Our guest speaker was Dr. Josh Willis, Phd., a scientist/oceanographer working for NASA.  Josh was here to discuss Global Warming and how our oceans are the best gauge and continuing measurement to determine climate change in the future.  In fact, Josh is an expert in estimating ocean warming and sea level rise on a global scale.  His research interests include understanding large scale changes in the ocean and circulation on interannual to decadal time scales.  He vividly pointed out exactly what is happening to our climate as we continue to spew large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.  It turns out that CO2 is the culprit that is causing the warming of our climate and it has been proven through precise measurements and changes of the ocean height from satellites 800 miles in space.  Josh displayed slides of glaciers from the arctic showing melting stages over just a few months and clearly defined they are shrinking.  He has determined that CO2 amounts create a “blanket effect” over the atmosphere holding heat in, not letting it escape.  It is known as the Earth’s Greenhouse Effect.  A technique of measuring ice cores from glaciers has shown annual layers have been recorded warmer and CO2 levels greater.  As a result of the Green House Effect the ocean warms up over time causing change to ocean life, coral, and all living inhabitants there.  The temperature on earth has already increased one degree over the last 100 years.  Not bad you say?  Significant changes will be recognized over our lifetimes, our children’s lifetimes and further. 

 Josh gave an excellent demonstration showing what happens to an air filled balloon when it is heated up vs. a water filled balloon when heated up.  The air filled balloon represented the atmosphere, the water filled balloon was an example of the ocean.  Shortly after a flame heated the air filled balloon, it popped.  Not so with the water filled balloon, it never popped; the ocean has 1000x the heat capacity of the atmosphere.    One thing is for sure, satellite observations have determined that one third of sea level rise is just from water warming.  Satellites data are accurate within 1” and through the Gravity Recover and Climate Experiment (GRACE) we can weigh entire continents. Greenland for instance is shrinking, it has lost one trillion tons due to Global Warming.  Since we can measure carbon from fossil fuels we have burned, we now know that CO2 is the primary cause of Global Warming.  Maybe we should all do our fair share to minimize our carbon footprint and help preserve the world for those who follow.

Pat Dolphin