Algae and Climate Change The Complex and Integral...

Algae and Climate Change: The Complex and Integral Relationship Between Biology and Weather Introduction Climate scientists around the world overwhelmingly agree that mankind is responsible for a warming trend and for other changes to the global climate as a result of greenhouse gas emission form the burning of fossil fuels. This is far from a simple cause-and-effect system, however, given the global scale of the issue there are necessarily many factors that interact in complex manners to changes in atmospheric gases and to the Earths climate. Understanding the manner in which other biological agents counteract, contribute to, and/or are affected by human impacts on the climate and the climate overall is essential to understanding the larger climate change issues. The following pages examine how algae is related to global climate change, noting a far more significant impact than most lay observers might expect. Algaes Role in Climate Regulation To suggest that small, often microscopic organisms could have a substantial impact on the Earths climate might at first appear irrational. The minute chemical interactions that these organisms facilitate and their physical presence can have tremendous impacts on climate and specifically on how human-produced atmospheric carbon influences the rest of the global climate (Hays et al, 2005; Wilhelm et al, 2006; Sun et al, 2009; Kumar et al, 2011). Algae can exist in very large populations or blooms that magnify the effectsShow MoreRelatedImportance of Oceans4849 Words   |  20 Pagesatmosphere and providing oxygen. It regulates Earths climate. The ocean is an increasingly important source of biomedical organisms with enormous potential for fighting disease. These are just a few examples of the importance of the ocean to life on land. Explore them in greater detail to understand why we must keep the ocean healthy for future generations. Fishing Facts The oceans have been fished for thousands of years and are an integral part of human society. Fish have been important toRead MoreSexually Transmitted Diseases35655 Words   |  143 Pages55-68 Food 69-71 Other biomolecules of life 72-76 Unit 4 Energy in the Community Electricity 77-78 Heat 78-81 Light 82-91 Sound 92 Simple Machines 93-99 Unit 5 The Physical Environment Weather and Climate 100-113 Soils 114-128 Unit 6 Living things in the Environment Plant and animal cells 129 Eukaryotes vs prokaryotes 130 Structures and functions 133-137 Microbes 148-150 Onion and cheek cells 150-151