SEA Writer 3:2023 Oceans and Climate

SEA Writer Issue 3, 2023

Oceans and Climate in the Southwestern Pacific

Central Pacific swim call (Grant Carey photo).

Cover art: Prue Criscuolo Original Canva Template: Zuzanna Witek Editors: Grant Carey, Katharine Judy, Soleil Michaud, Grace Shoemaker, and Rich King Captain: Rick Miller Chief Scientist: Jan Witting

Contents of Issue 3, 2023 "Introduction”

Essay by Grant Carey

p. 4

“Identity in the Vanua: What the People of Serua Island, Fji, Can Teach Us about Climate Change Adaptation”

Social Science Writing by Callie Dittmar

p. 14

"Open Ocean Painting” (October 13)

Blog Entry and Art by Emily Rose Stringer

p. 19

“Climate Change Impacts on Health in Pacific Island Countries”

Science Writing and Infographic

by Mira Stephens

p. 22

“How to Not Run Out of Water While Crossing the Pacific” (October 4)

Blog Entry by Susanna Kisker

p. 26

“How Sea Level Rise Will Cause Erosion on Atoll Islands”

Science Writing by Austin Black

p. 28

“Does El Niño Influence Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide?”

Science Writing by Sophie Strock

p. 32

“Talanoa Whenua”

Poem by Mark Teh

p. 36

“Measuring Earth’s Heat Uptake is Critical to Understanding our Climate”

Science Writing by Prue Criscuolo

p. 37

“Why Residual Emissions Matter”

Science Writing by Grant Carey

p. 41

“Uulize Bahari”

Poem by Susanna Kisker

p. 45

“In the Name of a Healthful Home – The Precarious Position of Climate Monitoring”

Science Writing by Satya Advani

p. 47

“Time and Marine Life” (October 27)

Blog Entry by Soleil Michaud

p. 52

“#1 Fish Recommended Food: Microplastic Fibers”

Science Writing by Grace Shoemaker

p. 56

"Dawn Watch”

Poem by Prue Criscuolo

p. 60

"Trash at Sea” (October 30)

Blog Entry by Katharine Hassenfratz

p. 62

“Forecasting the Future: Small Pacific Islands, Rising Seas, and Artificial Intelligence”

Science Writing by Ruthie Metcalfe

p. 64

“S311 - The Musical”

Short Essay by Hwan Huh

p. 70

“Humpback Whales: Why Pelagic Habitats are Critical for Humpbacks in the Western South Pacific”

Science Cartoon by Katharine Judy

p. 72

“Reflecting on this SEA Semester”

Short Essay by Mark Teh

p. 76

"Coda”

Concluding Essay by Grace Shoemaker

p. 78

ISSUE 3, 2023

Introduction

The Sea Education Association (SEA), based in Woods Hole, MA, USA, offers ocean studies programs for undergraduate, gap year, and high school students.

This SEA Semester, class S'311, involved preparation in Woods Hole, MA, then a six-week sail aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans from Fiji to Aotearoa New Zealand via Tuvalu. Undergraduate students took classes in 'Oceanography,' 'Nautical Science,' and ‘Environmental Communication.’

We are S-311. A class, a passage, a ship full of people who set out on a voyage. We sailed across the southern Pacific, researching and living in an environment which, even at our most intimate moments, we knew we were merely passing through. The name of our program was “Oceans and Climate” and as we delved into our studies it became incredibly clear how interconnected humanity is with the health of the seas.

After over four wonderful weeks in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, enjoying the end of summer, and preparing for our trip with intensive studies ranging from environmental communication, the oceans and the global carbon cycle, and nautical science, it was time to embark on our journey. We packed up all our gear and journals and flew to Fiji to become crew onboard the Robert C. Seamans, a one hundred and thirtyfour foot brigantine rigged tall ship. We spent the next six weeks on board researching and learning about the ocean and life as a sailor. Over the course of our cruise we went to three islands in Fiji, leaving from Port Denarau and stopping in Levuka and Savusavu before setting off to Funafuti, the capital of Tuvalu. The last leg of the journey was from Tuvalu south to Auckland, New Zealand, and it was during these sailing components that we forged a closeness with the sea that few others know.

We began as a group of sixteen individual students heralding from universities all across the US, strangers to a crew of seventeen, and left as a

S’311 in Woods Hole, MA at the Sea Education Association campus, just days away from flying to Nadi, Fiji to start their once in a lifetime adventure.

community of 33 shipmates. As we drifted through calm seas, ‘hoved to’ as we waited out gale force conditions, and worked the lines to sail we found ourselves constantly learning. Most importantly, though, we were also given the space to reflect: on the state of the environment, our place within society, and our future. It was during one of these moments of reflection on bow watch that I started writing the following letter. I know it is in my voice but I hope that it may yield insight into the life that we lived, the topics we discussed and our hopes and dreams as sailors and students.

To my Elders, It was the first night of our voyage, and we had just left port Denarau, Fiji, after a few days getting all of our things ready for our journey. The buzz of leaving and watching our stoic ship come to life filled me with joy, and as we motored out of Fiji I was enthralled by the mangroves, the tropical islands passing, and the sunset. My first watch was going to be a dawn watch, starting at one in the morning, and so after finally getting my excitement under the barest of control, I went to my bunk a little later than I should have to get a good night of sleep.

This bunk––a spacious one I am told, but little more than a slot in the wall

to crawl into—and the entire ship, was my home for the next six weeks and the wonders ahead of me were countless.

Nature has a funny way of letting you know that in the end it is always in control. This was the first time of the trip that I appreciated what surrendering control implies when living on a sailboat.

I was on the cusp of sleep but my shipmates on watch were setting sails and preparing to leave the sheltered coral sea that surrounds much of the west coast of Fiji and enter into the unprotected ocean. I half felt the boat rise into the air as we rode over that first wave and felt my body get compressed into my bunk. Yet as soon as we crested, the wave and the ship crashed down, and with the thud, my eyes shot open and all thoughts of sleep vanished as I felt my stomach lurch into my throat. I tried everything: reading, clearing my mind, taking a walk, telling myself that the rolling was not bad, but every crash immediately woke my body. After hours of laying there, exhaustion finally took hold, and I felt my eyes close, thankful for the bliss of getting sleep. A few minutes later I was awakened again—not by the waves, but by one of my shipmates, letting me know it was 0030 and in thirty minutes I would be standing watch for the next six hours. On bow watch I learned that it was possible to fall asleep standing up- a new meaning for exhaustion.

A few days later, this rolling

ocean and cramped bunk became a cradle; and me, the baby getting rocked to sleep. The clouds and glistening waves, the stars and moon painted pictures in my memory and showed me new realms for living. It was on bow watch and on helm, feeling the weathered and oiled wood below my hands, that a little voice started to whisper into my ear.

Not for the first time in my life and surely not for the last. It told me: this is life. This is what I should be doing. Live the barefoot vagabond life as Bernard Moitessier would say.

Live a simple life of working hard, of honing a skill, of venturing to the mountain tops, or mastering a craft.

Of forgetting all the ever present tasks that a modern society places upon us. Of doing away with the constraints of a capitalist lifestyle and surrounding myself with nature, adventure, and people who love and care about me as I do about them.

I feel like I am running away from the world, from the dire problems that exist.

Yet each time I feel this, this call of the wild, this call of music and envision myself in this timeline, I feel a sense of guilt accompanying me. I feel like I am running away from the world, from the dire problems that exist and into a nature that without protection will vanish away. Guilt. Because I have

understanding to try and help the world in the face of the environmental crisis. Guilt. Because I could make a difference cleaning up your mess.

Greta Thunberg, a voice of my generation, in her speech to the United Nations said that you, my Elders, “have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones…. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” I no longer feel that I have a choice to choose to live how I want, that choice was made for me long before I entered this world.

I became filled with anger. Angst.

Rebellion. Unlike Greta, how could I not think that you, my dear Elders, are evil. How could I not be furious at you for robbing us of our future, for tearing apart the natural world, for sowing destruction for money. It is not earth you are killing, it is not life as a whole you are destroying.

No. Those will exist long after we are gone. You are stealing this world from me, my children, and their children. Will they get to wander in old growth forests, see schools of fish swimming as they breathe in the salt from the sea? Will they get to lie in a field of grass, listen to the birds sing, and meditate on life as I am doing right now? Will there be a nature left for them to find solace in or will they be insulated from nature

Sandbags line the majority of the coastline of Funafuti, Tuvalu, in order to build up the island to prevent the damages of rising seas and erosion. The country is estimated to sink within the next fifty years, and projects such as these are an attempt to reclaim the land that even now is held dear in the hearts of Tuvaluans. (Photo and caption by Prue Criscuolo, shot with 35mm film on a Pentax K1000).

in a dystopian world of technological control.

Evil is not the devil whispering in the ear corrupting souls to do bad as I have been taught. No. Evil is a created institution; the foundations of a society that we have built.

Colonialism, the patriarchy, consumerism. It is the easy path, laid out so clearly for us to follow.

The peaceful, the good; they have never ruled the world. It has been the violent who conquer. It is they who plunder. They, who I had every right to believe to be you.

It is an unfortunate testament to the world that we live in that, on coming back to shore after being isolated for six weeks, I was not surprised to find another war erupting. This violence that plagues us as a society is reflected in our treatment of the natural world. The violence that “paved paradise to build a parking lot,” as Joni Mitchell sang in 1970. We clear cut forests and tear open the mountains to extract. Humanity is here. This is ours.

How can we be so ignorant as a society? Why is it that we think we have all the answers? We think we can dominate, shape, and change the natural world. Evil tells us that this is for the better. For progress.

There are those of you who think we can transcend the natural world.

This cannot be further from the truth. Humanity is but a mere blip in ecological time, a speck in the cellular wisdom that has evolved over the millennia. We fail to realize that the solutions to the environmental problems lie in the millions of

years of ecological evolution and cellular wisdom that brought us into existence. We are not the saviours or stewards of the natural world. No. It has existed before us and will exist after us. We need to save this natural world from our-selves, for ourselves. We can do this by returning to our roots and embracing and learning from the natural world.

The beauty of nature is that it will help us if we let it. In that paved paradise, in that parking lot amidst the concrete jungle, cracks will start to form. In those cracks wildflowers will bloom, raising a delicate fist against the monstrosity that we perpetuate. Goodness, not evil, is that which whispers in the ear, that worms its way through the thoughts and dreams of humans and shines through the cracks.Goodness that influences many of you.

I no longer see you, my dear Elders, as evil. The more I learn, the more I realize that many of you have been navigating this darkness, illuminating the benefits of the natural world and fighting for the good of humanity. We as a generation of youth are not alone. I am reassured as I learn of all the incredible work that has and is being done to improve our relationship with the natural world and with others. We are breaking down the systems that have plagued our species for millenia. We will continue to do this, so we can once again integrate ourselves back into this beautiful planet that we call home. This is a story of hope. This century can be a turning point for

for humanity where we shake off the oppression that has gotten us here and walk barefoot through the forest. Living in harmony with nature is the only way to survive and as we rebuild and nurture nature, we can once again rebuild and nurture our soul. For us and for our children.

As you look through this magazine, you may wonder about the connections between the broad array of topics covered in blogs from our time on the ship and various scientific reportage pieces in a range of genres. At the surface they do not appear to relate to what I have been talking about, or with one another. I beg to differ. Moitessier once said, “I am on a voyage to save my soul and humanity.” Let me tell you, though we may not know it yet, we also have ended one such voyage. We are a group of sailors, a part of this generation coping with all that you have left us. In the following pages you will find our stories. They encompass parts of our world view. The ideas of building an appreciation for and understanding of the natural world, living a life simply, and finding our place within it all. Thankfully we are not alone, we are guided by those before us who brought that light and illuminated the darkness. Now it is our turn.

I have realized that I will be the barefoot vagabond, but I will not do that alone. No, I have a duty to

myself, to those I may bring into the world, to the birds flying by, one piece of the natural web that we once again can become a part of. My duty is to play my part as a steward to humanity so that we can exist sustainably for generations to come.

So let us reach for the stars, to go out and live among them to innovate and build but let us not fail to realize that it is those very stars from which we were made. Do not be the evil that sits back and waits. Everything around us all originated from one action, one reaction. Be the change, no matter how small, it will make a difference.

If I am not following in your footsteps already, will you join me?

Will you join us?

Further Reading Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi,” Ladies of the Canyon (Reprise, 1970).

Bernard Moitessier, The Long Way (Rowman and Littlefield: 2019).

Greta Thunberg, “Speech at the U.N. Climate Action Summit,” Climate Action Summit 2019, United Nations, UN Headquarters, New York) npr.org.

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Oceanographic sampling stations during the voyage of the Robert C. Seamans, Sep. 23rd to Nov. 7, 2023, from Nadi, Fiji, to Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, with stops in Levuka and Savusavu, Fiji; Funafuti, Tuvalu; and a final week off the ship at the Leigh Marine Lab, in Leigh, NZ.

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“Sunset #1” (above) and “Savusavu, Fiji” (below)

by Emily Rose Stringer

ISSUE 3, 2023

Identity in the Vanua: What the People of Serua Island, Fiji, Can Teach Us About Climate Change Adaptation

I

n February 2016, Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston struck Fiji with wind speeds of 280 km/h (170 mph), wreaking havoc on the small Pacific island nation. In its sweep across the country, Winston killed forty-four people, damaged or destroyed 40,000 homes, and caused $1.4 billion (2016 USD) of damage, making it the costliest storm to ever make landfall in the South Pacific, until that record was broken again in early 2023.

In the wake of the storm, the government of Fiji conducted a nationwide climate vulnerability survey. More than eight hundred communities were found to be at risk from sea level rise and associated impacts, and among these, fortytwo villages were earmarked for urgent relocation. One of the villages on this list is Serua Island, a community just off the coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island. The last couple decades have brought everincreasing levels of coastal erosion, flooding, and saltwater intrusion to Serua Island. However, even though the national government has offered

by Caleb Dittmar

assistance with relocation, almost all of the island’s one hundred or so residents have decided to stay put.

To understand this surprising choice, Merewelasi Yee, an Indigenous Fijian and climate mobility researcher, came to Serua Island in 2021. “When we go into the communities, the first thing that we

Map by Chandra Jayasuriya for Yee, et al. (2022).

need to do is learn what they value,” she told me in an interview. “Once we know what they value and what is important to them, that is the very thing we can do to help them, to protect those things that they value.”

Supported by the Serua village elders, she convened several Talanoa, open dialogues of about four to ten participants used in Pacific cultures to discuss topics of local significance. Talanoa are based on principles of openness, sharing, respect, and trust. As such, they

allow participants to identify and share their experiences and problems, and collaboratively develop solutions. She also conducted a series of individual interviews with village residents.

The people of Serua Island framed their resistance to relocation in terms of Vanua, a Fijian concept that literally translates to “land” but encompasses a range of deeper meanings including the natural environment, social bonds and kinship ties, ways of being,

Yee, et al. (2022).

cont'd >

by Caleb Dittmar

spirituality, and stewardship. It is analogous to similar concepts from other Pacific islands such as Fanua (Samoan), Fonua (Tongan), Fenua (Tahitian), and Whenua (Māori). As one resident put it, “Everything about our identity as Fijians is contained in the Vanua.”

Using this framework of Vanua, the residents of Serua Island articulated key components of their lives that shaped their decision not to relocate, including the intertwining of cultural identity and the physical land, loyalty to the seat of the paramount chief, guardianship of sacred places, and the traditional layout of the village.

For Indigenous Fijians, the foundation of identity is the land where you come from, and it is crucial for that land to continue to be inhabited and stewarded. One resident explained, “For the island of Serua to be recognized, it must have people living on it and supporting and defending its rights and interests . . . and to be told to leave this island, it feels like we are stripped off of our tangible foundation for identification and belonging.”

The ties to the land on Serua Island are particularly strong because it is the seat of the Vunivalu, the paramount chief of Serua province. Over the last several decades, agriculture, schools, and other services have been moved to the mainland, but the chief remains.

by Caleb Dittmar

Merewalesi Yee, Indigenous Fijian and climate change mobility scholar (U. of New South Wales).

“It is our loyalty to our paramount chief that prevents us from leaving,” a resident said.

As the seat of the paramount chief, Serua Island contains a high concentration of sacred sites, or Vanua tabu. These include the tombs of former paramount chiefs and the traditional site of the first founding ancestor. A resident explained how these constitute another reason to stay: “Even though these Vanua tabu strictly do not allow the activity of any kind, it still requires guardianship, so we can’t abandon the island and relocate.” In other villages that have already relocated, villagers have

had to choose whether to exhume ancestral remains and relocate them, or leave them behind. Either option is traumatic.

Residents also discussed the traditional layout of the village as an important structure for culture and connection. “The idea of the layout of the village acts as a bridging medium between iTaukei people and their culture,” one resident said.

Another resident expressed dissatisfaction with the architecture of relocation projects that have already taken place: “We have seen the way previously relocated villages are formed; it no longer reflects a village layout in my opinion.”

It is often assumed that people who stay in places of elevated climate risk are trapped by their circumstances and unable to move, or blind to the risks they face. The people of Serua Island assert that it is their free choice to remain on their home island, and that they are well aware of the risks of doing so.

Researchers refer to this phenomenon as voluntary immobility. “When you talk about voluntary immobility, there is always this misunderstanding…people still lack understanding of Indigenous narratives and worldviews,” Merewelasi Yee told me. Policymakers should support people when they decide to stay, and provide resources for in situ adaptation, even as they continue to monitor and

inform them of changing risks.

In the future, conditions may worsen so much that the residents of Serua Island are forced to relocate. Yee addressed this, saying, “When you do relocate, you have to make sure it is done in a way that maintains that cultural connection.”

For Serua, this might include recreating the traditional village layout in a new site. It is vital to listen to the needs and values of the people who will be relocating, and to allow them to act as key stakeholders shaping the policies and plans that will affect them.

Everything about our identity as Fijians is contained in the Vanua.

The coming years will bring severe climate risks to many more places around the world. There will be more deadly storms, as well as floods, heat waves, fires, and other events that endanger our homes and lives. In the face of such a large and overwhelming crisis, it is tempting to assume that everyone will respond in the same way, which can lead to policies that rob people of their agency.

“No climate change adaptation policy should be decided without the full participation of the people

cont'd >

by Caleb Dittmar

affected,” advocates Yee. “After all,” she says, “At the end of the day, it’s them leaving, not us.”

Further Reading Merewalesi Yee, Karen E. McNamara, Annah E. Piggott-McKellar, and Celia McMichael, “The Role of Vanua in Climate-Related Voluntary Immobility in Fiji,” Frontiers in Climate 4: 1034765 (2022): doi 10.3389/fclim.2022.1034765.

SEA students were invited into a worship service at the village hall in Levuka, Fiji. Church leaders and families gave us a warm welcome and prayed over the group for safe travels.

by Caleb Dittmar

ISSUE 3, 2023

Blog Entry: Open Ocean Painting Date: October 12, 2023 Time: 0750 Location: 8°34.4' S x 179° 07.5' E Weather: Myriad squalls, F4 winds, NE. The sky is filled with cumulus clouds.

T

he ocean is a million colors.

Every few minutes the sea shifts her colors and slips into a new wardrobe.

Sometimes the sea looks ultramarine blue, deep, and quiet. Other times the ocean is a tumultuous grey color.

The ocean is a soothing deep viridian green. Sunsets paint the seas a deep purple tone and sunrises streak the water with warm yellows and pinks. I have even seen a lavender-colored sea in the twilight before the dawn.

The sea’s surface is always a unique and new texture. Large swells create deep troughs. New waves crest.

Crashing whitecaps throw sea spray and bubbles that simmer and fizz.

The wind gently sweeps the surface of the ocean and pulls small ripples along with it. Raindrops pierce the water leaving concentric circular signs of their descent.

It is breathtaking to be surrounded by nothing but water. The sea meets with the sky and forms an unbroken horizon. Though the horizon is not perfectly flat!

by Emily Rose Stringer

Large distant waves punctuate the horizon creating a jagged line. I never could have imagined that to be the case. Our world is all water.

Occasionally seabirds wheel above us, and we often see flying fish soaring above the surface of the water until they are absorbed by rising waves.

Over the course of our voyage I spent time painting the ocean every single day.

The sea is filled with sound. Waves crash and tumble, swells lazily bump against our hull and the foam hisses and spits. The ship cuts through the water. At the bow the ship bounces and thuds against the water, sometimes with quite a deal of force. At the stern our wake flows out from beneath us with soft bubbling and gurgling noises.

The ocean has left my hands rough and sticky with salt after handling lines and sails. My whole

cont'd >

body is coated in a layer of sea salt. I can taste the rich brine of the ocean.

I can feel the salt on my hands and the cold sea spray on my face. I am grateful to be kissed by the ocean.

I am grateful to experience the power of the South Pacific. I am grateful to be out on the open ocean.

During our voyage we sailed without sight of land; it was new and awe-striking, but above all it felt freeing. I had never been so far out on the open ocean, and I wanted to paint an image of what it feels like to be at sea.

Over the course of our voyage I spent time painting the ocean every single day. I discovered that my intense observation of the ocean

by Emily Rose Stringer

helped me to notice the unique qualities of the ever-shifting water.

Throughout the beginning of the trip I struggled to see small wind-waves on the water that indicate the true wind direction. Until one afternoon I looked down at my painting and saw that they were right there on the page! After that I had little trouble seeing the small waves slithering across the surface of the larger swells. Painting helped me to see and digest my surroundings and observe the day-to-day changes.

ISSUE 3, 2023

Climate Change Impacts on Health in Pacific Island Countries

A

new study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Japan explored the literature pertaining to health and climate change after a recently released IPCC report illustrated how small island developing states (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The extreme weather events caused by climate change can cause direct injuries or death, and aggravated risks of disease both communicable and non-communicable, such as mental health disorders and distress.

Climate change also challenges health systems by preventing access to health care facilities during weather events, and sea-level rise increases the risk of high tides which can devastate coastal areas and lead to widespread population displacement. To manage the growing impact of the climate crisis on SIDS

by Mira Stephens

the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the SIDS Initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat and the Fijian Presidency of the 23rd Conference of Parties (COP23).

The goals of the SIDS initiative are as follows: 1. Better understand and address the effects of climate change on health, including those mediated via climate change impacts on the main determinants of health (e.g, food, air, water and sanitation, vectors).

2. Improve the climate-resilience and environmental sustainability of health services.

3. Promote the implementation of climate change mitigation actions in the most polluting sectors (e.g., transport, energy, food, and agriculture) that will maximize health co-benefits both within and outside these states.

The WHO published a guide for building climate-resilient health systems. This was published to advise states on how the structure and function of the health sector can address the challenges climate change creates. However, in order to build resilience in at-risk communities it is critical to understand what is known about the links between health and climate change, hence why the research team set out to explore climate change and health literature.

The researchers sorted through peer-reviewed journals looking for articles that reported climate change issues in the twenty-one Pacific Island states and health issues. They found a total of thirty-six articles, of which fifteen reported quantitative associations between climate change and health.

Four studies showed that leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals, was strongly associated with cyclones and flooding, citing characteristics such as elevation, slope, distance to major rivers, creeks, and poorly drained soils as potential risk factors.

One study showed that typhoid was also associated with flooding and rainfall, however there is evidence that the typhoid vaccine reduced cases significantly. Although these results seem significant, the researchers caution that no longitudinal studies were done, which controls for confounding

by Mira Stephens

Figure 1: The ten components of the WHO Operational Framework for Building Climate Resilient Health Systems, and the main connections to the building blocks of health systems (adapted from Kim, et al., 2022).

variables, however these data are still helpful to understand the risk of health outcomes in a short-term period. For example, the strong association between leptospirosis and certain weather disasters suggest that disaster risk reduction initiatives would benefit from not only preventing the direct impacts such as loss of life or injury, but also the indirect health impacts of these types of events.

Twelve of the thirty-six total articles provided information on potential solutions to the rising health problems associated with climate change. These articles did not focus on health outcomes specifically; they focused on the reasons for poor health outcomes cont'd >

Figure 2: An exceptionally high tide, or “king tide,” swamped Tuvalu. A combination of sea level rise and larger storm driven waves is expected to flood low lying Pacific Island countries with increasing frequency, putting these countries at risk for increased health complications, including upticks in various endemic diseases and overwhelmed hospital systems. (Photo: Sophie Strock)

and potential solutions. The researchers state that it is equally important to study the variables in the climate-health relationship as it is to study the health outcomes.

Understanding how climate policy may affect health outcomes is a crucial step in improving health outcomes in the twenty-one Pacific Island states. For example, given that it has been shown that poor sanitation is a main risk factor of diarrhea and diarrheal deaths, the finding from one study that showed sanitation facilities in the Solomon Islands are vulnerable to extreme weather events is valuable information not only for gauging present risks but also for lowering future risks.

This review revealed that although there is some evidence of links between climate and health outcomes in the Pacific, the body of knowledge is still limited and is

by Mira Stephens

geographically skewed. The studies published so far show a wide range of climate-health risks faced by Pacific Island states, yet do not cover a broad enough geographical range to be representative of all twentyone Pacific Island states. Furthermore, the researcher wrote that their search for articles was limited to the English language and a specific medical publication database. If given more time, it is possible that there are more studies covering the impacts of climate on health in the Pacific Island States.

Still, the studies do provide evidence that suggests an urgent need for further research to build the appropriate knowledge base and take the correct actions needed to strengthen resilience. .

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON HEALTH IN THE

21

PACIFIC ISLAND STATES Strong Associations:

Literature Overview:

33.3%

Kim, et al., reviewed 36 articles on Climate Change and Health outcomes in the South Pacific Island States. They found that articles fell into 3 broad categories: 1) assessments on general climate change indicators and the association to health outcomes, 2) more specific, less generalizable effects of climate change on health, and 3) potential moderators in the health and climate change relationship.

ASSESSMENTS ON POTENTIAL MODERATORS

QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENTS

41.7%

QUALITATIVE ASSESSMENTS

25%

Potential Mediators: LEPTOSPIROSIS

CYCLONES AND FLOODING

TYPHOID

FLOODING AND RAINFALL

DIARRHEA

INCREASED TEMPERATURE AND DROUGHT

The strong association between disease and certain weather disasters suggest that disaster risk reduction initiatives would benefit from not only preventing the direct impacts such as loss of life or injury, but also the indirect health impacts of these types of events.

Poor health outcomes are exasperated by climate change. The researchers state that it is equally important to study the variables in the climate-health relationship as it is to study the health outcomes.

LOWERED WATER QUALITY

LOSS OF LOCAL CROPS

OVERCROWDING OF DISPLACED PEOPLE LOW RESILIENCE OF CURRENT SANITATION FACILITIES WEAK HEALTH SECTOR CAPACITY IN DISASTER RESPONSE,

Changes to Policy:

Further Reading:

Understanding how climate policy affects health outcomes is a crucial step in improving health outcomes in the 21 Pacific Island states. For example, given that there is evidence that poor sanitation is a main risk factor of diarrhea and diarrheal deaths, the finding from one study that showed sanitation facilities in the Solomon Islands are vulnerable to extreme weather events is valuable information not only for gauging present risks but also for lowering future risks.

Hyun Kim, Andrew Ryan, Alyson B. Harding, Adam F. Moskowitz, Alexander I. Passe, Erin C. Kawazu, “Health risks of climate change in the 21 Pacific Island states and noted gaps in scientific evidence: A scoping review,” The Journal of Climate Change and Health,Volume 8 (2022).

Infographic created by Mira Stephens

by Mira Stephens

ISSUE 3, 2023

Blog Entry: How to Not Run Out of Water While Crossing the Pacific Date: October 4, 2023 Time: 1900 Location: 16°46.6’ S 179° 19.6’ E Weather: Wind Wx NW, Force 4, calm seas, stratocumulus clouds

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ou may be wondering; how do thirty people sail for weeks on end in the pacific without running out of water? Well, I’ve got an answer. In short, there is a machine on board that pushes water with so much force through membranes with such tiny pores that it can extract even the small sodium chloride molecules (NaCl) from sea water, producing fresh water that we drink and cook and clean with. This system, called a reverse osmosis water maker, is used to turn fresh water into sea water in ships all over the world, as well as some coastal cities with limited access to fresh water.

Here, I will explain the water maker system on board our ship, the Robert C. Seamans. Our water maker is locating in a room off the engine room below sea level. There, you find a valve in the bottom on the ship

by Susanna Kisker

where salt water is taken up and used in science, saltwater showers, and the water maker.

As a safety measure to prevent flooding, the engineers have access to a lever that closes the valve, shutting down the related systems.

Because this intake is located below the water level, there is high

Susanna in the engine room beside the “water makers.”

pressure outside of the boat pushing the salt water up into the lower pressure pipes and through the sea strainer.

The sea strainer filters out large things like fish and seaweed. The S306 trip actually caught a fish through this strainer!

From there, the salt water travels to the media filter pump, a centrifugal pump that sucks it in through the center and pumps it out the sides. Our engineering room conveniently has a “how things work” book that explains these pumps with great illustrations, including one that explains a centrifugal pump, essentially a propeller, flinging water outwards.

From the media filter pump, the water travels to the media filter.

Water enters the bottom of the media filter and is pushed through layers of different size sand grains which filters out sediment and small creatures like zooplankton and phytoplankton. After the sea strainer and media filter, the sea water is ready for the water maker.

The next stop is the low pressure pump. Another centrifugal pump that creates pressures of around 70 psi and sends the water first through a 20-micron filter and then through a 5-micron filter. The next pump is the coolest of them all. It creates pressures of around 800 psi! This high-pressure pump is called a piston pump and works with the help of a motor that pushes a piston

by Susanna Kisker

in and out. With these high pressures, water is pumped through the final membrane. It enters a long tube with a coiled filter membrane in the center. The pressure then pushes water molecules through this membrane in a process that prevents salts from passing through, both because of their size and charge. The result is drinkable water at the center of this coil that is used throughout the ship. A byproduct of this process is extra salty water called brine that is discarded overboard.

Our water makers produce around 70 gallons of fresh water per hour and 420 gallons of brine per hour, about 6 gallons of brine for every gallon of fresh water. The system uses around 3 to 4 gallons of fuel four 18 hours of water production. Water system maintenance is equally complex. In order to keep the filters operational, fresh water is pumped backwards through the system after every use, killing any critters that may be growing in the salty environment and flushing out the filtrate. Additionally, the water makers are turned off when the ship is in highly populated waters with sediments that may clog them.

I hope you have enjoyed this delve into the water making system that keeps us all alive while at sea. We sure appreciate it!

ISSUE 3, 2023

How Sea Level Rise Will Cause Erosion on Atoll Islands

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n article written in 2019

by Bramante, et al., titled “Sea Level Rise Will Drive Divergent Sediment Transport Patterns on Fore Reefs and Reef Flats, Potentially Causing Erosion on Atoll Islands” suggests that due to sea level rises, atoll ocean-facing beaches will receive less sediment from the fore reef and that erosion will most likely occur on these islands. This article looks specifically at Kwajalein Atoll which is located within the Marshall Islands in the Pacific but is able to connect the findings to other atoll islands in the Pacific besides Kwajalein Atoll.

This study looks at a few factors including sea level rise and change in wave climate.

To understand how sea level rise and wave climate affect atolls, it is important to understand what atoll islands are and how they function.

Atolls are islands that surround a lagoon and have a ring-like shape; they also have a fringing reef that surrounds the lagoon. These islands

by Austin Black

are normally no higher than two to five meters above mean sea level.

The shorelines of these atolls are mostly made of and sustained by sediment that is produced and transported from their surrounding reefs. When there is a deficient amount of sediment transport to the beach shoreline, erosion occurs.

To understand how sea level rise and wave climate affect atolls, it is important to understand what atoll islands are and how they function.

This reduction of sediment transport happens in a variety of ways such as strong storms, reduced reef sediment production, and reduced potential sediment transport. Wave climate also affects the sediment budget for these islands based on their height, energy, acceleration, etc. Due to atolls' low elevation and unconsolidated composition, they are very vulnerable to extreme weather events and other natural

hazards such as climate change. The latest International Panel on Climate Change forecast indicates that around the Marshalls, sea level could rise up to two meters by 2100, which will cause many issues such as flooding and more wave action.

To gather the data used in this article, software called XBeach and Wavewatch III was used to determine past and future wave climate, sea level and other factors.

The data collected is from 19762005, 2026-2045, and 2085-2100. For the six modeled outlines, climate scenarios were used that included carbon emissions, sea level rise, climate change, etc. Including these

factors led to more accurate results in the changing climate. Although these data are currently accurate, as the years go on, there is a possibility these data will become less accurate due to acceleration of climate change.

After these simulations were run, there were multiple discoveries in both the future wave climate and sea level rise, and the effects that both could potentially have on the atoll islands. Across all of the scenarios, mean wave energy decreased over the next century by 4-16%. This is due to a 12-58% reduction in wave energy from the northern hemisphere. The decrease in wave

Potential sediment transport from the reef to the beach (Bramante, et al., 2022).

by Austin Black

cont'd >

energy is thought to affect sediment transport and budget in a decreasing way.

Sea level rise is also thought to affect sediment transport and budget. With the rise of sea level, there are multiple effects. For example, the reef being too deep below the surface causes waves not to break off shore; this increases wave activity on shore. Wave height also increases due to sea level rise.

These effects are greatest for the first 1.5 meters of sea level rise, slowing down after 1.5 meters. At this sea level, substantially more flooding is also expected. Although both sea level rise and wave climate will affect the atoll’s water movement patterns and sediment budget, sea level rise will have a much greater impact than wave climate.

Other effects of climate change will affect these islands; ocean acidification and ocean warming have very harmful effects on coral reefs. Coral reefs are very important to these islands as they are a source of sediment and protect the islands from wave action. Ocean acidification and ocean warming are causing coral reefs to die and become smaller, which results in less sediment and more wave action reaching the island's shore. This makes the island more susceptible to extreme weather events, flooding, and erosion.

Due to sea level rise, wave climate, and decrease in reef health, the islands are expected to be affected in many ways. Sediment on the reef will be less likely to reach the shoreline resulting in a decrease

Affects that coral reefs play in wave action (University of Miami).

by Austin Black

in sediment available to the beach.

By starving the beach of sediment, the island is more likely to suffer from erosion. There will also be more flooding on the island, especially when sea level rise reaches 1.5-2 meters increase. This rise in sea level will cause the steepness of the shoreline to increase. The decrease in reef health also subjects the islands to more harm by weather and wave action, and it threatens the health and existence of the island in the future. Overall the beach will suffer from a decrease of sediment input from offshore. Due to sediment starvation and sea level rise, the island will most likely suffer from erosion.

Sea level rise is a real concern globally but is even more real for these atoll islands like Kwajalein.

There will be erosion and flooding in the future which is a threat to land mass and infrastructure that is near the shore. Homes and businesses are at risk of being destroyed, leaving residents homeless or out of a job.

This may also result in food security issues, general well-being concerns, and limitations on sources of income. The risk of stronger and extreme weather becoming more common is also more likely due to sea level rise and climate change.

Weather events are a serious threat to islands with these islands becoming more vulnerable to these weather threats; there will likely be

by Austin Black

much more damage caused. The ocean is an important source of income and food for these islands and as sea level is rising and the coral reefs are dying, the sources of food and income are also dying. The beaches that are being eroded will soon cease to exist; these same beaches currently draw in tourists, a major part of the economy for atoll islands. Without their healthy beaches, the people will start to lose food security, shelter, income, wellbeing, and many other important aspects of everyday life. Action needs to be taken now to slow the effects of sea level rise and save islands all over the globe.

Further Reading J. F. Bramante, A.D. Ashton, C. D. Storlazzi, O.M. Cheriton, and J.P. Donnelly, “Sea Level Rise Will Drive Divergent Sediment Transport Patterns on Fore Reefs and Reef Flats, Potentially Causing Erosion on Atoll Islands," Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 125, no. 10 (2020): doi.org/10.1029/2019jf005446

ISSUE 3 2023

Does El Niño Influence Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide? Scientists from NASA say: “Yes, Yes it Does!”

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ou may be wondering, what is an El Niño and why should I care about it? Well, I’m here to tell you!

First, you should understand that an El Niño is the warm counterpart of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and causes the Pacific Jet Stream to move south and spread further east. While ENSO originates in the tropical Pacific Ocean, it affects weather patterns across the globe. Crazy right? And that’s not all El Niño has influence on. It can affect atmospheric and ocean circulation, precipitation, temperature, and fire emissions, and as a result of this, it impacts the global carbon cycle. The global carbon cycle refers to the transfer of carbon atoms between the ocean, atmosphere, land, and living organisms.

The tropical Pacific Ocean is a major source of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to equatorial upwelling which brings deep carbon -rich water up to the surface. With all this in mind, scientists at NASA wanted to get to the bottom of how

by Sophie Strock

this affects one another.

On July 2, 2014, NASA launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 to precisely measure and quantify regional carbon sources and sinks. In an interview with the deputy project scientist of the OCO-2, Abhishek Chatterjee, told me, “The OCO-2 has high precision and accuracy. So our precision for most of our measurements is less than one PPM (partsper-million) and to put it in perspective, can you tell the difference between decaf and caffeinated coffee? If you can, then basically you have detected a difference of around 400 PPM.” During this mission the 2015-2016 El Niño occurred and was one of the strongest recorded so, it provided the perfect opportunity to see how an El Niño event influences atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The goal of this mission was to investigate the relationship between El Niño-Southern Oscillation and carbon dioxide. Why is this important you may ask? Well, Chatterjee states, “CO₂ remains to be the primary driver of climate change.” Identifying the extent of

Figure 1. Schematic of the mechanistic differences between normal (A) and El Niño (B) conditions and associated carbon response over the tropical Pacific Ocean (A. Chatterjee, et al., 2017).

this correlation between ENSO and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration can help predict the impacts that carbon dioxide has on the climate.

The relationship between the growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the

ENSO is studied well; however, the magnitude of the correlation and the timing of the responses of oceanic and terrestrial carbon cycle remain poorly studied. NASA scientists guessed there is an overall increase in the release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere during strong El cont'd >

by Sophie Strock

Niño events because of the decrease in biospheric uptake of CO₂. Here is what they found: During the first period of El Niño (spring and summer of 2015), there was a decrease in CO₂ outgassing (release of trapped gas) from the tropical Pacific Ocean. During the second period, there was an increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration.

The cause could be a combination of reduced vegetation uptake across the region and biomass-burning emissions from Southeast Asia and Indonesia. NASA teamed up with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite mission (GOSAT) to make these observations.

However, it was a little tricky to stitch together their findings because their instruments were different.

These two phases were attributed to the ocean and the land. The decrease in total CO₂ between the sea surface and the atmosphere is due to the weakening of the easterly trade winds which causes a suppression of upwelling that brings CO₂-rich water up to the surface ocean. The Tropical Atmosphere Ocean (TAO) buoy was the first to observe this and the data was synthesized by the OCO-2 team to quantify the magnitude of ocean CO₂ fluxes over different tropical Pacific regions during the 2015-2016 El Niño.

by Sophie Strock

The second phase was driven by the terrestrial component of the carbon cycle. The observed increase in CO₂ can be credited to terrestrial sources including a reduction in global biospheric uptake, increases in soil and plant respiration, and enhanced fire emissions.

There is indeed an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations during an El Niño event.

This data shows that there is indeed an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations during an El Niño event. However, El Niño events are not the leading cause of the overall increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.

Chatterjee explains, “So if there are these natural cycles that do cause a periodic rise in CO₂ concentrations, why are we worrying about fossil fuel emissions? Right? Or why we are talking about curbing fossil fuel emissions? The response is that still, on a year-to-year basis, the amount of emissions that we are putting up through fossil fuels or burning fossil fuels deforestation or any kind of land use land change… that's just so much more than what typically will happen from an El Niño event. The El Niño event is only a small spike,

but if you look at the overall trend, it’s primarily caused by increased human-driven fossil fuel emissions.”

The El Niño event of 2015-2016 provided an opportunity to observe how the global carbon cycle responds to changes in the physical climate system and the development of atmospheric CO₂ anomalies. The OCO-2 provided a more comprehensive view of the tropical Pacific Ocean than other observing missions due to its vast coverage and frequent sampling. The next step will be to use these observations to decipher the underlying net fluxes between the ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and atmosphere. The study provides a short-term perspective into the potential of CO₂ observations from space to study the relationship between carbon sources and sinks more deeply. From the long-term perspective, these observations will improve the process-based understanding of future carbon cycle projections.

Further Reading A. Chatterjee, et al., “Influence of El Niño on atmospheric CO₂ over the tropical Pacific Ocean: Findings from NASA’s OCO-2 mission,” Science 358, no. 6360 (2017): doi 10.1126/science.aam5776

by Sophie Strock

ISSUE 3, 2023

Talanoa Whenua When did community become an allegory? a Western stain adorned.

When did gardens breed toxic aromaticity? now cyclical abhors.

Perhaps beyond the skewed seas Pervades a remnant breeze “Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke” Hearts of our coastal communities.

Could premodernity suffice? advancements seem a’plenty.

Could handpicked youths forefront our strife? beliefs hereditary.

Scholarly strokes paint quantum steps Our wallets fail to climb “Te mana wahine, te wharetangata” Hearts of our coastal compromise.

Why persist with discourse hegemony? ethics subcede appeal.

Why question indigenous validity? when goals its but fulfilled.

For celestial breaths celestially tread Past the “great one-off” “Naku te rourou naut e rourou ka ora ai te iwi” Hearts of our coastal trough.

Vindictiveness be suppressed For conflict leads astray Lessons be learnt from prior adjourns Hearts of our coastal foray.

This poem in response to Rufino Varea, et al. “Multibiomarker Responses to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Microplastics in Thumbprint Emperor Lethrinus harak from a South Pacific Locally Managed Marine Area,” Nature Scientific Reports 11: 17991 (2021): doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97448-4.

by Mark Teh

ISSUE 3, 2023

Measuring Earth’s Heat Uptake is Critical to Understanding Our Climate

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ou hop down to the ocean because the soft sand is unbearably hot. The neighbor’s dog wears booties in the summer so her feet don’t burn on the pavement. Your swimming pool feels like a hot tub.

These sensations are caused by the earth absorbing the heat radiation from the sun. You feel this heat firsthand in how it is being reradiated back out of the earth.

These energy radiations are important for understanding how excess heat will affect our planet.

In optimal conditions, there is an equilibrium between the absorbed solar radiation and the outgoing, reradiated energy--this relationship is called albedo. However, if this falls out of equilibrium, Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) is created. The EEI can be influenced by several climate forces. Some of these forces include changes in solar output, large volcanic eruptions resulting in increased cloud cover, and human activities. In general, the climate

Norman Loeb, author of “Satellite and Ocean Data Reveal Marked Increase in Earth’s Heating Rate,” and NASA’s senior technologist for radiation studies. (Story Corps/AGU 2019)

changes as a result of Earth attempting to adjust to the EEI in order to restore radiative equilibrium.

Depending on the value of the EEI, we can understand if the earth is heating or cooling. A positive trend in EEI manifests as global temperature rise, increased ocean warming, sea level rise, and an intensified water cycle. Consistent heating of the earth results in dire climate consequences, including severe storms and habitat loss.

How does one measure this energy? cont'd >

by Prue Criscuolo

Norman Loeb along with his colleagues at NASA show multiple different approaches. In their research article titled “Satellite and Ocean Data Reveal Marked Increase in Earth’s Heating Rate,” the scientists explore these techniques.

CERES, one method of measurement aboard multiple satellites, measures the average top of the atmosphere shortwave (incoming radiation) and longwave (outgoing radiation) changes. Furthermore, the scientists also analyze data found on earth using Argo floats- small science craft floating along the ocean surface, continuously taking readings.

The authors of this study aimed to compare EEI measurements between CERES and observed (in

situ) data sets. Using data from mid 2005 to mid 2019, researchers looked into how consistently the two measurements captured an EEI trend. They also wanted to better understand what properties of the climate contribute to the EEI. In order to understand what properties truly contribute to the EEI, the researchers wanted to “unscramble the egg,” according to Loeb, the lead researcher of the study, and look at all the variables that impact the top of atmosphere radiation. They used a PRB analysis to compare these variables, such as cloud, surface, infrared, temperature, humidity, greenhouse gas changes, among others. Partial Radiative Perturbation (PRB) analysis

How both data sources communicate nearly the same trends (Loeb, et al., 2021).

by Prue Criscuolo

takes all of the measurements of these variables and calculates which one has the biggest contribution to the issue. Here, researchers were looking at the changes in the top of atmosphere radiation. This was done by keeping all but one variable static while the other was changed and was done for each variable. It allowed the researchers to show that the radiation changes were ultimately due to cloud changes and changes in surface albedo (associated with changes in melting sea ice).

Additionally, Loeb, along with his colleagues, found that there was nearly no difference in the EEI estimates between CERES satellite data and observational data. A linear trend offered by both methods finds a remarkable increase in EEI. The big takeaway here is that the observational trend and the CERES trend are statistically insignificantly different, meaning that both methods of measurement are beneficial to studying the EEI. In an interview, Loeb says he hopes the world will understand that simply put, “Earth is heating up.” He explains that “the heat uptake of the entire planet has doubled since 2000,” and that it is more than just surface temperatures--this excess energy heats the oceans and therefore the climate.

One of the biggest ways that the EEI is linked to climate is through increases in the sea surface temperatures due to more heat

by Prue Criscuolo

energy being stored in the ocean (instead of being reradiated back into space). These sea surface temperatures (SSTs) obviously contribute to many aspects of global warming. In the Pacific, for example, SSTs combined with cloud cover-both linked to variability in the EEI-create large-scale climate patterns known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). According to Loeb, this is simply a normal temperature pattern oscillation.

Typically, it oscillates on longer time scales, but they found in their research that the index flipped in the course of just a few years. As EEI increases, the PDO index flips from negative to positive, resulting in a major El Niño event.

Loeb explains that ‘the heat uptake of the entire planet has doubled since 2000.’

El Niño events involve bands of warm water traveling through the eastern Pacific Ocean, and affects marine life there but also continental US weather systems: wetter winters in the south and colder, drier winters in the north. It intensifies both rainfall and droughts throughout the country. In addition to drastic El Niño events, Loeb states that the implications of the heating earth involve drastic snow and ice melts, which links to sea level rise

cont'd >

(George Desipris/Pexels)

globally. Furthermore, as the ocean takes on more and more heat, it expands, also leading to sea level rise. Loeb warns that increasing surface temperatures can result in more extreme weather, flooding, drought, and forest fires that an area might not be used to. “It's heating up, and it matters to us,” Loeb says.

As for next steps, Loeb states that new research should “disentangle the processes that result in the trends that we’re seeing,” because all processes involve each other. What we see through observations are the results of all these processes, such as temperature rise, cloud cover changes, and others mentioned previously. “If we want to understand these processes at the individual level, you have to rely on climate models.” However, Loeb states, that many of these climate models are outdated; they haven’t been updated in years. The last update ended in 2014, he says. Loeb says that they are currently in the

by Prue Criscuolo

process of pushing for a “coordinated update to these simulations,” so they are able to correctly untangle the variables in the trends of the EEI. Loeb believes that multiple different simulations and modeling groups should be utilized to study these changes and their effects. He finds it inspiring that this study has opened so much discourse and progress on the matter. He states that once one string is disentangled, more and more will show up, which to Loeb is frankly exciting.

Further Reading N.G. Loeb, et al., “Satellite and Ocean Data Reveal Marked Increase in Earth’s Heating Rate,” Geophysical Research Letters, 48: e2021GL093047 (2021): doi.org/10.1029/2021GL093047.

K. von Schuckmann, et al., “An Imperative to Monitor Earth's Energy Imbalance. Nature Climate Change 6 (2016): doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2876.

ISSUE 3, 2023

Why Residual Emissions Matter

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ountries in the Paris Accords have committed to trying to reach a net zero goal of greenhouse gas emissions by mid century. These accords have been an instrumental step in humanity's attempt to make a positive impact on the future of the climate crisis. However, there are some significant hurdles to overcome when discussing greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, and what “net zero” even means.

Net zero means there is a balance between the amount of emissions released and stored by a nation and, as a term, is thrown around in all sorts of talk regarding climate and climate change. Yet studies are showing that governments alongside with the rest of the population need to have a better handle on how to reach net zero. This is what a recent study “Why Residual Emissions Matter Right Now” by Buck, et al. looks into.

These researchers are professors in the departments of Sustainability and the Environment at the

University of Buffalo and other institutions. The knowledge and understanding that their paper provides to us is vital information for our fight against climate change.

When thinking about the source of human contribution to climate

There are some significant hurdles to overcome when discussing greenhouse gas emissions, and what “net zero” even means. change and GHGs, a common conception is that these emissions come mainly from cars and energy/electricity generation.

However, these sources are only a part of the broader spectrum of industry and human practices that emit GHGs. These sources of GHG emissions are very important to curtail and thankfully there are significant steps being made for going net zero in our emissions.

Renewable energy generation such as wind farms and solar energy are cont'd >

by Grant Carey

now cheaper than oil and gas, and electric cars are becoming more and more common.

However, with all of this positive progress there are still major roadblocks preventing countries from reaching net zero GHG emissions with ease. Buck’s study “Why Residual Emissions Matter Right Now” discusses that many countries realize that the complete halting of all greenhouse gas emissions is unfeasible and therefore the concept of residual emissions has become an important topic of conversation. “Residual emissions,” defined by the University of Buffalo, “are those that remain after efforts to eliminate such emissions have been implemented.” This study examines the complexity and interrelation of how residual emissions are addressed in political, technological and policy and states that understanding the sources of these residual emissions and countries' plans to go net zero will showcase different countries' climate policies, and their willingness and readiness to adapt to the 2050 deadline of net zero emissions.

Firstly, it is important to understand where residual emissions come from and why we cannot simply move to a post greenhouse gas society. The reason, reported by the University of Buffalo, is that “even with a concerted effort to eliminate all emissions, industries such as agriculture and shipping are

by Grant Carey

Diagram of greenhouse gases (geeksforgeeks.org).

likely to continue releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.”

Further, the manufacturing of concrete and chemicals, people's personal vehicles and shipping, and the burning of trash are all examples of significant means of emissions that are too expensive or technologically difficult to completely stop. Buck, et al. states that countries understand this and have, in their long-term lowemissions development strategies, accounted for these residual emissions. In their plans countries are actively investigating the means of offsetting these greenhouse gas emissions. The two main ways they are exploring are direct carbon removal from the air and the use of the natural world as carbon sinks that can offset the carbon being emitted into the atmosphere. This

Residual emissions versus 2019 emissions, Annex I countries, note the US at the bottom row (Buck, et al., 2023).

article then goes on to examine how residual emissions are incredibly important to discuss right now.

One of the first things this Buck, et al. study mentions is how in all of these countries climate development plans there is not a good definition of what residual carbon is. They state that a majority of these plans “do not explicitly mentions the concept of residual emissions… [or] provide an explicit definition or elaborate how residual emissions amounts are arrived at.” This is problematic because if there is no proper definition of residual emissions then it is hard for governing bodies to create rules, regulations, and a framework to move forward with addressing residual emissions.

by Grant Carey

Without these definitions in place the government will be less encouraged to adopt these difficult policies. This study further builds on this point by stating that “specifying residual emissions will mitigate against the risk that governments put things that are expensive or politically inconvenient to abate into the ‘residual box’.” To put it into plain terms, our societies are still very much governed by money, so by having these precise definitions laid out it will prevent money from getting in the way of the importance of cutting emissions. For example, the steel industry is a very fossil fuel intensive industry that is both difficult and important to decarbonize.

This paper states that currently

cont'd >

countries' reports have detailed two approaches of projecting net zero goals and residual emissions. The first method this paper outlines is a ‘top down’ approach which starts with a goal for an amount or emissions they hope to remove, such as 80%, and then sets the residual amount of emissions to the remaining amount, such as 20%. The second way that countries project residual emissions is a bottom up approach in which they gather information from different carbon emitting sectors and how much reduction is possible and then set the residual emissions to these amounts. However, the paper argues that the best approach to this is a third approach which can either be done as a bottom up or top down, in which the countries set a carbon negative goal and then build a plan for how to get there. They state that these recommendations are important as they will allow border engagement in climate policy as well as allowing critical debates to happen for how we remove emissions.

So what next? How do we move forward? Residual emissions are going to be a distinct problem for the next century. Carbon removal and carbon offsets are very appealing solutions. In this paper the researchers state that these solutions are being incorporated into nations’ plans for addressing

by Grant Carey

residual emissions, but there are some important caveats.

“Terrestrial carbon removal at the scales indicated in this Article,” write Buck and his colleagues, “would require vast amounts of land and entail severe risks for food production and/or biosphere functioning.”

Professor Ho from the University of Hawai’i agrees in an opinion article citing Buck, et al., stating, “It’s clear to me that deploying them [Carbon Storage Facilities] to remove CO2 from the atmosphere is pointless until society has almost completely eliminated its polluting activities.”

These researchers argue that moving forward the norms set by the government and a greater clarity surrounding residual emissions is the key for keeping warming under 1.5 C and reaching the 2050 net zero commitment set by the Paris Accords.

Further Reading H.J. Buck, et al., “Why Residual Emissions Matter Right Now,” Nature Climate Change 13 (2023): doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01592-2.

Mary Durlak., “Often Overlooked, Residual Emissions Critical to Fighting Climate Change,” UBNow, University of Buffalo (11 April 2023): https://www.buffalo.edu/ubnow/stories...

David T. Ho, “Carbon Dioxide Removal is an Ineffective Time Machine,” Nature 616 (6 April 2023): p. 9.

ISSUE 3, 2023

Uulize Bahari This poem stems from an academic paper written by a research team led by Benoit Meyssignac, which delves into the common and novel approaches scientists employ to measure Earth's Energy Imbalance (EEI). Here I explore the various methods that have been tried before returning to the ocean and using the ocean heat content for its estimate. This poem, titled “Ask the Ocean” is written in Swahili, a language spoken all over East Africa.

Unajua bahari ni rafiki yetu Inatusaidia kuishi salama inahisi sana uharibifu Inajua kwa kweli shida ya sasa Tangu ya mwanzo bahari imechukua Kosa ya babu, bibi, mama na watoto Kutoka kila kitu kwamba tunafanya Kukaa na faraja kikubwa na kidogo Tumaini letu pekee ni hii Kutafuta jinsi tunaweza kuongea na yule rafiki kuelewa jibu bila shaka Sasa watafiti wengi wanajaribu Kutumia vyombo mbali mbali Kusikiliza barari na siri letu Kuokoa maisha yetu duniani Wanaangalia kwa makini mawingu Kuona nguvu inapita ndani Kwenda kuchemka uso wa dunia yetu Na kuondoka haraka kwenye nafasi walijaribu kuona kutoka mbinguni Kupima nguvu kwenye ganda la dunia Juu ya kila maeneo, bahari na ardhi Kuona ngapi nguvu inaongeza cont'd >

by Susanna Kisker

Mtafiti walikuwa na huzuni Wanasema tumehukumiwa Jibu ya mawingu na mbinguni Sio fulani kabisa Mwishowe walirudi rafiki Waliomba bahari kusaidie Kubadilisha hatimaye siri Kutoka kwa kina chake Bahari ina badilisha na uchafuzi Inakuwa ndefu na hasira Kila siku inakimbia haraka zaidi Kwa shida kwamba tunaipa Uuliza bahari, unakimbia haraka zaidi?

Kukimbia na zawadi yetu ya joto Mwaka huu umeongeza sentimita ngapi?

Kwa ajili ya sisi sio pekee yako Asante bahari kwa kustahimili binadamu kuteseka kwa kila makosa yetu Kutusaidia ingawa hatukushukuru Na kushiriki siri yetu muhimu.

Further Reading Benoit Messygnac, et al., “Measuring Global Ocean Heat Content to Estimate the Earth Energy Imbalance.” Frontiers in Marine Science 6 (2019): doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00432.

by Susanna Kisker

ISSUE 3, 2023

In the Name of a Healthful Home: The Precarious Position of Climate Monitoring

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limate change is arguably the biggest challenge we face. While most of us are aware of this crisis, many of us are unaware of the severity of the situation and the specific monitoring difficulties we face. In their paper “Uh-Oh. Now What? Are We Acquiring the Data to Understand the Situation?,” published just a couple months ago on August 14th, Dr. James Hansen and peer authors review both recent and historical data that facilitates the quantification of global warming and associated consequences. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, they stress the importance of continuing the monitoring which has allowed us to keep tabs on this increasingly rapid degradation of the planet we call home. Critically, the authors point out that the 1.5° increase in global temperature we are shooting for is practically out of the question and that we need to recalibrate our understanding of the situation at hand.

The paper begins by outlining some of the recent climate history and how it pertains to our ability to determine the rate of climate change today and heading into the future. Of specific importance is the way in which global temperatures between two “super El Niños” – somewhat rare extreme swings in a cyclical global weather phenomenon – can serve as two data points from which the rate of global warming can be calculated.

While most of us are aware of this crisis, many of us are unaware of the severity of the situation and the specific monitoring difficulties we face.

Figure 1 below, excerpted from the paper, provides a visual that helps show the timing and temperatures associated with the two El Niño events; note that these occur in 1997-98 and 2015-16. The El Niño climate phenomenon is characterized by a shift from neutral cont'd >

by Satya Advani

Fig 1. Global temperature data with trendlines superimposed and Super El Niños labeled (Hansen, et al., 2023)

conditions in the Pacific Ocean and is part of a greater pattern known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. On the other end of the ENSO spectrum lies La Niña. While the conditions that characterize the state of ENSO largely are those of the Pacific Ocean, changes and movement along this spectrum are felt around the globe in myriad ways.

While more information regarding the specific mechanisms of ENSO can be found at NOAA’s climate.gov, among others, it is important to know that temperature is an integral component of this phenomenon and that global temperatures fluctuate noticeably as a result.

Hansen and his colleagues point out that it is largely the warming period between these two super El Niños that initially helped climate scientists key in on the fact that the planet is not only heating up, but that this warming is accelerating. In terms of actual numbers, authors of

by Satya Advani

the paper report that warming rates were determined to be 0.18°C/ decade from 1970 to 2010; frighteningly, this jumped to 0.24°C/decade between the two super El Niños (1998-2015). With the data currently available, researchers report that we can expect a further increase in this rate to at least 0.27°C/decade.

The value of this “inter-Niño” time period is in the way it can facilitate the calculation of an accurate mean rate of global warming. Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI), discussed below, is incredibly useful in monitoring the radiation budget of the Earth; these super El Niños provide additional insight into where this energy is manifested: increasing average surface temperature. In an informal discussion, author James Hansen shared the following explanation as to how Super El Niños help in calculating an accurate rate: “The irregular El Niño/La Niña

Figure 2, also excerpted from the paper, helps demonstrate the cyclical nature of ENSO. Note the peaks occurring in 1997-98 and 2015-16; these are the two Super El Niños mentioned above. (Hansen, et al., 2023)

oscillations of tropical temperature are the largest source of the yearto-year variability of global temperature. This large variability makes it hard to discern long-term change of the rate of global warming. However, if we compare the global warming rates between one large El Niño and the next, we minimize the effect of that tropical ‘noise’.”

As can be seen in the far right of Figure 2 above, in the latter half of 2023 we are actively observing the building of an El Niño event that has the capacity to continue until it is comparable in magnitude to the El Niño events of 97-98 and 15-16. If things do indeed turn out this way, this 2023-24 super El Niño could be used to measure against the last one in 2015-16. As a new data point, this extreme swing in ENSO can be used to calculate a new rate of global warming: the rate observed between the 2015-16 and 2023-24.

Knowing how fast the planet is warming under the circumstances of

by Satya Advani

our current actions is intrinsically necessary if we hope to facilitate informed climate policy. Without an accurate sense of the timeline at play, our efficacy in climate crisis management and mitigation is reduced drastically.

Referring to the rate of global warming in tenths of degrees may seem trivial until one considers that a maximum of 1.5° C above preindustrial temperatures is the number for which many nations around the globe are shooting.

Additionally, according to the 2023 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, we have already warmed the planet by 1.09°C. The IPCC works to provide comprehensive assessments in regard to the state of the climate crisis and the threats it poses. It is worth noting that the most recent IPCC report does not provide any indication that the relationships between super El Niños are used in order to calculate the rate of global warming; instead,

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Figure 3. from Hansen, et al. (2023).

current monitoring of the climate crisis is done primarily with the use of satellite data, as discussed below.

Satellite-based Climate Observations Shown above in Figure 3 is a useful visualization of the Earth’s Energy Imbalance (EEI) since 2000 and includes helpful averages. This data was collected by CERES satellites and currently is “the single most important measurement characterizing the state of Earth's climate,” according to Dr James Hansen. The CERES program is run

by NASA and refers to The Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System; the primary function of this program is monitoring clouds and the Earth’s Radiation Budget, or ERB (NASA). Note that EEI is expressed in watts/m2 which is a measure of energy per unit area. EEI serves as a metric of Earth’s energy budget; positive values indicate that the Earth is taking in more energy from

by Satya Advani

the sun than is being radiated back out into space; it is this energy that leads directly to the increase in global surface temperatures. Taken together with the rate of warming calculated with the super El Niños, this data provides critical insight into the state of our Earth.

Lack of Ongoing Monitoring Commitment While these rates of global warming are clearly incredibly important, the authors of this paper draw attention to the fact that the observations required to provide us with the necessary data is not a given. The two methods of data collection currently are the CERES satellite-based radiation observations and the oceanic diving floats of NOAA’s Argo program which produce temperature and salinity profiles of the upper 2000m of the water column. Together, data from these two sources provide us with the capacity to measure EEI and the

rate of global warming.

While they pointed out that there are “no firm adequate plans for longterm continuation of these observations,” the authors of the paper didn’t go much deeper into the discussion as to why this is a concern. In contradiction their statement, the NASA CERES webpage claims that one of the three goals of CERES is to “produce a long-term, integrated global climate data record for detecting decadal changes in the Earth’s radiation budget.” Clearly there is a discrepancy here, so a few clarifying questions were directed to Dr. James Hansen.

While Hansen is not a NASA employee himself, he is arguably the leading voice in modern climate science and is well-versed in the status of equipment and programs that have the capacity to collect the data needed for calculations of EEI. According to him, “NASA has no plans beyond Libera, which is concerning. Predictably, NASA says ‘why doesn’t NOAA do it?’”

Additionally concerning is how Hansen expressed that NOAA does not have resources or expertise to make these measurements.

According to Hansen, the greatest hope we can have in continued EEI monitoring lies in a new piece of equipment called Libera which is scheduled for launch in 2027 aboard NOAA’s next JPSS. However, as Dr. Hansen pointed out, NOAA’s ability

by Satya Advani

to make these measurements is less than ideal and there is the additional concern that the current CERES instruments will not last long enough in order to overlap with Libera.

It is concerning to consider that there is a discrepancy between what NASA presents to the public regarding future EEI monitoring commitment, and it appears that NASA is not transparent regarding their plans. At this point, raising awareness about these types of situations is one of the best things we can do.

Further Reading James Hansen, Makiko Sato, and Reto Ruedy, “Uh-Oh. Now What? Are We Acquiring the Data to Understand the Situation?” Columbia University (14 August 2023): www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2023/UhOh. 14August2023.pdf.

“What Is CERES?” CERES/NASA (2023): ceres.larc.nasa.gov.

ISSUE 3, 2023

Blog Entry: Time and Marine Life Date: October 27, 2023 Time: 1711 Location: The sea! 24° 19.2 ‘S 175° 29.0 ‘E Weather: Wind NW, F 7, 12ft. seas, 19˚ C

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very time I stand on the bow I feel like it will never end, and then when I blink another week has gone by.

We are currently sailing away from Fiji headed to Tuvalu. We have had no motor support for about two or three days. What a beautiful day out here on the Bobby C. I am sitting on the starboard side looking at all the amazing clouds that have been forming and changing all day long-the hard effort of the wind and evaporation prepping the daily show called sunset. Sunsets and sunrises are the only way I know what’s going on with time, because I honestly have no clue what is going on in terms of days. Sometimes my day starts at 0030 and then takes a major pause from 0700 to about 1300 when the lunch bell goes off, while other days it starts at 0600 and can potentially end anytime after 1600.

This has led to some major blurs in my timelines. I am however very aware of the hours of the day…

by Soleil Michaud

Soleil on the science deck with a recently captured wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), soon to be dissected for stomach contents and then sent to the galley for dinner.

every hour has a job, whether it be getting a lab hourly, getting the weather, logging our location, or the simple pleasures of life like sleep, food, and sunsets. Every hour has its own importance.

The only hour that seems to not follow the logical time frame of 1h=60m=3600s is bow watch; 10 minutes feel like 30 minutes, and an hour is like 3. As I stand looking out with only my thoughts to distract me,

I have thought so much and made so many life decisions and changed careers and grown old or become a baby again before a minute has even passed (or at least in my experience).

This is what we call a perfect scenario of “contemplate every decision I have made in my life thus far.” Fun stuff. (Yesterday’s major thought: how did anyone ever think the earth was flat).

When in lab though, hours and minutes are important. Especially in deployments, as they only happen at 0930 and 2130. Deployments consist of three parts; the carousel, a neuston net, and a Tucker trawl. Our first deployment was, well, rocky… In theory, we would have had a carousel equipped with oh so many instruments, including Niskin bottles that collect water at different depths, however science would not be science without a few roadblocks.

In the first leg of our journey (Nadi to Levuka, Fiji) we attempted a deployment and found out that the sensor which tells the bottles to close at a specific depth was not working.

Meaning zero (zip, nada, zilch) amount of water was collected. This led to lots of bolts and parts of the pretty carousel being taken out and apart, and no quick solution was found.

So this time around when we deployed the carousel we put it in the water and then at the depths we

wanted to collect water we manually attached Niskin bottles to the deploying wire. The deployed carousel collects lots of fun data with the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth), Par sensor (photosynthetic active radiation), oxygen sensor, chlorophyl-A fluorometer, a transmissometer (measures turbidity/particulates), and CDOM fluorometer (chromophoric dissolved organic material--a specific type of dissolved organic material). All big words and big actions; but it makes for cool data sheets. The Tucker trawl is a deepsea net (deployment depth somewhere around 300m) and a neuston net is a surface net. Both of these are collecting biomass, so basically all the tiny fun critters that the sea has to offer!

Satya deploying a neuston net on local apparent Halloween.

cont'd >

by Soleil Michaud

To name a few that we caught this passage so far: Crab zoea and megalopae, copepods of all sizes and shapes, chaetognaths, baby octopi, viper fish, and heteropods (which are very rare catch). Some of our other creatures had a longer life (mainly fishies) and lived in our aquarium. We got a paper nautilus, which we named “Cap,” which is even more uncommon than heteropods. She was released when she started getting stressed, the same occurred to “Petunia”--our octopus. Our first aquarium fish, which we named “Eddie Squalls” was released into an eddy yesterday. “Squid,” the cuttlefish, is missing in action, so it is assumed she returned to the sea.

However, not all of our pets survived, in a sad but growing graveyard, “Skinny Ethan,” “Weird Al,” “Willy Squalls,” a very pretty fish that was named “Oliver,” and Felipe the Flyfish did not survive the dropping ocean temper-

-atures of our voyage, and passed.

We also came across a hairy egg. We still haven’t come up with an explanation for it… On one of our dawn watches, a little flying fish jumped on board, and while it didn’t survive… the next day we used it as bait to catch a wahoo! All I can say is that it was a delicious dinner, and I am so thankful to the ocean for providing us our meal. There are so many other little creatures I didn’t mention but this is at least a great gloss over what we have seen!

I feel so blessed for all the things I have gotten to see while on this trip.

When we were in Tuvalu, I was sitting on the beach watching the sunset when suddenly, I saw a fin. A tribe of three eagle rays swam right up to where Satya and I were sitting, going about their business of catching some dinner. Anyone who knows me, knows I hold a very

Captured in our sampling nets was, left, an unidentified “hairy egg,” as seen through the microscope, and, right, a paper nautilus (Argonauta sp.), a small female octopus seen with the naked eye in a petri dish.

by Soleil Michaud

special place in my heart for rays of all kinds. It was one of the most magical experiences I have had. With the pink and orange hues in the background and the calmness of the sea, it made the eagle rays almost low against the darkening sea. As we sat in awe, children from all around appeared and joined us. They cheered on the rays and called to their other friends to come see these majestic animals as well.

That isn’t the only large animal we have seen. The other night we were on night watch and had to redo a carousel deployment due to equipment malfunction; at the time it was a bit of a bummer because it meant we wouldn’t be able to do our Neuston tow due to a lack of time.

However, as soon as we heaved to, a singular dolphin (I think it was a bottlenose) decided to hang out around the bow. It would disappear into the dark night and then its shadow would appear again slowly until it jumped back up to say hi. The sight of a single dolphin in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere: what a sight.

It is so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I am currently doing science out in the middle of nowhere ocean, and it is even harder to grasp the fact that I am getting to play sailor-scientist right now (never expected that combo). I have found so much peace being out here at sea.

It surprised me that I felt more culture shock moving from Costa

by Soleil Michaud

Rica to San Diego than from CR to a tall ship in the middle of the ocean.

While things like the sailor’s jargon and the names of lines (yesterday I learned it is indeed NOT called a rope) and sails I must memorize are extremely unfamiliar; our connection to the sea and the way it shapes our daily lives reminds me of home.

Costa Rica is also near the equator so the weather, the ocean temperature, the sunset/rise is all very much the same as home. Even the 0600 wake ups are things I grew up with, thanks to all the birds that live near my house. While not seeing land is different, when I sit and just look at it, it feels the same as when I am on a surfboard just enjoying the sea. The sky is also very beautiful out here on the ocean.

Yesterday while on bow watch, I got a wonderful sunset, which lasted about 20 very long but precious minutes. During that time I looked up to see all kinds of shapes forming in the clouds from the drastic shadows of sunset. My favorite sight last night was a perfect looking bear talking to a bird. Like I said before, fun stuff up on bow watch. The night sky is also endlessly beautiful out here. Getting to see two full moons while cruising across the Pacific is pretty incredible. Plus all the other nights when the stars are out; it was so bright I was able to make up a new constellation. You don’t get to do that everyday now, do you?

ISSUE 3, 2023

#1 Fish Recommended Food: Microplastic Fibers

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sabella Clere and colleagues from the University of Otago (New Zealand) and the University of Tasmania (Australia) dive deep into the world of microplastics in the commercial fishing community off the southern coast of New Zealand (Fig. 1). Microplastics are a growing issue impacting the global ocean, and the pollution problem continues as more plastic waste moves from land into the sea. Microplastics are considered any plastic debris less than 5 mm, which is about the width of a pencil eraser.

The oceanic food web struggles to avoid bioaccumulation of microplastics, when an organism eats a plastic contaminated organism, because these items often mimic the size and shape of the ocean’s smallest creatures, plankton.

Plankton are the backbone of the oceanic food web, and many commercial fish graze on planktonic communities. As a result, fish often confuse microplastics for plankton

by Grace Shoemaker

and ingest these toxic chemicals.

The food web reflects the impacts of microplastic bioaccumulation when fish populations decrease due to death or starvation because of a false sense of satiation. Fish predators experience a scarcity of food resources, thus creating a bottomup trophic cascade. A bottom-up tropic cascade means that the source of the food web impact is lower on the food chain, beginning with the look-alike plankton, microplastics. Clere’s research aims to understand the types of micro-

Fig. 1. “Map of sampling area from Oamaru to Te Waewae Bay, red line displays 12 nautical miles from the coastline” (Clere, et al., 2022).

plastics ingested by fish to expand knowledge about these broader impacts.

In this study, the types of microplastics found in commercial fish, such as polyethylene and polyester, which are commonly used in the food packaging and fashion industries, are characterized and quantified by shape, size, and color (Fig. 2).

Their goal is to develop a better understanding of how this pollutant manifests itself in biological and ecological pathways. The research looks at fish health impacts when different types of microplastics are ingested, and the variation in plastics by depth for fish found in the pelagic (open ocean) or benthic (bottom)

From Clere, et al. (2022).

by Grace Shoemaker

zones. This work is incredibly valuable for improving ecosystem conservation efforts, sustaining the commercial fishing industry, and possibly, gaining insights on human health risks due to plastic contaminated seafood consumption.

To complete this study, Clere collected samples of different species of commercial fish to analyze. First stop: fish market! A seafood provider located in Dunedin, Otago provided fish caught from 2019 to 2020 for the research team to study. Some of the common fish species included Mackerel, Trachurus declivis, Sea Perch, Helicolenus barathri (Fig 3), and Blue Moki, Latridopsis ciliaris. Once in the

cont'd >

Fig. 3 Photo by D.J. Bray (2019) of a sea perch, Helicolenus barathri in Fishes of Australia (fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3218)

lab, the fish stomachs and GI tracts become the focus of the scientist’s attention because microplastics are found in fish digestive systems.

Scientists dissolve away the organic material, leaving behind inorganic material (e.g. microplastics). Raman spectroscopy (RS) revealed the microplastics by their chemical composition. RS is a new technique for identification of microplastics, and it is unique because it uses light to figure out what something is made of. In addition to RS, scientists used visual identification to quantify and characterize the microplastics, fish and their relationships into the

by Grace Shoemaker

following categories: plastic ingestion rate (PIR), plastic load (PL), average plastic (AP), and shape, size and color (Fig 2, previous page).

Additionally, pelagic (open ocean) verses benthic (bottom dwelling) fish were compared.

The study found that 75% of the fish sampled contained microplastics! Scientists sampled a total of 155 fish. Three in every four fish were contaminated with microplastics. On average, fish contained 2.5 particles each. The plastic ingestion rate, which is the “percentage of individual fish of the same group containing one or more plastic pieces,” was slightly higher for benthic fish than for pelagic fish.

Plastic load and average plastic per fish were lower for pelagic than for benthic populations.

Plastic load is the “the average number of microplastics per individual fish, only for those that had ingested microplastic,” and average plastic is, “the average number of microplastics per individual fish, for the total sample size.” The most common colors ingested were blue, black, and red.

Polyethylene and polypropylene were the most common chemical types of microplastics found. Microplastic fibers were the most common size of ingested particles. What does all this data mean?

The most prominent finding of this research is the significantly larger number of fibers ingested than any other sized microplastic. Of the ingested microplastics, “fibers made up 86.7% of the microplastic shapes in the pelagic group, and 82.3% in the benthic group.” Other types of microplastic sizes included bundles, fragments, films, and beads.

The rates of ingestion for these types were significantly less than the fiber ingestion rates. A large portion of plastic ingestion in these commercial fish could be prevented with control over fiber plastic pollution.

The source of these microplastic fibers “can be attributed to sewage outflow by washing of textiles and clothes.” Clere discusses different waste management practices based on a country’s GDP and how variable

by Grace Shoemaker

microplastics can be due to oceanic currents and geographical proximity to land.

For example, “off the coast of California...there are >200 wastewater treatment plants dispelling wastewater, and research has detected high concentrations of micro-plastic fibers ingested in fish caught off the California coastline.”

Perhaps, higher-income countries successfully prevent large plastic pollution from entering the ocean but neglect to prevent smaller plastic pollutants from escaping.

Further research can connect microplastic pollution to different countries to inform future waste policies and practices. Plastic chemical characterization results are an additional outcome of this research. Human health research is growing surrounding the topic of secondary microplastic ingestion from seafood consumption.

Knowing the plastic composition aids medical research to further the development of human health studies related to microplastics.

Further Reading Isabella K. Clere, et al., “Quantification and Characterization of Microplastics in Commercial Fish from Southern New Zealand,” Marine Pollution Bulletin 184: 114121 (2022): doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114121.

ISSUE 3, 2023

Dawn Watch The witching hour is not so eerie When dreaming on a moon-lit sea.

A fairytale wake welcomes you into the night, Peppered with the flutter of soaring scales.

Under four sails we steer Along the three cross highway Feeling our way south, Creaking through the swells, Trading our minds for our hearts.

Here is a place of genuine communion: Unfiltered thoughts, unfiltered truths.

This is what it means to be connected This is what it means to be sacred Made fast to the promise of astrological twilight Made fast to the promise of gilded seas.

Racing crepusculars to capricorn We savor the serene.

by Prue Criscuolo

ISSUE 3, 2023

Blog Entry: Trash at Sea Date: October 30, 2023 Time: 1631 Location: 28˚ 38' S 175˚ 30' E Weather: Wind NW, F 7, 12ft. seas, 19˚ C

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ello! My name is Katharine, and I am a senior at Boston University, and I am majoring in public relations. I am originally from Westchester, New York, but have spent most of my time the last few years either living in Boston or mid-coast Maine.

We have been underway for some time now (consistently almost two weeks) which means that we are far from land and any sort of trash disposal. So what do we do with waste while we are underway? Most of it goes overboard, because a good part of what we are throwing out is food waste and easily decomposable items, such as paper products and small torn-up bits of cardboard.

Whatever goes through our bodies can also go overboard. The main priority is to leave no trace, so no plastic packaging, no metal, no chemicals from the lab, and no oil can go overboard. Something like a tea bag cannot go overboard

MARPOL placard, similar to the one posted in the salon aboard the Robert C Seamans.

because of the metal staple and little plastic bits on the bag.

I have worked on a few different boats, and we all call the food that goes overboard something different.

Either it's “gluck,” “swill,” or “chucks,” but on the Robert C. Seamans, we call it “slops.” How slops work is you fill a five-gallon bucket in the galley full of any leftover food from our plates, food that has passed its prime, and other miscellaneous food items. Once it is overflowing because no one wants to be the one to have to dump slops, a brave soul (most commonly Matt, the 1st Assistant Scientist) will take it cont'd >

by Katherine Hassenfratz

from the galley and bring it up to deck where we give offerings to Neptune (god of the sea) and dump it overboard. Do not inhale at this time. Then taking a deck hose, you spray out any stubborn leftovers and also dump that over. After dumping the slops, you MUST log it in the trash log. This is a book that keeps track of what the ship has put overboard. Some nations, like Aotearoa New Zealand, which we sail into ask to see the records; so it is important we keep track. After logging the trash, the brave soul will return the bucket back to its home where it will continue to collect the slops that are waiting to be dumped.

To limit the pollution trace left by ships, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) created the International Convention for the Pollution for Ships (MARPOL).

To limit the pollution trace left by ships, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) created the International Convention for the Pollution for Ships (MARPOL).

MARPOL sets clear guidelines to prevent pollutants such as oil, sewage, harmful cargo, garbage, etc.

The main rule of discharges such as food slops and sewage (black water),

by Katherine Hassenfratz

is that you must be at least twelve miles from the closest part of the land in order to discharge. So what do we do when we cannot discharge and are too close to land? Put a lid on it and don't knock it over! The black water goes into a large holding tank and slops are collected in our good old friend, the five-gallon bucket, and left on deck lashed down SUPER well.

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“Tuvalu” (above) and “Aotearoa” (below)

by Emily Rose Stringer

ISSUE 3, 2023

Forecasting the Future: Small Pacific Islands, Rising Seas, and Artificial Intelligence “ For a country like Marshall Islands, a 1-metre sea level rise will mean 40% of the buildings in its capital city, Majuro would be permanently inundated and flooded, and entire islands will disappear, according to a study conducted by the Marshall Islands government and the World Bank in 2021.”

--Press Release, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program

The Takeaway Sea level rise (SLR) in the South Pacific threatens coastal communities to varying degrees.

Creating models to predict accurate amounts of SLR is vital for these communities to implement infrastructure or alternative plans to prepare for future SLR. Artificial intelligence is a tool to create highly accurate sea level forecasts.

While there are other studies on seal level prediction and analysis, none of these have focused on the small island countries in the South Pacific with a deep learning data model

by Ruth Metcalfe

Sea level rise in the Marshall Islands (Phys.org/AFP, 2019).

Islands at Risk To be a small piece of earth—stone, coral, soil—tucked into miles of sea expanse, means that life is defined by the waterline. With communal identity defined by the position of life above the ocean’s movement, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the South Pacific are faced with unique opportunities and equally isolated challenges. A major threat to these island communities is rising water, caused by melting glaciers as well as warming temperatures that cause the chemical structure of water to expand. The warming of the climate and sea is caused by

anthropogenic climate change—the impact of a buildup of carbon in the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas. As tides from this warming rise, the next 100 years hold major implications for islanders in the South Pacific.

For the communities at risk—from the entire existence of islands going below sea level to patterns of life changing—understanding how SLR will affect islands is vital. Communities close to shore require accurate forecasts of how much the sea level is rising and when. As the paper “Assessment of Prediction of Sea Level Trend in the South Pacific

Region” by Nawin Raj, et al., states, “The increase in sea level in these small island nations is arguably the most important threat from anthropogenic climate change.”

Designing the best models to forecast SLR is key. Zooming into the small islands of Fiji, the Marshall Islands, and Papua New Guinea (PNG), Raj, et al.’s, research explores how artificial intelligence can create better models to predict SLR. Raj and his team harnessed AI to predict sea level rise for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific. Combining mathematics with environmental science, the group

Fig. 1 Study region showing the selected Pacific Islands (i.e., Fiji, Marshall Island and PNG) in the study by Raj, et al., 2022.

by Ruth Metcalfe

cont'd >

aimed to “build a highly accurate sea level forecasting model” for three island nations uniquely at risk due to rising seas—Fiji, the Marshall Islands, and Papua New Guinea. In the face of rapid climate change, it is essential to build models that accurately predict sea level rise for SIDS—especially when taking into consideration, as Raj’s team put it, the “socioeconomic consequences” facing South Pacific people who are already facing challenges of relocation. Raj’s work may be leveraged as a tool for coastal communities facing SLR across the globe.

Background Raj and his research team summarize sea level rise across the globe, stating “The global average sea level has been rising by about 3 mm a year.” Already, SIDS in the Pacific have experienced the effects of this rise (Figure 3), as homes, city centers, roads, and even cemeteries are becoming inundated by flooding.

The combination of reliable data and advancements in artificial intelligence modeling offers a powerful tool. It enables accurate predictions about future marine environmental factors impacted by climate change, such as SLR. Raj and his team focused on predicting SLR

Fig. 2 The impact on fresh water resources due to sea level rise. (Storlazzi, et al., Science Advances, 2018).

by Ruth Metcalfe

via different AI applications and compared which one was most effective at forecasting. These mathematical models consider many environmental and climate factors, enabling “accurate future forecasting of marine environmental parameters.”

By building upon previous advancements in AI that have enabled the forecasting of air quality and solar radiation in Australia, daily sea level in Taiwan, and floods in Fiji, this research looks to past successes in AI modeling and applies these to forecast SLR for three South Pacific island groups.

Harnessing AI for predicting SLR is essential for SIDS in the Pacific whose very existence is threatened by rising seas. “We need to start thinking about… how we are going to survive,” says Tina Steve, the Marshall Island envoy at the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties Summit, as reported by the Washington Post 2021.

Methods “Deep learning” is a kind of AI that enables the processing of large amounts of data. In predicting SLR, deep learning can analyze historical climate data to identify intricate relationships, helping to create more accurate models for projecting future sea-level changes based on various factors like temperature, glacial melt, and ocean currents.

As “mean sea level is the target variable in this study,” Raj and his colleagues examined the factors that are most important in causing rising seas. Namely, they point to both ecstatic (increased overall ocean level) and isostatic (local) factors. By analyzing data from 1994-2022, deep learning enabled the tracking of sea level rise and the creation of a forecasting model.

Implications The impacts on communities that face sea level rise in these islands are major. Not only do people on SIDS face increased “loss of land, coastal erosion, and flooding,” but they are also at risk of losing the land they call home. For all communities facing rising seas across the globe, the use of AI as demonstrated in Raj’s work may prove vital in planning steps to adapt.

A major finding of this study is the rate of SLR in the three islands: “the harmonic analysis of the mean sea level trend showed an estimated increase of 5.6 mm/yr for PNG, 4.9 mm/yr for the Marshall Islands, and 2.6 mm/year for Fiji.” Over the next 20 years, sea levels will increase by 0.3 ft in both the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea, and 0.17 feet in Fiji. For small islands like these, a sea level rise of 0.3 ft can have significant and concerning impacts.

These islands are already vulnerable to the effects of climate change and cont'd >

by Ruth Metcalfe

Fig. 3: Impacts of SLR in the Marshall Islands: A girl walks past the cemetery in Jenrok village on the Majuro atoll, the capital of the Marshall Islands. During high tides, the cemetery and some of the nearby houses were inundated. (Vlad Sokhin/World Bank/The Guardian, 2021.)

Fig. 4: The village Eita in Kiribati, an island country in the central Pacific Ocean, between two SIDS this paper studied: Fiji and the Marshall Islands. Kiribati averages 6.56 feet above sea level. The Marshall Islands have an average height of land above sea of 7 feet, Fiji is 2,172 feet, and Papua New Guinea lies at an average of 2,188 feet above sea level. (The Guardian/Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket via Getty Images)

rising sea levels due to their low elevation. SLR poses threats such as coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, loss of wildlife, and displacement of entire communities. As Raj and his team put it, “Given most settlements in these small islands are around the coastal areas and taking into account that the land slope in the coastal zone is…relatively small” people are being forced to relocate, to “move and settle elsewhere.” The impacts of SLR are large, even if the numbers seem small. Knowing how to predict SLR is essential to preparing communities that are at risk.

Excitingly, Raj and his team found that certain AI models do especially well in tracking and forecasting SLR. Their best model, known as CEEMDAN-CNN-GRU. By analyzing large data sets and input data, this AI tool is able to learn patterns related to various marine parameters and was able to provide accurate forecasts for sea level rise in the next 20 years for Fiji, the Marshall Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

In Fiji, carefully shined whale teeth are iYau (treasures). Passed from hand to hand at ceremonies, these relics of the sea’s largest mammals are symbolic at weddings, births, and funerals. They are “the most effective way to give weight to an apology.” The tooth of the sea mammal is a symbol that connects the people of Fiji to the sea. Climate change threatens human comm-

by Ruth Metcalfe

-unities in different ways than it threatens whales, and yet both kinds of mammals are today at risk, connected by their home region. The treasure of the whale tooth is similar to the treasures of cultural history and ancestry that lie on small island developing states, treasures at risk of being sunk beneath the sea forever. While it cannot stop the expansion of warming water molecules or the melting of glaciers, at least AI can serve as a planning tool for people living on precious islands that are at dire risk.

Search YouTube "Sea Level Rise and AI, Ruthie M" or click above to watch her video interpretation of this research.

Further Reading “Climate Change and AI: Recommendations for Government Action,” GPAI (2021): www.gpai.ai/projects/climate-change-and-ai.pdf Ellen Francis, “Marshall Islands, at Risk of Sinking, Tells World Leaders,” Washington Post (November 1, 2021): www.washingtonpost.com.

Nawin Raj, et al., “Assessment of Prediction of Sea Level Trend in the South Pacific Region,” Remote Sensing 14, no. 4 (2022): doi.org/10.3390/rs14040986.

“Sea Level Rise Threatens The Existence Of The Marshall Islands,” Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (July, 2023): https://www.sprep.org/news.

ISSUE 3, 2023

S’311: The Musical

A

lthough the rule is no music on speakers during most days at sea, there always seems to be songs somewhere: Grant and Satya up on the lab top strumming guitars, or people humming with earbuds in as they work on personal projects.

Our steward Tobi has an affinity for scores from musicals, and sometimes you can hear it from the galley before a meal goes out to the tables. There are jingles for people giving reports during ship meetings, (“ooh, ahh, science report”), or the occasional "that's a morayyyyy" (Thank you Sil for sourcing).

One of my favorite memories was when my watch decided to do galley cleanup off the clock for the following watch - normally, “GCU” is a dreaded part of standing night watch - the galley (kitchen) by the end of the day is always a bit of a mess, and it just has this energysapping effect on everyone cleaning it.

That galley cleanup, even though

by Hwan Huh

it wasn’t technically our job that day was the most fun I’ve had doing it.

Together we lit the galley up with such an atmosphere of music that our steward Tobi, who was done for the day, came back to sing with us. It has been several years since I’ve seen “Sound of Music,” but enough of it stuck for it to join in the rest of our impromptu acapella.

Music is also a tool! One time we were setting the mainsail, and Fredi, who was leading the haul, used the sea shanty “Fish in the Sea” to get us hauling together on rhythm, and ,

Goofing around on the bow are left to right, Callie, Colin, and Sil.

later I transcribed it into my journal and sang it on helm when I was bored. On one night watch we set the jib hauling to various choruses of Taylor Swift songs because there wasn't a song all of us knew well enough to go for any meaningful amount of time.

Our hearts, so entirely our own, are given to the song that we all share and create a united spirit that you can’t emulate in any other way.

At the end of the trip, there’s a tradition called Swizzle, where we toast Neptune, the ship, and have a talent show on the quarterdeck which features dances, poems, art, and, of course, music. Our first scientist Matt sang a lovely song about an albatross which was beautiful—until he started screeching like a bird; Grant and Satya played a parody of “Smoko” by the Chats about seasickness and our beloved Meclizine (anti-nausea medication), and the night ended with a group song led by our second mate Nate. After handing out lyrics, he dedicated this song to the difficult learning curve and confusion that came with our first days aboard - “What’s Going On?” I

by Hwan Huh

think there was a sense of community we hadn’t felt in a long time due to the staggered watches that night. It was quiet around the Auckland harbor, just us under the city lights we hadn’t seen in weeks, singing to the growth we’ve all had during our voyage.

Singing while hauling on lines has been a maritime tradition as old as ships. When everyone sings the same song, their individual strength can come together in rhythm and allow them to exert something greater than the sum of their parts.

Singing together without the added labor does something similar in a more spiritual sense: our hearts, so entirely our own, are given to the song that we all share and create a united spirit that you can’t emulate in any other way. Everyone gives it their all, and every voice matters.

ISSUE 3, 2023

by Katharine Judy

by Katharine Judy

by Katharine Judy

Further Reading Solène Derville, et al., “Horizontal and Vertical Movements of Humpback Whales Inform the Use of Critical Pelagic Habitats in the western South Pacific,” Nature Scientific Reports 10: 4871 (2020): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-61771-z.

by Katharine Judy

ISSUE 3, 2023

Reflecting on this SEA Semester

T

o learn from the past is to extend beyond the boundaries of a lifetime – a noble endeavour productivity-driven societies oft fail to recognize. Education aside, if this semester has taught me anything, it would be the imperative to slow down before speeding up. To take a breath, evaluate, raise my baseline competency and awareness, before marching on. We wouldn’t want to be Sisyphus now, would we?

In the stubborn pursuit of discomfort, I've more often than not found myself in outlandish predicaments, and my goodness has this semester fit my file. Let's take it from the top… first and foremost, I had the surreal opportunity to study at the MBLWHOI library, on desktops upon which the foundations of oceanography were scribbled; not to mention the words of Darwin and Newton that burdened shelves my shoulders brushed. Simply-put, an experience 8-year-old Mark, sat on a sofa utterly enamoured by Sir David

by Mark Teh

Attenborough's narrations of the biological world, could've never imagined.

Then, Tuvalu – you have got to be kidding! Nearly half a decade ago, I'd watched a YouTube video by ‘Yes Theory,’ covering the daily lives of a

From the single, central road in Tuvalu, the Robert C. Seamans is tiny in the distance (Grant Carey photo).

population inhabiting the fourth smallest nation in the world. While I took away titbits of information (such as the fact that a significant portion of the country's GDP is derived from selling rights to their '.tv' domain), when the video came to its conclusion, I resumed my zombie hunt for vicarious adventures; well, vicarious no more. As Jakie Walker put it best, there I stood, “on a remote island, in the South Pacific, above a dying volcano, under the Milky Way,” a life truly in 3D – a metaphor that dominated my high school vernacular, a gentleman's dramatization if you will.

A lack of self-evaluation restrains one’s experiential capacity.

Last but not least, the fulfilment of a childhood dream to research cyanobacteria! Countless hours jamming my crepuscular phalanges at the family keyboard taxonomizing cyanobacteria and marine algae alike had actually culminated in something worth writing home for; not

by Mark Teh

quite the Nobel Prize in Marine Science I'd journaled for, but it's something I guess… but I digress.

Ultimately, while I cannot promise that my incessant whines for shore will end anytime soon, I have to say that my time with SEA has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime endeavour that I will miss dearly.

With what appears to be a life packed full of cliché foreshadowing, one could not fault me for my deterministic slant, from which I'm inclined to ponder what it means to miss, really? When all is said and done, when shouts of sailors whimper for resurrection, will miss be the best I can muster?

The almighty Oxford Dictionary offers the definition "feel regret or sadness at the absence of”, nearantonymous to a sorrowful promise of betterment. If handed an opportunity to relive the semesterpassed, an uncomfortable pause before a measly shake of the head would likely be my pathetic excuse for an answer. To me, doing so would just detract from its uniqueness and dilute its value.

Perhaps, then, I will not miss this semester but treasure it. For its highs (the people) and its lows (SAIL HANDLING?!). For what it was and for what it wasn't.

To life unlived!

ISSUE 3, 2023

Coda Thank you Nate, our second mate, for handing us the most appropriate song to conclude this chapter of our lives. From 4 Non Blondes, on our last night aboard the ship, we sang at the top of our lungs, “What’s going on!”

Since the day we traded in our working legs for sea legs, our voyage has been filled with waves out of the blue to steer us off course and dim our brightly burning lights. Our departure from Port Denarau was delayed for days. Our dearest shipmate Dotty sadly had to leave us early on in our voyage. The carousel, our main scientific instrument for gathering data, decided to go on holiday from its twenty years of hard work and malfunction. Our dear friend Lola, a category five cyclone, waved hello with a gale force attitude. Though unsettled by these unexpected predicaments, the lights in our effervescent hearts and minds continued to burn brightly.

The song has deeper meaning though, applicable to the purpose of our research, and for some, our life’s work. What’s going on with our oceans? What is happening to our planet? Rare and beautiful species are gone. Ocean temperatures are rising. Sea level rise threatens the existence of coastal and island communities. Humans and ecosystems are suffering across the

globe from drought, disease, and pollution, exacerbated by climate change. Natural environments that once thrived have been decimated by humanity’s ability to destroy. Though our negative impacts are profound, where there is an ability to destroy, there is also an ability to restore.

We have learned so much about our changing world and how to care for it, but how do we enact real change?

We are in a unique position and period of time as privileged individuals to understand climate science and take action. We have the opportunity to rewrite the natural narrative. We can shift the role of humans in planetary history, for we are but a mere blip in ecological time.

How do we move forward? We have learned so much about our changing world and how to care for it, but how do we enact real change? There is an overwhelming amount of individual responsibility weighing on our generation’s shoulders to inspire action for the environment. No single person can achieve the goals we need to revive our dying planet, but through collaborative efforts, such as

those reflected in our S311 community and in the works of the magazine here, real change can occur.

To answer this question, I refer to one of my journal entries aboard the ship and a conversation with two shipmates early on in our cruise track. Sparked by an idea from Brene Brown, I posed the question, “What three words do I want to lead me through this period of my life?”

Intimacy, intention and impact.

Intimacy in the sense of getting real with people and with yourself. Be straightforward. Be a barefoot vagabond. Don’t be a barefoot vagabond. Do whatever makes your truest self come alive because real

change starts within, and the most we can do everyday is to show up as our best selves. Intention defines our reasons for moving forward. Define your why. Why does the planet matter to you? I care because I believe all living things have a right to meet their basic needs without infringing on the rights of others. I believe my future children have a right to experience the remarkable feeling of swimming in cool, unpolluted freshwater and breathing crisp mountain air. Impact is our actions.

The footprints we have left on this planet in the past do not define the path ahead. Footprints made in the sand can be washed away. Let us not

surrender ourselves incapable of leaving footprints in a different direction than the ones being led today.

I encourage you to reconnect with the environment around you. Go for a swim. Go for a walk. Go outside.

You're likely reading this because someone you know or care about is apart of S311. We are a crazy bunch of people, each with a unique connection to the ocean. We are the dirt kids, the shell collectors, the ones who spent their classroom days daydreaming of adventures beyond our books. We stay outside when it rains, go closer to the sharks, and stare at the stars. We never want to stop swimming. We seek experiences in remote environments because it keeps us on our toes, always learning and overcoming new challenges.

Staying connected to nature reminds us why we care for it.

Suitable for our land ho location, Gandalf once said, “Saruman believes that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I've found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keeps the darkness at bay.”

Evil needs great power, but good persists in all moments, big and small. Everyday deeds matter. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of this planet. Each and every one of us. Leave a footprint, no matter the size, that will guide future generations on a better path, a path of growth, than the one we are on.

We will too.

The S311 trip is finally complete.

From a lively mesh of humans on shore, we created a thriving and compassionate community filled with individuals from all walks of life. S311 gave me hope. S311 reminded me that we can collaborate with each other despite our differences of opinions or beliefs. We can form interdisciplinary solutions to problems when we listen, communicate kindly, understand, challenge, and work towards a common goal. We must coexist. We must fight to stay on this planet. All I can say is watch out for S311.

In the words of a dear shipmate and friend, “These are the people I want to change the world with.”

–-Grace Shoemaker

S’311 in Auckland beside the Robert C. Seamans Satya Advani, Colorado College Austin Black, Eckerd College Grant Carey, University of San Diego Prudence Criscoulo, Eckerd College Caleb Dittmar, Williams College Katharine Hassenfratz, Boston University Hwan Huh, Boston College Katharine “Dotty” Judy, George Washington University Susanna Kisker, Carleton College Ruth Metcalfe, Pomona College Soleil Michaud, University of San Diego Grace Shoemaker, Colorado State University, Fort Collins Mira Stephens, Carleton College Emily Stringer, College of the Atlantic Sophie Strock, Eckerd College Mark Teh, Northeastern University

Rick Miller, Captain Jan Witting, Chief Scientist Abigail Werner, Chief Engineer David Bonner III, Chief Mate Matthew Bihrle, 1st Marine Tech Katherine Rigney, 2nd Marine Tech Nathan Bears, 2nd Mate Camryn Ragland, 3rd Marine Tech Sasha "Vuk" Vukasovich, 3rd Mate Talia "Tobi" Buchman, Steward Jacob Walker, Asst. Steward Brielle Parse, Lab Tech Sil Kiewiet de Jonge, Asst. Engineer Fredrique Guevara-Prip, Mate in Training Colin Hauke, Mate in Training Margeaux Scholz, Mate in Training Eva Hart, PA/Med Office

ISSUE 3, 2023 Satya Advani is from Indianola, WA and is currently studying at Colorado College. He loves being on the water in any capacity and following this incredibly blue voyage from Fiji to NZ, he’s prepping to explore all the beaches this special island nation has got to offer.

Austin Black is a senior at Eckerd College and am majoring in Marine Biology. For my study on board, I looked at how ocean acidification affects pteropod calcification.

Grant Carey is a lover of the outdoors, music and people. He is a junior at the University of San Diego studying Integrated Engineering with a concentration in sustainability inspired by multidisciplinary approaches to address environmental and social problems.

Prudence Criscoulo is a marine geology major at Eckerd College. She loves art and adventures. Her experience through SEA can be summed up with the following words: gratitude, discovery, connection, and joy.

Caleb Dittmar studies English, Computer Science, and Maritime Studies at Williams College.

Hwan Huh is a student from Boston College currently majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Justice and Policy. He only threw up six times throughout the trip.

Katharine Judy, or Dotty as her friends calls her, studies Environmental Science at the George Washington University in Washington DC. She loves sketching, running, skiing, and sadly climbing trees (such a mistake).

Katherine Hassenfratz is a senior at Boston University and majoring in public relations. She is originally from Westchester, New York but has spent most of her time the last few years either living in Boston or midcoast Maine.

Susanna Kisker studies physics at Carleton College in Northfield, MN and is pursuing a career in healthcare. She also loves learning languages, most recently she spent three months in Tanzania learning Swahili through the Critical Language Scholarship program.

Ruth Metcalfe is from southern Maine. She is a junior at Pomona College studying Public Policy and Geology. Ruthie loves the coast, and finding connections between art, politics, and science.

Soleil Michaud is an avid surfer and yogi from Costa Rica and a Junior at University of San Diego. She is currently studying Marine Ecology with a concentration in Biology. She really loves fish, both to study and to eat and hopes to work in fishery conservation in remote places some day.

Grace Shoemaker is an ocean advocate, yogi and lives for long runs. She is a recent graduate of Colorado State University in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, needs money and is actively seeking employment.

Help me help you!

ISSUE 3, 2023 Emily Rose Stringer (they/she) is a student of marine biology and ecology at College of the Atlantic in Maine. They are deeply in love with the sea and get very excited about seabirds and all manner of plankton.

Mira Stephens is a pre-med student at Carleton College who is majoring in Biology.

While Mira isn't saving lives as an EMT she enjoys skiing, mentoring students, and horseback riding.

Sophie Strock is from Barnstable, Massachusetts. She is a Junior at Eckerd College where she studies marine biology and environmental studies.

Mark Teh is a Biochemistry major at Northeastern University with minors in Economics and Environmental Engineering. Discreditable image aside, he somehow finds himself pursuing an academic career in Marine Biomimetic Engineering, with a concentration in extremophilic metabolism. Who knows, really.

Sunset #2 (Emily Rose Stringer)