afilliat3 – Susan Lozier

The ocean is changing colors, researchers say. Here’s what it means.

Ocean waters are getting greener at the poles and bluer toward the equator, according to an analysis of satellite data published in Science by Haipeng Zhao, Susan Lozier, Nicolas Cassar, and Manfredi Manizza.

Lozier shares with Good Morning America that the change reflects shifting concentrations of a green pigment called chlorophyll made by phytoplankton, photosynthetic marine organisms at the base of the ocean food chain. If the trend continues, marine food webs could be affected, with potential repercussions for global fisheries.

The College of Sciences is proud to launch Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow, a new center focused on research that aims to improve life across the state.

“From resilient communities and agriculture, to health and sustainable energy resources, Georgia’s Tomorrow will focus on improving the lives of Georgians and their communities,” Dean Lozier shares.

Dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair Susan Lozier has been reappointed to a five-year term in the College of Sciences.

This decision follows a rigorous review process outlined in the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook, which includes feedback from faculty, staff, and students, and an evaluation of Lozier’s performance and accomplishments during her term.

The latest episode of Generating Buzz follows the College of Sciences’ Frontiers in Science event, giving listeners an opportunity to hear from experts, including dean and renowned oceanographer Susan Lozier, Associate Professor Alex Robel, Professor Valerie Thomas, and Associate Vice President of Sustainability Jennifer Chirico as they explore the intersection of science, policy, and human nature.

Could the system of ocean currents that regulates the climate for a swath of the planet — currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) — collapse sooner than expected? New research, published in the journal Nature Communications, show that a sharp weakening of the currents, or even a shutdown, could be upon us by century’s end.

Oceanographer Susan Lozier dives into the importance of the ocean’s natural circulation, which overturns water in a way that naturally captures carbon and regulates global temperatures. She shares the incredible research being done internationally to track changes in this overturn, as warming global temperatures could slow the circulation, lessen carbon uptake and increase the rate of climate-related disasters. While a collapse in this age-old system isn’t likely until 2100, Lozier warns of the dangers faced by future generations if we don’t change course now, calling for climate action to lower temperatures within the next 10 years.

Hurricane season is underway and runs through Nov. 30. While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a “near-normal” 2023, experts say that climate change paints a more unpredictable picture for the future.

Behind the 2023 projections is a balancing act of rising oceanic temperatures and the onset of the climate phenomenon El Niño, explains Susan Lozier, dean and Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair in the College of Sciences.

SXSW Panel: Looking to Our Ocean for Climate Solutions

As greenhouse gasses warm our planet, our ocean plays a significant role in regulating heat and absorbing carbon dioxide — absorbing a third of the carbon and more than 90 percent of the extra heat added to our atmosphere. There are consequences to this, as scientists track warming temperatures, depleting oxygen zones, a more acidic ocean, and rising sea levels. The ocean can also be a potential solution if we can leverage the ocean’s existing ability to remove carbon dioxide. In this panel from SXSW 2023, leading ocean experts will discuss the ocean’s role in climate, the potential for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal, and a code of conduct for CO2 removal that could maximize collective societal and environmental benefit for our ocean planet.

The ocean is as important to the climate as the atmosphere

For HOMO SAPIENS, a dry-land species, discussions of the climate and how it is changing tend to revolve around what is going on in the atmosphere. This is a dangerously parochial attitude, for the atmosphere is but one of two fluid systems circulating above Earth’s solid surface. The other, the ocean, is in many ways the more important of the pair.

We know that water is the key to life on Earth, but there are countless mysteries lurking in its depths. This “Oceans” episode of The Weather Channel’s series The Earth Unlocked features an interview with Susan Lozier, Dean of the College of Sciences, Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Chair, and professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Note: This video is a preview for the episode, which can be accessed via a TV-only streaming platform that has an on-demand feature.

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Susan Lozier

Author: afilliat3

The ocean is changing colors, researchers say. Here’s what it means.

College of Sciences Launches New Center: Georgia Tech for Georgia’s Tomorrow

Susan Lozier Reappointed as Dean of the College of Sciences at Georgia Tech

Generating Buzz: Climate Change Takes Center Stage

Warming Could Push the Atlantic Past a ‘Tipping Point’ This Century

Lessons: Notes from Session 2 of TED Countdown Summit

Balancing Act of Hurricane Season Sways With Climate Change

SXSW Panel: Looking to Our Ocean for Climate Solutions

The ocean is as important to the climate as the atmosphere

The Earth Unlocked: Oceans

Georgia Institute of Technology