Wed, March 30, 2016 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PETER WALL INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES. Free. Please register by clicking on the link below:. Talk from 4:00-5:00 pm. Reception to follow.
University Centre, Seminar Room (307), 6331 Crescent Road
Speaker:
Philippe Tortell is a biological / chemical oceanographer with broad interests in ocean-climate interactions. His research employs a variety of laboratory and field-based measurements to examine the interactions between marine micro-organisms and ‘climate-active’ trace gases including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and dimethylsulfide. During his year as a Wall Scholar, Dr. Tortell will to continue fostering wide-ranging and inter-disciplinary discussions on Arctic-related issues, with a primary focus on climate change research. He will also be heavily involved in the analysis of oceanographic samples collected on two major Arctic expeditions from summer 2015.
Abstract:
Canada’s Arctic regions are changing rapidly in response to global climate warming. Over the past several decades, there have been dramatic reductions in ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, and strong changes in surface water properties, which will likely influence physical circulation patterns. These changes have significant implications for marine ecosystems of the Arctic, and direct impacts on the livelihood of northern communities. At present, our ability to predict the future evolution of the Arctic marine system is rudimentary at best. In this talk, I will present an overview of the rapidly changing Arctic marine system, and give some highlights from a recent Arctic expedition documenting biological productivity and trace gas concentrations across a range of oceanographic conditions. The results provide a ‘snap-shot’ of the current state of Canada’s Arctic marine waters, and some glimpses into its future evolution over the coming decades.