Piecing together the climate change puzzle

October 13, 2004

Piecing together the climate change puzzle

by Kristen Loyst

Climate change is indeed a puzzling topic. We know that Earth's climate has changed in the past, but never before has the human impact on climate been so dramatic. What should be done about climate change, and how do we fix the damage we've caused?

To help add new pieces to this puzzle, over 250 experts in ocean and atmosphere science from 24 countries will meet in Halifax from October 13 to 16. They'll be sharing their knowledge at the first ever international Open Science Conference of the Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study. This inaugural conference is hosted by the Canadian secretariat of SOLAS, which is located in Dalhousie's Oceanography Department.

SOLAS is an international research program aimed at understanding the interactions between the oceans and atmosphere, and the role of these interactions in global climate change. Canada has emerged as one of the leading countries in this research initiative, with Dalhousie at the centre of it all.

Dr. Daniela Turk, head of the Canadian SOLAS secretariat, says, "Traditionally, ocean science and atmosphere science have been separate areas of research. The SOLAS program has provided a new connection between scientists and researchers in both these fields." SOLAS research projects are taking place in more than 20 countries around the world.

The outcome of this research could provide new ways to model the exchange between the oceans and atmosphere, and to predict the progress of climate change. It may also present new opportunities to reduce the human impact on climate change, or to repair the damage we've already caused. This conference is significant for many reasons. "Changes in the ocean and atmosphere are especially important in Canada, since we're bordered by three oceans," says Turk. "Any change can have an enormous effect on weather patterns, resources, and transportation. Canada was the first country to fund a national SOLAS program, starting in 2001. We've become the model, and other countries are following Canada's lead." The Canadian SOLAS network has involved collaboration between nine Canadian universities, including Dalhousie, as well as 15 principal researchers and over 50 associate researchers and technicians. Over the past three years, they have carried out extensive experiments and testing in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The purpose of these experiments is to determine the role of phytoplankton -tiny oceanic plant forms- in regulating atmospheric gases. The Canadian SOLAS team is now determining which piece of the climate puzzle they will focus on in the next two years.