A healthy ocean, a protected climate
High Level Scientific Conference on 10 and 11 September 2018, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris Since COP21, new elements of knowledge came to light, thus enhancing our understanding of the interactions between ocean, climate and biodiversity. The well-being of marine ecosystems is recognized as central to combat climate change, highlighting the need to support and…
THE OCEAN, A CARBON SINK A carbon sink is a natural or artificial reservoir that absorbs and stores the atmosphere’s carbon with physical and biological mechanisms. Coal, oil, natural gases, methane hydrate and limestone are all examples of carbon sinks. After long processes and under certain conditions, these sinks have stored carbon for millennia. On…
MARINE AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS SERVICES Over the past ten years, the environment has entered the public debate. Why protect nature? Why preserve biodiversity? Our environment is made of a series of ecosystems, each supplying numerous services daily. Ecosystems are defined as dynamic complexes of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and the nonliving environment, interacting as…
FROM SPACE TO GENOMICS : THE NEW FRONTIERS OF OCEAN SCIENCE Technological progress regarding spatial and in situ observation, combined with improved data processing, provide real-time access to the state of the ocean. Scientific collaboration and knowledge-sharing open new perspectives for a better understanding of the interactions between ocean, climate and biodiversity. On March 27,…
According to a study carried out by researchers at the LSCE (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), by the end of the twenty-first century, seasonal changes in ocean acidification (pH) will be amplified, possibly even doubling. The seasonality of pH levels, which, until now, was thought to be favorable to marine organisms’ ability to adapt to global warming, may in…
The oceans play a major role in climate regulation, especially because they are able to exchange carbon dioxide (CO2) with the atmosphere. Biological processes are helpful for picking up CO2 in the surface waters. Indeed, thank to photosynthesis microalgae elaborate organic carbon by picking up CO2 in the surface waters. Because organic matter is denser…