Today countries around the globe are celebrating World Ocean Day.
As Nova Scotia begins the recovery phase following last week’s wildfires, researchers are talking about the ocean’s ability to keep disasters at bay.
Dr. Anya Waite is a professor of oceanography at Dalhousie University. She says that Oceans play a key role in reducing the frequency and severity of wildfires.
“The ocean absorbs 90% of the heat that we produce. So, if the ocean hadn’t absorbed that heat, we would already be burning up more than we are now,” said Waite. “It’s absolutely critical that we understand going forward, how the ocean is continuing to absorb the heat and the carbon that we’re producing as an industrial species.”
She says despite the strain humans have put on it, the ocean is still doing a great job of absorbing our carbon emissions. However, Waite says it’s critical for us to monitor the ocean to see if that ever slows or changes. If it does, that means our climate and weather will be directly impacted.
To help researchers like Waite stay up to date on all things ocean, Dalhousie recently announced plans for it’s new Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity which is set to open in 2025. Dalhousie says the centre will offer educational and research experience for the university community and local visitors to learn about how to protect our waters.
“It gives people in the public arena, an opportunity to understand a little more about what researchers at Dalhousie are actually doing in marine biodiversity and of course, that’s an enormous amount,” said Waite.
Waite added that researchers at Dalhousie are in a unique position to study the ocean thanks to the remarkable biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Nova Scotia.
“We have cold water corals and sponge gardens and beautiful things that I think is just going to be fantastic to bring to the public’s attention,” said Waite.
On top of the Beaty Centre, Dalhousie is also receiving over $150 million from the federal government to study the ocean’s role in climate change. Waite says the historic funding will help get the ret of Canada focused on the critical issues of climate change.
“We’re going to be tackling some of the big problems around how the North Atlantic controls the absorption of carbon. Also, some really great initiatives on how to train the next generation of ocean aware youth,” said Waite.
