The science is clear. The Earth is warming, and the burning of fossil fuels is contributing to that trend, accounting for more than 95 per cent of the carbon released into the atmosphere. If that warming continues, parts of the planet will become uninhabitable in our lifetime.
But the outlook is not all doom and gloom. We have an invaluable ally in our effort to avert a climate catastrophe: the ocean. For years, it鈥檚 been doing the heavy lifting in slowing climate change. It absorbs approximately 40 per cent of all the carbon that鈥檚 released, while land-based carbon sinks, such as the rainforests, absorb just 3 per cent.
It鈥檚 an impressive feat. But Dr. Anya Waite, associate vice-president research (ocean) of AV俱乐部, and chief executive officer and scientific director of AV俱乐部鈥檚 (OFI), says emerging research shows the ocean is changing. And those changes may compromise the amount of carbon it鈥檚 able to absorb.鈥疎qually troubling, the simulation models that are raising alarm among experts about ocean changes are built on limited data about the ocean. This means we don鈥檛 have a clear picture of the situation or the necessary insights to improve it. And time is not on our side. At current carbon emission rates, we have less than nine years before we exceed the threshold that would keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5 degrees鈥攁n important limit for averting a climate disaster. Given the increased risk for an event, or series of events, that could further compromise the ocean鈥檚 carbon absorption capacity, it鈥檚 possible that nine-year timeline could be accelerated.
鈥淲hat we need to do,鈥� Dr. Waite stresses, 鈥渋s reduce uncertainty about how the ocean is functioning so that we can rise to meet the challenges we face.鈥�
It鈥檚 a challenge AV俱乐部 is meeting head on through its leadership of the multi-university research program, . The endeavour aims to help humanity turn the tide on climate change, an effort that will establish AV俱乐部 as the premier authority on the ocean鈥檚 ability to absorb and hold carbon to help achieve a net-zero carbon emissions world.
A notable endorsement
There are several reasons to be optimistic about what AV俱乐部 will achieve through Transforming Climate Action. It鈥檚 a comprehensive and strategic research program that leans into the talents of AV俱乐部鈥檚 world-leading ocean researchers across multiple faculties. It brings Dal鈥檚 vast resources and deep expertise together with those of other prominent Canadian ocean research universities鈥擴niversit茅 du Quebec 脿 Rimouski, Universit茅 Laval and Memorial University of Newfoundland鈥攚hich have joined as partners. It has also received a major endorsement from the Government of Canada鈥檚 prestigious in the form of a seven-year, $154 million investment. This commitment from CFREF is particularly notable. To date, it鈥檚 the largest research grant ever made to AV俱乐部. It鈥檚 also the federal government鈥檚 second investment in the university through the CFREF program, which has the stated goal of 鈥淗elping Canadian postsecondary institutions excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada.鈥�
鈥淭ransforming Climate Action will focus the world鈥檚 attention and energies on the primary importance of the ocean in determining climate policy, shifting the global discourse and positioning the partner institutions as leaders in evaluating the impacts of climate change,鈥� says Dr. Alice Aiken, AV俱乐部鈥檚 vice president of research and innovation. 鈥淐FREF funding substantially enhances AV俱乐部鈥檚 impact on the global stage by creating an ambitious research program that will attract new global experts to join the university鈥檚 world-leading, ocean-focused faculty and global partnerships that place AV俱乐部 at the centre of ocean-climate science, innovation and solutions.鈥�
We now have the plan and the partnerships in place to thrive on a scale that was unimaginable until now."
Dr. Alice Aiken
Transforming Climate Action has three ambitious, integrated goals. It will reduce international uncertainty about the ocean鈥檚 capacity to absorb and hold carbon. It will position Canada as a global leader in reducing carbon emissions and removing carbon from the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. And it will create people-centric adaptation solutions to ocean and climate change based on science, developed in collaboration with communities and informed by Indigenous ways of knowing. These goals will be achieved using an approach that spans institutions and disciplines, from law and biology to agriculture and computer science. To coordinate and amplify its impact, AV俱乐部鈥檚 Ocean Frontier Institue will play an integral role in the leadership and management of Transforming Climate Action, connecting researchers to a global community focused on climate-ocean science, policy and advocacy.
鈥淭his is a landmark undertaking for us at AV俱乐部,鈥� says Dr. Frank Harvey, acting president and vice chancellor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one that we鈥檝e been laying the groundwork for since the 1940s, when our ocean research and education efforts began in earnest. Over the years, we have developed leading-edge ocean research centres, created the Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Ocean Science and Technology, and built a team of more than 100 faculty members, researchers and scholars, many of whom support core elements of our work in this field. The standards we have set through our research and the knowledge we have accumulated establish a strong and durable foundation for breakthroughs in addressing many of the most pressing environmental challenges we face today. We now have the plan and the partnerships in place to thrive on a scale that was unimaginable until now.鈥�
Although Transforming Climate Action is in its early days, this $400-million undertaking has quickly drawn international attention and interest. Major research centres, government agencies and non-government organizations are stepping up to help turn its goals into reality. In addition to the $154 million CFREF investment and collaboration with the participating universities, support will come from major global research, industry and government partners. They include the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Canada鈥檚 Ocean Supercluster, among many others.
鈥淭he global reputation of our ocean and climate researchers has been critical in helping the university garner our initial commitments and partnerships for the Transforming Climate Action research program,鈥� says Dr. Charles Macdonald, AV俱乐部鈥檚 dean of science. 鈥淏ecause of our legacy for innovation and leadership in ocean research, the world knows we have the depth and talent to take on this work. With the support of the CFREF, our partners see we are gathering significant momentum and are throwing their support behind us to get it done.鈥�
Further reading: Swell of support: Researchers and government leaders gather to celebrate Transforming Climate Action
Filling the ocean 鈥╧nowledge gap
Making progress on climate change will require more insights on the changes that are occurring in the ocean鈥檚 ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere. Transforming Climate Action will focus its exploration efforts on the North Atlantic and Atlantic-Arctic gateways. These areas are not only geographically close for studying, but also account for approximately 30 per cent of the ocean鈥檚 carbon uptake. Through Transforming Climate Action, researchers will increase their understanding of how carbon absorption works and the factors that affect it. They鈥檒l also gain insights into the potential impact of extreme ocean events, such as accelerated Arctic warming, and the role that marine ecosystems play in this process.
Dr. Katja Fennel is helping to remedy the ocean knowledge gap. She and her team will be deploying new sensor-equipped robotic devices in the Labrador Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean to measure properties such as water temperature, salt levels, oxygen levels, plankton and acidity. The devices are part of , an international program that has been gathering data on ocean temperature and salinity for over 20 years. The program has almost 4,000 devices dotting the ocean from the South Atlantic to the North Pacific, which transmit data to shore via satellites. The Argo program is now adding biological and chemical sensors to these devices. The result is an impressive ocean observation network that will transform our ability to observe biological and chemical changes in the ocean and to better understand its potential in climate mitigation.
These data are helpful for researchers like Dr. Fennel. She is interested in phytoplankton鈥攎icroscopic plant-like organisms that are the basis of the marine food web. They also play a key role in the ocean鈥檚 ability to soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and cycle it to the deep ocean. The fear is that global warming is causing the nutrients that plankton rely on to become stagnant. This means reduced circulation to the sunlit surface ocean, where photosynthesis can occur. This is a serious problem; if plankton are not well nourished and their numbers decrease, it could have a dire effect on ocean life, carbon absorption and climate change.
鈥淲e have to get a handle on what the ocean鈥檚 carbon inventory is and how it is changing, because the ocean holds 50 times more CO2 than the atmosphere,鈥� Dr. Fennel explains. 鈥淚f the processes in the ocean that keep the CO2 in there change even in a subtle way, that could mean a huge change in the atmosphere. This is why we need to understand what is going on. It鈥檚 crucially important.鈥濃��
Added data will enable Dr. Fennel to develop more accurate predictive models. In turn, these models will enable more informed decisions for increasing the ocean鈥檚 carbon absorption capacity鈥攐ne of the aims of Transforming Climate Action. As much as that appeals to her, Dr. Fennel has something more ambitious in mind to advance the quality and amount of data gathered from the ocean.
鈥淚 think about how much weather forecasting has advanced over the past 20 years, thanks to more sophisticated models and computational power, but also sustained observation networks that steadily deliver data,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur field is a far cry from that. My dream is to see a big push to real-time observation streams that allow us to really describe what the ocean is doing at any given moment so we can predict how it will behave going forward. The more accurate our predictions are, the better equipped we will be to grapple with climate change.鈥�
For now, what Dr. Fennel envisions is a dream. But it illustrates what could be possible as a result of CFREF funding.
Boosting the ocean鈥檚 鈥╯uperpower
As AV俱乐部 researchers like Dr. Fennel work to better understand the ocean鈥檚 ability to absorb carbon, others are exploring ways to increase that superpower. One proposed approach is ocean alkalinity enhancement, a process that鈥檚 often compared to giving the ocean an antacid. Adding alkaline substances, such as limestone, to seawater reduces harmful acidity in the water caused by increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It also enables the ocean to absorb more carbon dioxide.
鈥淭here is a lot of cautious optimism about ocean alkalinity enhancement,鈥� says Dr. Ruth Musgrave, the Canada Research Chair in Physical Oceanography at AV俱乐部. 鈥淚t mimics the natural geochemical processes that have caused the ocean to take up so much carbon and to be such a large reservoir of it.鈥�
However, Dr. Musgrave says there are still many questions as to how this process will work. She and other AV俱乐部 researchers are trying to answer those questions in collaboration with . This Dartmouth, N.S., company has developed a unique alkalinity-based carbon removal technology that has proven safe and effective in the lab. The goal now is to use AV俱乐部鈥檚 Aquatron, Canada鈥檚 largest aquatic research centre, to see if the same results can be achieved in an open-sea setting.
Dal oceanographer and professor Dr. Hugh MacIntye is conducting ocean alkalinity enhancement-related experiments to ensure the science behind it will be safe for life below the waves. He and his students are assessing the impact of added alkalinity on plankton. 鈥淭here is a mass of literature on acidifying the ocean and its impacts,鈥� says Dr. MacIntyre. 鈥淏ut there is surprisingly little on raising pH with alkaline substances and its effect on plankton growth. What we want to know is whether they can accommodate a sudden rise in alkalinity or if they will be harmed by it.鈥�
If Dr. MacIntyre and his students find that plankton can accommodate this increase, the company will be one step closer to a viable technology that could help keep climate change in check.
Coastal in a different way
Meanwhile, environmental social scientist Dr. Kate Sherren says it鈥檚 time to be coastal in a different way. The CFREF investment offers an opportunity to further explore how people living along the coast are experiencing and responding to climate-related changes. Through interviews, focus groups, surveys and social media analysis, she is gathering their opinions on adaptations ranging from restoring wetlands along the Bay of Fundy to retreating from the coastline altogether.
鈥淲e need to ask hard questions about our continued ability to inhabit the places we call home,鈥� says Dr. Sherren, a professor at the School for Resource and Environmental Studies at AV俱乐部. 鈥淚 know many of us have an emotional connection to our coastline, but we need to look at where we should pull back and leave space for ocean dynamism.鈥�
This is why the research being conducted through Transforming Climate Action will be vital. Insights on the factors driving climate and ocean change will enable Atlantic Canadian and other coastal communities to make informed decisions about how they鈥檒l adapt to that change. Those insights will also support further efforts by Dr. Sherren to shape the necessary policies, engagement and actions to help keep these communities, and their ways of life, safe in the face of more extreme weather events.
鈥淲e think, in our hearts, that we鈥檙e going to have time to make decisions,鈥� Dr. Sherren says. 鈥淲e think that the change is going to be gradual and that it鈥檚 going to become clear when we need to adapt and pull back. But hurricane Fiona and the damage it caused to houses along Newfoundland鈥檚 shores, for example, demonstrates that the time for action is now.鈥�
As Canada's leading ocean university, it's not just an opportunity to advance ocean and climate research; it's also our reponsibility to the world.聽 聽
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Supporting Indigenous-led research
Ultimately, it鈥檚 questions about adaptation that Dr. Waite is most enthusiastic to address through Transforming Climate Action. She sees the program as an opportunity to raise public awareness about the impacts of climate change, which she believes will inspire more strategic and concerted mitigation efforts. Dr. Waite also sees opportunities for researchers and communities to share best practices and success stories for adaptation, creating a wealth of knowledge and resources for everyone to draw on. Research co-led by Indigenous researchers and organizations is a key piece of Transforming Climate Action, building on existing relationships at the four partner institutions. This will鈥痓e further bolstered by support for relationship-building early in the project, culminating in a round of funding specifically for additional Indigenous-led research projects.
鈥淭his is an opportunity to have discussions about decolonization and how Indigenous ways of knowing inform climate change action,鈥� Dr. Waite says. 鈥淲e are going to do this through several pathways, including direct engagement with our Indigenous colleagues, an Indigenous-led research call, and though the establishment of the Transformation Hub, based at the University of Quebec at Rimouski. Those conversations will not be easy, and they are going to take time. But they are important if we are going to achieve climate change solutions that promote equity, justice and resilience. The more we engage in those conversations, the more we can equip a new generation of students and leaders to approach these conversations with those concepts as their baseline.鈥�
A major step forward
With the CFREF investment in place and research underway, AV俱乐部 and its partners are working to secure further funding to achieve the goals outlined in Transforming Climate Action. Dr. Aiken believes the expertise assembled through this program and the potential to realize change will prove invaluable in garnering additional support. She stresses such support will be necessary not just to prevent a climate-related catastrophe, but also to strengthen AV俱乐部鈥檚 vital role in protecting the ocean.
鈥淭he Transforming Climate Action research program will solidify AV俱乐部 as a global leader in climate science, innovation and solutions by putting the ocean front and centre in the fight against climate change,鈥� says Dr. Aiken. 鈥淎s Canada鈥檚 leading ocean university, it鈥檚 not just an opportunity to advance ocean and climate research; it鈥檚 also our responsibility to the world.鈥�
This story appeared in the DAL Magazine Spring/Summer 2023 issue. Flip through the rest of the issue using the links below.