How did you become interested in studying chemical oceanography, and how did you get your current job?
Calvin grew up in Kansas. While in college he saw a flyer for a summer class doing chemical oceanography. That is all it took, and he was hooked! This experience then inspired him to go to graduate school in chemical oceanography.
To get his current job Calvin prepared as a teenager doing a lot of essays in English class, and math-lots of math. Calvin also never gave up when he did not get a job he applied for; he continued to apply multiple times. His message was to never give up. Once he got out of college he had a chance to do numerous things. When he put out some applications he said he had to apply two times before he got accepted into graduate school. When he got accepted he had to do some hard work to get his degree.
What is in sea water?
Please listen to the audio file below.
Why is ocean water important to humans?
Many of the world's populations live near oceans. Oceans are life sustaining, they regulate world temperatures, regulate rainfall across the planet.
Why are you studying in the Polar Regions?
Most of the fishers in the United States, 40%, come from the Bering Sea. This is important for the economy, and impacts climate change. Fish managers set quotas on fish that can be caught for commercial use. Transformations due to climate change affect our ecosystems in many ways. Fewer fish mean less food for other species that eat fish. These changing ecosystem effects will affect all species, including polar bears.
Why is H20 and oceans important to humans?
Most of the world's populations live near oceans. These oceans have historically provided food and transportation. The ocean has been life sustaining for many cultures.
On a scientific level, oceans regulate world temperatures they also regulate the fresh water cycle mostly through evaporation. Oceans absorb CO2 that humans have produced by using fossil fuels. Having an ocean take this CO2 from the atmosphere is good for the atmosphere, but this is bad for the ocean.
Where in the world do you study ocean chemistry?
Cal is currently working on three programs:
- Cal works in the Bering Sea studying sea ice cover, and how this sea ice effects all components of the ecosystem.
- Cal is also studying CO2 in the world's oceans and how the impacts of CO2 in the oceanic ecosystems is changing around the world. Cal has been to the Indian ocean, Atlantic ocean, Pacific ocean, and around Antarctica.
- Cal's last project is studying undersea volcanoes and how "specialized" life survives in these unique ecosystems. The nutrients "spewed" out of these geologic structures also changes the chemistry of the ocean.
Are water samples different in different aquatic ecosystems?
There are some oceanic ecosystems that have lots of nutrients for plant growth. The Arctic Ocean, Antarctic and the Bering Sea are very rich ocean ecosystems. These oceanic ecosystems are very different than the seas around Hawaii and the South pacific. There is little plant life in the waters around Hawaii, as there are not a lot of nutrients.
The ice is what makes aquatic ecosystems different. In the Arctic and Bering the ice comes in winter and mostly disappears in summer. This ice regulates animal life, and eventually through the food pyramid affects large mammals like the polar bear. The ice also provides resting place.
Are the ocean ecosystems being affected by global climate change?
The Ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting faster than scientific models predicted. Professionals in the field are predicting that within the next 20 years that there will be no summer ice in the arctic. There will always be ice in the winter, but now there are major concerns about summer ice. Scientists are also seeing similar ice changes in Greenland and the Antarctic.
A frightening thing that many people do not know is that the oceans are becoming more acidic. Microscopic plants are affected and have a harder time surviving as the oceans become more acidic. The oceans are becoming more acidic because of the increased CO2 called carbonic acid (like Coke). This increased CO2 is from humans burning more fossil fuels. This Carbonic Acid is changing the Ph in the Oceans, it is frightening.
Why is Oceanic research and research on CO2 important to our climate?
Changes in world oceans will have huge impacts on all of the earth's ecosystems. These impacts will be large and can effect whether species live or die!
This program is supported by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed by this program are those of the PIs and coordinating team, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.