Bigelow Laboratory to research whether kelp farming can combat climate change
The Maine science center has received a grant of almost $900,000 for the research.
By Associated Press
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EAST BOOTHBAY A Maine science center has received a grant of almost $900,000 for research into ways that aquaculture of kelp can be used to combat climate change.
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences received the money from World Wildlife Fund with support from Bezos Earth Fund. Representatives for Bigelow said Wednesday the research will focus on the role kelp can play as a “sponge” that soaks up carbon dioxide.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean and makes the water more acidic, which damages ecosystems, Bigelow representatives said.
Baby lobsters may be adaptable to changes in Gulf of Maine, study shows
A team examined how post-larval lobsters genes react to the effects of ocean warming, acidification and the combination of both.
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Baby lobsters may be more adaptable to rapidly changing ocean conditions than previously thought, according to results of a new study conducted in Maine.
A juvenile lobster is shown in Harpswell in 2015. A research team has examined how post-larval lobsters genes reacted to the effects of ocean warming, acidification and the combination of both.
Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
Researchers from the University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole, the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay and the Maine Department of Marine Resources in West Boothbay Harbor teamed up to examine the effects of ocean warming and acidification on gene expression in the earliest life stages of the American lobster.
According to a recent study reported in the
Ecology and Evolution journal, the
American lobsters may be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than previously believed. These species support the most precious fishery in North America.
Maura Niemisto, a research associate at Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay Maine, prepares a lobster sample in the lab. Niemisto is the lead author of a recent paper showing the effects of ocean warming and ocean acidification on postlarval lobsters. Image Credit: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.
This latest discovery may allow fishery managers to expect the impacts of a prolonged climate change for one of the country’s most valuable natural resources.
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IMAGE: Maura Niemisto, a research associate at Bigelow Laboratory in East Boothbay Maine, prepares a lobster sample in the lab. Niemisto is lead author on a recent paper showing the effects. view more
Credit: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
The American lobster, which supports the most valuable fishery in North America, may be more susceptible to the effects of climate change than previously thought, according to a new study published in
Ecology and Evolution. This finding could help fishery managers anticipate the long-term effects of climate change for one the nation s most precious natural resources.
The American lobster s range extends from Atlantic Canada to the mid-Atlantic waters of the United States, but increased carbon dioxide emissions by humans are warming and acidifying their ocean habitat.
A team of researchers from the University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay and Maine Department of Marine Resources in West Boothbay Harbor recently published their research on the effects of ocean warming and acidification on gene expression in the earliest life stages of the American lobster.
The work was published in the scientific journal Ecology and Evolution with collaborators from the University of Prince Edward Island and Dalhousie University in Canada.
Leading the study was recent UMaine graduate student Maura Niemisto, who received her masterâs degree in marine science. Co-authors on the journal article were her advisers Richard Wahle, research professor in UMaineâs School of Marine Sciences and director of the Lobster Institute, and David Fields, senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.