Polar Windows to Earth's Climate

Although they are smaller than a grain of sand, tiny marine plants known as phytoplankton play a surprisingly prominent role in sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. In polar waters, phytoplankton form the basis of the food chain that nourishes everything from penguins to whales. Stanford biological oceanographer Kevin Arrigo has led numerous research cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic to study firsthand how phytoplankton affect biological productivity in the poles and regulate the Earth's climate. In this talk, Arrigo will discuss how his team's discoveries provide insight into how polar ecosystems will change as the rates of global warming and glacial melt increase, as well as geoengineering ideas for reversing climate change that involve fertilizing the oceans with iron to influence phytoplankton growth.

Speaker: Kevin Arrigo, Stanford