NASA Data Reveals Climate Warming Reduces Ocean Food Supply
12.06.06
NASA is hosting a media teleconference announcing new scientific findings that show for the first time how the foundation of Earth's marine food web responds to changes in climate. The teleconference will begin at 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
In a NASA study, scientists have concluded that when the Earth's climate warms, there is a reduction in the ocean's primary food supply, posing a potential threat to fisheries and ecosystems. By comparing nearly a decade of global ocean satellite data with several records of Earth's changing climate, scientists found that whenever climate warmed, marine plant life in the form of phytoplankton declined. Whenever climate cooled, marine plant life became more vigorous or productive.
+ Press Release
+ Feature Story
Briefing Participants:
+
Michael J. Behrenfeld, ocean plant ecologist, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.
+
Gene Carl Feldman, oceanographer and SeaWIFs project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
+
Oscar Schofield, aquatic biologist, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
Briefing Multimedia
+
Media Teleconference Multimedia Items for Reporters
Public Affairs Contacts to Arrange Interviews:
Sarah Dewitt, NASA-TV, Goddard Space Flight Center
Erica Hupp, NASA Headquarters
Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Rob Gutro
Goddard Space Flight Center