Where does the oxygen we breathe come from?
Dr. Veronique OldhamThe oceans absorb nearly 1/3 of our carbon emissions; they are literally the world's lungs. How does the sea 'breathe', and why does it do it?
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If oceans are the lungs of the earth, how do we keep them breathing amid unprecedented levels of carbon emission?
Our oceans absorb nearly a third of the world’s carbon emissions, a ‘breathing’ process that produces much of the oxygen we take in on a daily basis. As carbon levels increase so too do the acidity levels of our oceans, a process known as Ocean Acidification and one that damages our marine life.
In this Garden talk, Dr. Veronique Oldham takes us on a deep dive into the inner workings of our oceans, revealing the fascinating story of how some people dumped iron in the ocean to encourage the growth of carbon-munching marine phytoplankton - and ended up with nothing more than dead zones full of algae.
Talk outline
50 minutes
Amazing Oceans
About the Fellow
Veronique is an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography. She examines metal cycling in the coastal ocean, deep sea methane seeps, and in Antarctica.
Thank you notes from Garden members
Amazing Oceans Collection
Covering almost three-quarters of the Earth, our amazing oceans are vast, beautiful, scary and relatively unexplored. This collection brings to the surface fascinating insights and stories across ocean science, conservation and culture.The oceans absorb nearly 1/3 of our carbon emissions; they are literally the world's lungs. How does the sea 'breathe', and why does it do it?
Territory, food, commerce and conquest: what role have the seas played in the development of the nations we see today?
The tech required to explore the deepest parts of the ocean is coming on in leaps and bounds. What bizarre habitats and organisms have we found, and what still remains to be discovered?
There's so much left to learn about the sea and its organisms. Could the ocean be the source of the next drug to change medicine?
We know so little about the deep sea, and even less about what it's like beneath the ice of the Earth's polar regions. How does life flourish in one of the most inhospitable environments on the planet?
More than 75% of sea creatures produce their own light. How do they do it, and what can we learn from this incredible marine firework display?
Sharks are often one of the more misunderstood creatures of the sea, for years demonised by movies. This talk explores why sharks are in fact an essential part of the ocean's ecosystem and how our own future is dependent on saving them.
