In a major development in the bid to deepen the understanding of the role that the ocean plays in climate science, Arizona State University (ASU) President Michael Crow announced today that ASU, a leading research university, has established a partnership with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), one of the longest-serving research institutes dedicated to studying ocean processes in the Western Hemisphere.
Earth’s ocean is critical to the health of our planet. It covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and acts as a temperature regulating system by providing dynamic transport of warm waters poleward and bringing cooler waters to the tropics. It also plays a crucial role in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere and excess heat from global warming, mitigating some of the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).
But these natural ocean functions are weakening, their dynamics disrupted due to climate change. Understanding how the ocean operates and adjusts to increasing pressures are important factors in determining how the planet will respond to human-induced change.
Read more at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
Image: Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences in Ferry Reach, St George's. (Credit: Tiffany Wardman)