Sustaining Ocean Observations to Understand Future Changes in Earth's Climate
Sustaining Ocean Observations to Understand Future Changes in Earth's Climate

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-12-20

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 0309466830

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The ocean is an integral component of the Earth's climate system. It covers about 70% of the Earth's surface and acts as its primary reservoir of heat and carbon, absorbing over 90% of the surplus heat and about 30% of the carbon dioxide associated with human activities, and receiving close to 100% of fresh water lost from land ice. With the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, notably carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, the Earth's climate is now changing more rapidly than at any time since the advent of human societies. Society will increasingly face complex decisions about how to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change such as droughts, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, species loss, changes to growing seasons, and stronger and possibly more frequent storms. Observations play a foundational role in documenting the state and variability of components of the climate system and facilitating climate prediction and scenario development. Regular and consistent collection of ocean observations over decades to centuries would monitor the Earth's main reservoirs of heat, carbon dioxide, and water and provides a critical record of long-term change and variability over multiple time scales. Sustained high-quality observations are also needed to test and improve climate models, which provide insights into the future climate system. Sustaining Ocean Observations to Understand Future Changes in Earth's Climate considers processes for identifying priority ocean observations that will improve understanding of the Earth's climate processes, and the challenges associated with sustaining these observations over long timeframes.

Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste
Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher:

Published: 2022-09

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 9780309458856

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An estimated 8 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic waste enters the world's ocean each year - the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck of plastic waste into the ocean every minute. Plastic waste is now found in almost every marine habitat, from the ocean surface to deep sea sediments to the ocean's vast mid-water region, as well as the Great Lakes. This report responds to a request in the bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act for a scientific synthesis of the role of the United States both in contributing to and responding to global ocean plastic waste. The United States is a major producer of plastics and in 2016, generated more plastic waste by weight and per capita than any other nation. Although the U.S. solid waste management system is advanced, it is not sufficient to deter leakage into the environment. Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste calls for a national strategy by the end of 2022 to reduce the nation's contribution to global ocean plastic waste at every step - from production to its entry into the environment - including by substantially reducing U.S. solid waste generation. This report also recommends a nationally-coordinated and expanded monitoring system to track plastic pollution in order to understand the scales and sources of U.S. plastic waste, set reduction and management priorities, and measure progress.

Sustaining Large Marine Ecosystems: The Human Dimension
Sustaining Large Marine Ecosystems: The Human Dimension

Author: Timothy M. Hennessey

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2005-05-06

Total Pages: 381

ISBN-13: 0080459706

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The shift away from the management of individual resources to the broader perspective of ecosystems is no longer confined to academia and think tanks where it first began; the ecosystem paradigm also is beginning to take root in government policy and programs.This volume provides innovative and timely approaches for improving and sustaining socioeconomic benefits from LMEs. The authors describe methodologies and actions for moving forward in halting the downward resource sustainability spiral and advancing toward the recovery of depleted fish stocks, restoration of degraded habitats, and reduction and control of pollution within the framework of an ecosystem-based approach for the governance of LMEs.* First book to ever publish that focuses on the human dimension of large marine ecosystem management* Offers set of guidelines for possible interrelationship management programs* Addresses taxing issues and problems pertaining to the world's marine ecosystems* Provides a matrix of the interdependence of economic, social, cultural and governance elements

The Ocean Economy in 2030
The Ocean Economy in 2030

Author: OECD

Publisher: OECD Publishing

Published: 2016-04-27

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9264251723

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This report explores the growth prospects for the ocean economy, its capacity for future employment creation and innovation, and its role in addressing global challenges. Special attention is devoted to the emerging ocean-based industries.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education
A Framework for K-12 Science Education

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2012-02-28

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 0309214459

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Science, engineering, and technology permeate nearly every facet of modern life and hold the key to solving many of humanity's most pressing current and future challenges. The United States' position in the global economy is declining, in part because U.S. workers lack fundamental knowledge in these fields. To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students' interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. A Framework for K-12 Science Education outlines a broad set of expectations for students in science and engineering in grades K-12. These expectations will inform the development of new standards for K-12 science education and, subsequently, revisions to curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development for educators. This book identifies three dimensions that convey the core ideas and practices around which science and engineering education in these grades should be built. These three dimensions are: crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science through their common application across science and engineering; scientific and engineering practices; and disciplinary core ideas in the physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences and for engineering, technology, and the applications of science. The overarching goal is for all high school graduates to have sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on science-related issues, be careful consumers of scientific and technical information, and enter the careers of their choice. A Framework for K-12 Science Education is the first step in a process that can inform state-level decisions and achieve a research-grounded basis for improving science instruction and learning across the country. The book will guide standards developers, teachers, curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, and educators who teach science in informal environments.

The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate
The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate

Author: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2022-04-30

Total Pages: 755

ISBN-13: 9781009157971

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for assessing the science related to climate change. It provides policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of human-induced climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation. This IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate is the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the observed and projected changes to the ocean and cryosphere and their associated impacts and risks, with a focus on resilience, risk management response options, and adaptation measures, considering both their potential and limitations. It brings together knowledge on physical and biogeochemical changes, the interplay with ecosystem changes, and the implications for human communities. It serves policymakers, decision makers, stakeholders, and all interested parties with unbiased, up-to-date, policy-relevant information. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.