Greenhouse gas levels are on track to exceed the worst-case scenario. But, as world leaders meet in Paris for the UN climate summit this month, Tim Flannery argues that there are still realistic grounds for hope
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The North-Atlantic has warmed faster than all other ocean basins and climatechange scenarios predict sea surface temperature isotherms to shift up to600 km northwards by the end of the 21st century. The pole-ward shift hasalready begun for many temperate seaweed species that are important intertidalfoundation species. We asked the question: Where will climate change have thegreatest impact on three foundational, macroalgal species that occur alongNorth-Atlantic shores:Fucus serratus,Fucus vesiculosus,andAscophyllum nodo-sum? To predict distributional changes of these key species under three IPCC(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) climate change scenarios (A2,A1B, and B1) over the coming two centuries, we generated Ecological NicheModels with the program MAXENT. Model predictions suggest that these threespecies will shift northwards as an assemblage or “unit” and that phytogeo-graphic changes will be most pronounced in the southern Arctic and the south-ern temperate provinces. Our models predict that Arctic shores in Canada,Greenland, and Spitsbergen will become suitable for all three species by 2100.Shores south of 45°North will become unsuitable for at least two of the threefocal species on both the Northwest- and Northeast-Atlantic coasts by 2200.If these foundational species are unable to adapt to the rising temperatures,they will lose their centers of genetic diversity and their loss will trigger anunpredictable shift in the North-Atlantic intertidal ecosystem.
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The coral reef ecosystem forms part of a ‘seascape’ that includes land-based ecosystems such as mangroves and forests, and ideally should form a complete system for conservation and management. Aquaculture, including artisanal fishing for fish and invertebrates, shrimp farming, and seaweed farming, is a major part of the farming and gleaning practices of many tropical communities, particularly on small islands, and depends upon the integrity of the reefs. Climate change is making major impacts on these communities, not least through global warming and high CO2 concentrations. Corals grow within very narrow limits of temperature, provide livelihoods for millions of people in tropical areas, and are under serious threat from a variety of environmental and climate extremes. Corals survive and grow through a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae: zooxanthellae. Such systems apply highly co-operative regulation to minimize the fluctuation of metabolite concentration profiles in the face of transient perturbations. This review will discuss research on how climate influences reef ecosystems, and how science can lead to conservation actions, with benefits for the human populations reliant on the reefs for their survival.
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A PDF Power Point on "Climate: the case for marine bioenergy in Europe and The Crown Estate's response in the UK".
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A preliminary classification of five macroalgae from the British Isles; Fucus vesiculosus, Chorda filum, Laminaria digitata, Fucus ser- ratus, Laminaria hyperborea, and Macrocystis pyrifera from South America, has been presented in terms of a Van Krevelen diagram. The macroalgae have been characterised for proximate and ultimate analysis, inorganic content, and calorific value. The different options for thermal conversion and behaviour under combustion and pyrolysis have been evaluated and compared to several types of terrestrial bio- mass including Miscanthus, short rotation Willow coppice and Oat straw. Thermal treatment of the macroalgae has been investigated using thermogravimetry (TGA) and pyrolysis-gc-ms. Combustion behaviour is investigated using TGA in an oxidising atmosphere. The suitability of macroalgae for the different thermal processing routes is discussed. Ash chemistry restricts the use of macroalgae for direct combustion and gasification. Pyrolysis produces a range of pentosans and a significant proportion of nitrogen containing com- pounds. High char yields are produced.
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Chondrus crispus, or Irish moss, is a common edible red seaweed that can be found on rocky shores in the Northern Atlantic. The cell wall contains carrageenan and C. crispus is the original source of this commercially used thickener. Because of the ecological and economic importance of this red alga a relatively important research literature exists and one of the recent achievements in C. crispus research is the sequencing of its genome. In this chapter we review some of the literature with the aim to promote C. crispus as a model organism for florideophyte red seaweeds. We consider subjects like commercial and historical uses, ecology, genetics, population structure, mating systems, physiology, cell wall biology and genomics.
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PDF on final report of 'Preliminary Study - Chinese Market for Seaweed and Carrageenan Industry'.
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Seaweeds in general derive their importance from their carbohydrate content. Part of the carbohydrate is in the form of cellulose which cannot be hydrolysed by ordinary means; and the rest in the form of polysaccharides either as agar or as algin, the latter being considered as a polymerised form of d-mannuronic acid. Kylin (1913) is of the opinion that simple reducing sugars constitute the first products of photosynthesis and that they occur in very small quantities.
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Several interesting studies have been made in the past on the nitrogen metabolism in seaweeds. Haas and Hi11 (1931) and Haas, Hill and Karstens (1935) isolated water-soluble peptides from the brown alga Pelvetia canaliculata and explained their presence as due to lack of metabolic balance traceable to either desiccation or low illumination. To obtain further evidence Haas, Hill and Russel-Wells (1938) examined the calcareous algae Corallina squamata Ellis, Lithophylum incrustans Foslie, Amphiora capensis Aresch and Galaxaura subverticillata Kjell. A number of unencrusted algae were also examined, but so far among the latter group peptides were found only in the two species, Pelvetia canaliculata and Griffithsia flocculoses. It was found that the encrusted forms contained crude peptides to the extent of 0.05 to 0.29% of the dry weight.
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There is practically no reference which gives a complete account of the mineral constituents of the commercial seaweeds and their relationship with the organic constituents or on the- ionic exchanges taking place between the algae and the surrounding water. The early attempts to utilize seaweeds for the manufacture of potash and iodine provide some data on the amounts of these elements and their seasonal variations in particular species. Work on British seaweeds has shown (Chapman, 1950) that the changes in the iodine content are nearly directly proportional to the potash and that the amount of these nutrients in the living plant varies from month to month.
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Marine Agronomy Group, CAFNRM, UH-Hilo
200 W. Kawili st., HI 96720, USA
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