Ammonite’s Calgary-based Senior Geoscience consultant Susan Eaton has organized and is leading an expedition to study the shallow marine ecosystems on the Canadian Arctic coast in a most unique way. In July 2016, the all-female SEDNA Expedition will embark on a three-month journey, snorkeling over 3,000 kilometers through Arctic seas from Pond Inlet, Nunavut, to Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The 10 polar “extreme” snorkelers — supported by two mother ships, each equipped with zodiac boats — will create world-wide awareness of rapidly disappearing sea ice, documenting the impacts of global warming on this fragile ecosystem, and on the traditional way of life for the Inuit people of the North.

The expedition’s members include marine scientists, ecologists, geoscientists, photographers, writers, and professional divers. In addition to raising awareness about the impact of global warming in the arctic, the expedition participants hope to be role models for young woman who want to pursue careers in the sciences.

In July 2014 Team SEDNA traveled aboard the 116-foot MV Cape Race, from northern Labrador to Baffin Island and across the Davis Strait to Western Greenland, and then to Iceland, to test their ‘proof-of-concept’, by focusing on team-building and demonstrating that snorkelers — using diver propulsion vehicles — can successfully ‘go the distance’ through ice-infested waters. During snorkel relay trials—in pack ice and ice-bergy bits along the northern Labrador coast, and in the 9,000-foot-deep waters of the Davis Strait— the sea women travelled 35 kilometers in less than 12 hours, demonstrating that the Northwest Passage is firmly within the their grasp. Using mobile touch aquariums and ocean-going robots, Team Sedna delivered its innovative ocean outreach program in Nain, Labrador, bringing the ocean to eye level in this predominantly non-swimming Inuit community. Information about the unique expedition can be found at www.sednaepic.com. Sedna is the Inuit Goddess of the Sea.

Please click below for a video testimonial by Susan Eaton from the Mid-Atlantic Rift at Sifra, Iceland, thanking Ammonite for our modest support.

Silfra Video  – Showing geology in the making.

 

 

In anticipation of the United Nations global climate change conference in Paris in December, Ammonite Managing Partner Skip Hobbs has published a paper titled Climate Change Naysayers: It’s Time for A Reality Check. The Future Well-Being of Humanity and Planet Earth Is At Stake! This paper is being widely circulated to policy makers in Washington, conservation organizations, and to fellow geoscientists in the hopes that the United States will develop a comprehensive energy policy which will reduce the nation’s carbon footprint and stimulate the economy. The paper synopsis has been published as a contributed editorial commentary in the New Canaan Advertiser, New Canaan, CT and the Lakeville Journal, Lakeville, CT.  

Synopsis
Mitigating the impact of global warming will be the most significant social, economic, political and security challenge of the 21st Century. Nevertheless, the subject of climate change is  anathema to many conservatives. The topic is simply being ignored or dismissed as “junk science” or a hoax perpetuated by left wing alarmists and academics.

Climate has changed throughout geological time, usually at a scale measured in thousands of years or longer. However, human activity, in particular the production and burning of fossil fuels which releases the warming greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere, is causing changes that are now occurring at a rate and scale that is unprecedented in recent geological history. Increases in regional temperature, particularly in the Arctic; regional drought and more forest fires; rising sea level, ocean acidification, changes in agriculture, changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulatory patterns, and increasing storm intensity and frequency, are all very real and undeniable.

Confirmed climate trends
The National Academies of Science and many other distinguished scientific organizations have confirmed the climate trends that are now occurring, and what is likely to occur as GHG levels continue to rise. The evidence of the past hundred years is not based on some academic’s computer model. Policy makers must not ignore or dismiss the learned opinions of the professional institutions whose members are the experts on climate.

As sea level rises to the point where coastal cities are in serious danger of catastrophic flooding, where and how will the billions of people living on or near global coastlines today be relocated, and at what cost? Where will humanity’s food be grown as temperature increases and drought impact areas that are currently important agricultural centers? The White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) released a report in 2014 that estimated the global cost of climate change will reach $150 billion per year, and continue rising as reversing temperature increases becomes more difficult. The financial and social impact of global warming will be devastating if steps are not taken now to reduce GHG emissions.

The Republican Party, for example, simply must face reality and develop comprehensive energy and climate policy positions. Balancing the budget, job creation, health care and immigration are important and manageable political issues for the next election. However, as the potential impact of climate change on our way of life could be so severe, dealing with climate change simply must also be part of the political debate.

Actions to take
A transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy over the next two decades is a major step in the process, as fossil fuels currently account for more than 50% of annual global carbon dioxide emissions. Renewable energy sources cannot compete with cheap coal and petroleum without subsidies until a certain scale is reached. Americans have to adjust to higher fossil fuel and electricity costs. This must be accepted as the tradeoff for mitigation of the potentially devastating impact of global warming. Cheap and abundant fossil fuels helped make America great, but a new energy business model must be adapted for the good of humanity and planet earth. There are now simply too many people emitting far too many greenhouses gases.

Increased subsidies for energy conservation and renewable energy resources, improved public transportation infrastructure, a smart electric grid, a national recycling program, carbon cap and trade, and increased taxes on fossil fuels, will reduce the nation’s carbon footprint, pay for the transition, and create jobs. Our nation’s prosperity will be preserved and enhanced by making the transition to a green economy.
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