Coastal & Marine Conservation

The Arctic cryosphere is collapsing, posing overlapping environmental risks. In particular, thawing permafrost threatens to release biological, chemical and radioactive materials that have been sequestered for tens to hundreds of thousands of years. As these constituents re-enter the environment, they have the potential to disrupt ecosystem function, reduce the populations of unique Arctic wildlife and endanger human health.

As the first large-scale Marine Protected Area (MPA) in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the Ross Sea region MPA sets a precedent for design, adoption, and implementation of other MPAs on the high seas. Together with a team of co-authors, Cassandra Brooks recently published a paper in Marine Policy that highlights the strong management in place within the Ross Sea region MPA, including research and monitoring.

Rob Moir wrote an op-ed for The Environmental Magazine describing The Ocean Based Climate Solutions Act's efforts to address the ravages of climate change.

“Understanding biological responses to climate change can help us find our place within it,” Hanson writes. “Simply put, if bush crickets, bumblebees, and butterflies can learn to modify their behaviors, then it stands to reason that we can too."