Guest Author • Jun 16, 2017 •
By Silvia Frisia, University of Newcastle Iron is not commonly famous for its role as a micronutrient for tiny organisms dwelling in the cold waters of polar oceans. But iron feeds plankton, which in turn hold carbon dioxide in their bodies. When they die, the creatures sink to the bottom of the sea, safely storing that carbon. How exactly … Read More
Gareth Renowden • Dec 16, 2011 •
This year’s NZ Prime Minister’s Science Prize — worth $500,000 — has been awarded to a team of scientists working on climate-related issues at the joint Otago University and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) Centre for Chemical & Physical Oceanography. The team carried out ground-breaking research on using iron to fertilise phytoplankton [...] … Read More
Bryan Walker • Jun 30, 2011 •
At Yale Environment 360 Fen Montaigne provides a fascinating, if disturbing, report on the findings of scientists working on the effects of sea ice retreat on the polar marine food chain. Montaigne is the author of the book Fraser’s Penguins which I reviewed earlier this year and of an earlier article at Yale Environment about [...] … Read More
Aimee Whitcroft • May 05, 2011 •
Discovered this morning in a beautiful old book 🙂 Diatoms have lacy cases Of material silicaceous, Perforated lids and bases Made to fit like Petri dishes. Nursed on Nature’s hydroponic They’re prolific and nutritious Making bouillabase planktonic For the sustenance of fishes. – Ralph Lewin Taken from ‘The Fertile Sea’, by … Read More
Matthew Wood • Jun 05, 2010 •
New Zealand is a geographically lonely place. It is the only major landmass between the tropics and Antarctica at these longitudes, and shares the southern mid-latitudes with only Patagonia and Tasmania. As such, it is a fantastic natural laboratory for investigating oceanic and atmospheric change in the southern hemisphere. Our country is perpetually being ground down … Read More