UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, COP21: USA & China

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US President Barack Obama has delivered a speech at the COP21 meeting, saying that he hoped the Paris summit can be a "turning point” in the fight against climate change.



Experts say cooperation between China and the US is crucial if there's to be progress at the climate change conference in Paris. The two countries have the largest economies in the world, but are also the two largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Each exerts a different influence on nations around the world trying to reduce emissions and reach the ambitious targets Paris has set.

More Algae: Coccolithophorids & Climate Change

Coccolithophorid - A Haptophyte Algae
Source: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/naturelibrary/images/ic/credit/640x395/c/co/coccolithophore/coccolithophore_1.jpg

More of my beautiful green beasties... Algae!!!

A John Hopkins University Scientist has found a deifying correlation between carbon dioxide (CO2) and the abundance of the Coccolithophore population in the North Atlantic. Coccolithophorids are characterized by special calcium carbonate plates (sometimes called scales) of uncertain function called coccoliths. However, not all organisms within the Family Prymnesiophyceae are coccolithores, as there are some species that lack coccoliths (e.g. Prymnesium). 


According to ScienceDaily report: Increased carbon dioxide enhances plankton growth, opposite of what was expected

Coccolithophores--tiny calcifying plants that are part of the foundation of the marine food web--have been increasing in relative abundance in the North Atlantic over the last 45 years, as carbon input into ocean waters has increased. Their relative abundance has increased 10 times, or by an order of magnitude, during this sampling period. This finding was diametrically opposed to what scientists had expected since coccolithophores make their plates out of calcium carbonate, which is becoming more difficult as the ocean becomes more acidic and pH is reduced.
[...]
When the percentage of coccolithophores in the community goes up, the relative abundance of other groups will go down. The authors found that at local scales, the relative abundance of another important algal class, diatoms, had decreased over the 45 years of sampling.

And in another ScienceDaily report: Rapid plankton growth in ocean seen as sign of carbon dioxide loading

"Coccolithophores have been typically more abundant during Earth's warm interglacial and high CO₂ periods," said Balch, an authority on the algae. "The results presented here are consistent with this and may portend, like the 'canary in the coal mine,' where we are headed climatologically."
[...]
"What is worrisome," he said, "is that our result points out how little we know about how complex ecosystems function."

Yes, the garden of ocean life is changing in response to climate change... the question really being: what does it mean? At this point, to my knowledge, all we really know is that the changes are occurring faster than scientific prediction modeling and at a rate that is unlike what our historic records indicate, leading many scientists to continued concern of the impact of global emissions and the future of Earth's resources.

Considering that the UN Conferences on Climate Change has begun in Paris today, it will be interesting to see what becomes of our legislated requirements as governments argue the value of economics over the stability of our planet. Will this newly published information be part of the discussion? We shall see in the next two weeks.

Blue-Green Algae, A Source of Power?

Blue-green algae (stock image).

Credit: © laurent dambies / Fotolia

Most people that know me, know that I am a little bit obsessed with algae... they are the most amazing organisms on the planet (in my opinion). They're responsible for our environment as we know it - early microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria, were the first living organisms on this rock, flying around the Sun - and without them, life today wouldn't exist. Now, this is not to say that there are other really fantastic organisms out there, or that life wouldn't have evolved in any other way, because that would be an incorrect statement. It just so happens that Stromatolites are the earliest records we have found for life on Earth, dating 3.5 Billion Years Ago.

Now, what in the world does this have to do with today's blog? Well, my friends, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change is having it's next meeting in Paris from November 30th through December 11th, 2015. And, a team from Concordia University in Montreal might have found an answer to the ever-going question of how we can reverse our dependence on fossil fuels: Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae!! Once again, my beloved algae come to the forefront of the survival of Earth!! These wonderful organisms are found everywhere, are found in some of the most hardy environments as well adapted extremophiles, and produce energy through photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and respiration; cyanobacteria are arguably the most successful group of microorganisms on earth!! While the details of technology are continuing to work on a sustainable source of harvesting these little power houses.

As published in Science Daily, A New Green Power Source:

"By taking advantage of a process that is constantly occurring all over the world, we've created a new and scalable technology that could lead to cheaper ways of generating carbon-free energy," says Packirisamy [lead engineering professor at Concordia University].
He notes that the invention is still in its early stages. "We have a lot of work to do in terms of scaling the power cell to make the project commercial."
Currently, the photosynthetic power cell exists on a small scale, and consists of an anode, cathode and proton exchange membrane. The cyanobacteria or blue green algae are placed in the anode chamber.
As they undergo photosynthesis, the cyanobacteria release electrons to the electrode surface. An external load is connected to the device to extract the electrons and harness power.
As Packirisamy and his team develop and expand the project, he hopes that the micro photosynthetic power cells will soon be used in various applications, such as powering cell phones and computers. And maybe one day they'll power the world.

And what comes to mind is the Wicked Witch of the West, stirring her crystal ball (which looks like it has algae in it, by the way!), in the Wizard of Oz, substituting her words for "Continue to flourish, my little green beasties, flourish!!!"

Source: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KnMa652dZ5E/hqdefault.jpg