Changing oceans

BètaBreak edition October 2018

The oceans are strongly dynamic and complex systems which cover the vast majority of our planet (>70%!). Our oceans are impressively diverse and essential for life to exist on earth. However, human behavior has slowly but strongly been affecting them, and over the past few decades we started seeing the consequences of our actions. Scientists rapidly started examining what exactly causes the changes we see and what we might expect in the future. One thing is, however, solid: considering the rise in temperature we see everywhere on earth, and therefore also in the marine environments, combined with ocean acidification and massive pollution caused by human waste, marine research will be far more important than ever before. Could we succeed monitoring and predicting our foot-mark in time, and find a sustainable manner to clear our havoc? We are pleased to announce the next BètaBreak edition on Wednesday, October 10th. The panel will be speaking about our changing oceans, on this National Sustainability Day. Our guests will be three scientists from the UvA, who all studied a specific branch during the NICO (Netherlands Initiative Changing Oceans) expedition.

Speakers

Dr. Petra Visser (Associate Professor of Algal Ecophysiology – specialist on blue-green algae. On expedition to research the cyanobacteria currently overgrowing the coral reefs near Curacau UvA)

Lisette Mekkes (PhD candidate who wants to find out the influence of ocean acidification on Pteropods (sea-angels) UvA)

Dr. Fleur Visser (Postdoctoral researcher who recieved a Veni grant in 2017 to study whale behaviour under sound pollution in the oceans)