertised to be restorative and alleviate stress and is seen in a few ways – a traditional sacred substance, a cash crop and in some villages, to join drinkers to their ancestors. Imbibing it has been described as having numb lips and like being at the dentist. Supposedly it does not influence a drinker’s ability to think clearly as the effects are more physical. Years ago, while attending a music festival in Port Vila, I drank a few half coconut shells full of kava and indeed, my lips became numb and I only tripped over my feet once when I got up to get some food. Someone I had met a local kava bar told me that he had once drank so much kava that he was not able to get up from his sitting position. So, visit and drink kava at your own risk! Like agriculture, fishing is both a source of income and food for a majority of the local population. Fishing communities are experiencing challenges from the increased pressure on their local coral reefs as their village population increases and usage of modern fishing equipment. As exporting markets opened up and usage of modern equipment, so did the ability to overharvest fishing grounds. Tourism is on the rise and tourists have many opportunities to snorkel among the many island coral reefs and witness the local kastom of the various islands. Each island is unique: Tanna has one of the most active and accessible volcano in the world, Pentecost has its land diving tradition, Aneytum has Mystery Island with cruise ships visiting this island paradise and Epi has dugong tours. Port Vila receives about 8-10 cruise ships visits per month, mostly from Australia. Many organized tours include visiting a local village and the chance to buy a locally made trinket. I have noticed many Chinese-made merchandise being sold and I highly recommend instead buying a locally made basket, jewelry or bag as this supports local artisans and is an authentic local Vanuatu gift to bring home. I visited Lelepa Island recently, staying with Peace Corps volunteers there. We walked through the lovely local village and did some snorkeling on the west side of the island. The status of the corals there were the best that I have seen in a while, probably because it’s more remote. You will find that the best condition corals are located in remote areas, with the least human influence. I guess that holds true for any natural wonder. Current development seems to be brisk and there is much new construction of buildings and roads, including many high-end resorts and apartment buildings for foreign buyers I’m assuming, as most of the locals live in small villages. One hopes that with the increasing development and trade, Vanuatu will be able to hold onto its traditions and environmental beauty.
Aloha! I attended the 13th International Coral Reef Symposium that took place in Honolulu , Hawai'i. This symposium, held every 4 years, is the primary international meeting focused on coral reef science and management and about 2,500 coral reef scientist were in attendance. Flying in about 15 hours later than scheduled (thanks a lot, United), I landed with enough time to drop my backpack off at my shared accommodation location and walk past about 20 ABC local stores to attend the Symposium's welcome reception at the Convention Center. Upon my arrival there, I realized that I was in a sea of marine researchers that I did not know. Memories of attending the first day of high school and not knowing anybody swirled in my head as I introduced myself to many attendees. Most everyones' name badges showed them to be affiliated with either an organization, an institution, a university or the federal government. I attended unaffiliated and rather like the thought of being a rogue researcher! The following day, i listened to the president of Palau give the opening speech and was highly impressed. The next 5 days were a blur as I utilized the mobile app to try to attend all of the sessions i wanted to. I attended sessions about research results on the status of coral bleaching events, climate change impacts, assessing marine protected areas (MPAs) effectiveness. I attended town halls on the importance of messaging out research findings so that politicians and non-scientists could understand the importance of these findings. The main themes of this Symposium were twofold: bridging science to policy and putting knowledge to action. A few highlights from the symposium included Richard Vevers and the Ocean Agency doing amazing work with raising awareness of marine conservation and Dr. Ruth Gates, who is applying human-assisted evolution in developing resilient corals in a changing ocean environment. Another highlight of mine was running into an Indonesian marine researcher friend of mine. It was a reminder that no matter where one resides on this beautiful blue planet, we are all feeling the impacts of our decisions, choices and lifestyles. For the many issues facing the oceans these days (such as climate change impacts, plastic pollution, overexploited marine resources), there are just as many researchers working with coastal communities, world leaders, and the general public to come up with creative solutions and ideas. We are one people, sharing one ocean and together we can solve the issues that the oceans currently face! I had the amazing opportunity to work on a Reef Ball Foundation project at a local reef at Paradise Cove on Grand Bahama recently. This project works to rescue imperiled coral (coral that has broken off and is loose in the water) and planting them onto human-made concrete reef balls. Coral fragments that have broken off will not survive long in this state. Once the coral fragments have been collected, they are very carefully handled and put into cement pods and planted with the correct orientation (facing the sun!) on the reef balls. This process maximizes the survivability of these imperiled corals and that they will once again provide the countless benefits that coral reef ecosystems provide both ecologically and for humans - for food, beach erosion control and livelihoods! Coral reefs are home to 25% of all marine species, help generate billions of dollars from tourism and are vital as food, coastal protection and means of generating income to approximately 500 million people globally. To learn more about these amazing animals and the very important role they play in the ocean ecosystem, click here. Even if you don't live near the ocean, there are some very simple steps you can do to help protect coral reefs! These steps include:
This will help keep our oceans and marine species healthy and beautiful for our enjoyment now and for future generations! Slow Life from Daniel Stoupin on Vimeo. I attended the King County Combined Fund drive Volunteer Appreciation evening last night held at a local Seattle yacht club. It was a pirate-themed party and I decided to go as a parrot, my husband as an internet pirateer (hence the sweatpants and robe outfit of his). My work colleague and I were volunteer coordinators for the 2014 University of Washington's 6 week long combined fund drive. We got nominated for the King County Combined Fund Drive 2014 Most Innovative Event category for a carnival that we put on in November 2014, to raise money for and awareness of non-profit organizations. We beat out 7 other nominees and won, a complete surprise to us as we were new to this type of work and kind of ran with it. We went office to office to speak about this fund drive, held grilled cheese/tomato soup lunches, invited non-profit speakers, held a carnival (complete with popcorn, pie, games, improv troupe and door prizes) and eventually managed to increase employee participation in our department by 30%! I learned much from this role - how many amazing non-profit organizations there are, be it for people, animals, or the environment and how important it is to support these organizations. As for a marine biology update, I am headed to the Bahamas on February 21 until the 28th. I will be spending a week learning about and doing coral propagation and am very excited about that! I am taking my new go pro camera and can't wait to explore underwater with that! Hello! It has been a while since I have posted an update. I ended my work in Indonesia in May 2013 and after working a temporary position in Bruxelles, Belgium for 5 months, I returned to Seattle in December 2013. I started a temporary administrative position at the University of Washington, working on a project and was hired as permanent staff a few months later. Some things I have been working on is increasing staff awareness and engagement on sustainability issues such as recycling and reducing of waste. The University of Washington has a goal of diverting waste by 70% by 2020. I have always been interested in preserving the earth's natural resources and have been recycling for a very long time. Our disposable life style and service oriented ways (paper or plastic?) in grocery outlets and restaurants make it a challenge for anyone but the most dedicated person to lessen his/her ecological footprint. I'm pretty dedicated and do what I can. I usually carry my own cloth bag and bamboo utensils that have been with me on my travels to Central America, the south Pacific and SE Asia. I'm a big believer in striving to conserve and keep the natural state of the oceans and land for future generations. Additionally, I have been actively pursuing marine conservation opportunities. I really miss sharing my knowledge and I miss working with coastal communities in conserving their marine resources. Update to follow!
I can't believe it's been 7 months since I arrived in Indonesia. It definitely took me a while to get used to: new job, new language, new culture, new house, new food, newly motorcycle rider, it was not always the smoothest transition! Most people here in south Sulawesi are not used to seeing many foreigners so many are very interested in me, which can be difficult at times when I want some privacy. I've learned my way around that and have now gotten to the point where I feel quite comfortable with my living situation (no real toilet to sit on, and bucket shower only). I've come to the realization that Indonesians really like their motorcycles. You can get one quite cheap here and why walk 20 meters when you can ride. I work approximately 5 minutes' walk and do this on a daily basis. I had the opportunity to go to Barrang Lompo island, about 45 minute ferry ride from Makassar. The island is home to about 1,000 inhabitants as well as the local university (Universitas Hasanuddin - UNHAS) having a field station there. Students and staff stay over weekends there for scientific research and it is the location of trainings and seminars. The weekend before, I was asked to speak at MEST, which had some of its lectures held at the field station, so I did a presentation about tools for increased coral reef resiliency. I had a chance to go snorkeling, diving and use my new underwater camera! A group was learning how to do line transects so a 50 meter line was put on the substrate and then fish, invertebrate and substrate surveys were done. As I have done many of these while working for OceansWatch last year, i snorkeled around and was rather dismayed at all of the bombed coral present. Approximately 75% of Indonesian fishermen use fish bombing techniques to obtain fish more quickly, to the great detriment of the substrate. |
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