A healthy ocean is critical for all life on Earth. But to make predictions about the future of our ocean, scientists need to understand its biological and chemical cycles. That’s where MBARI’s Ocean Biogeochemical Sensing Team comes in. Led by marine chemist Yui Takeshita, this team is developing sensors that detect how climate change alters ocean chemistry.
Each year, the ocean absorbs 25 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. It has buffered our planet from the worst effects of climate change but at a heavy cost. The ocean is becoming more acidic, creating a more stressful environment for marine life. Scientists need new tools to better understand the ocean's changing chemistry. Yui’s team is developing and deploying autonomous robots to measure and monitor these changes. They’re studying how ocean acidification affects ecosystems from the coast to the open sea. The team is sharing new sensor technologies with colleagues around the world to quickly scale our ability to observe the world ocean at this critical moment.
Learn more about the Ocean Biogeochemical Sensing Team and their work: www.mbari.org/team/ocean-biog...
MBARI’s mission is to advance marine science and engineering to understand our changing ocean. We’re spotlighting various teams at MBARI to showcase the different ways we’re studying the largest environment on Earth. We hope this series inspires a new generation of ocean explorers. Dive in: mbari.co/MeetMBARI
Video editor: Dave Timko
Production team: Heidi Cullen, Madeline Go, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun