Located in Millbrook, NY, the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies has become a leader in environmental research, providing important information to scientists and policymakers, influencing environmental laws, and helping to update educational curriculum. One of the organization's goals is to make the public more aware of general ecological issues and challenges, which it achieves by hosting various presentations and workshops. Recently, Dr. William Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute, hosted a travelogue on Antarctica, which despite being the coldest continent, is still being threatened by human activity. Dr. Schlesinger provided MGB with details on the state of Antarctica's ecosystem, its surprising fragility, and what we can expect to see from the Cary Institute in the future.
How and when was the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies founded and what types of research does the Institute focus on?
The Institute was founded by Gene Likens in 1983 with an endowment from the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, to conduct scientific research on important environmental problems facing the nation and the world. Currently, our scientists focus on the impacts of climate change, the health of the Hudson River and other wetlands, the impact of invasive species on ecosystems, and the ecology of human health. We are also beginning to work on questions of carbon sequestration and the advantages and impacts of alternative sources of energy.
In regards to your travelogue on Antarctica, you explored the effects of climate change in this region. What negative effects has Antarctica seen so far and what can we expect to see in the future?
There are certainly indications that the Antarctic is showing the impacts of global warming, which all climate models indicate will be strongest at the poles of the Earth. The Antarctic Peninsula, in particular, has shown some of the most rapid rates of warming seen anywhere on Earth. Recent satellite measurements suggest that the continent as a whole is in a negative balance with regard to its volume of ice: that is, melt is greater than snowfall.
Separately, for the past several decades, the Antarctic continent has been subject to an increasing flux of ultraviolet light as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion, which yields the ozone “hole.” “Hole” is really a misnomer; the area of depleted ozone is really an area where the ozone layer is thinner than it should be. The impacts of ultraviolet light may extend from lower productivity in the Antarctic Ocean to potential health impacts on some of the larger wildlife, including penguins.
It is a common misconception that Antarctica is a frozen wasteland, but there are, in fact, ecosystems that exist in the region. Can you describe these ecosystems and the flora/fauna that depend on them?
The Antarctic ecosystems are mainly dependent on the high productivity of the Antarctic or "Southern" Ocean, in which vast quantities of phytoplankton are consumed by (and support) krill. Penguins and some whales feed on krill, and seals and other whales feed on penguins. So, the terrestrial ecosystems, which might appear to be centered on the penguin colonies, are really connected to the sea. In the McMurdo area of Antarctica, there are a number of seasonal lake ecosystems that have low levels of phytoplankton productivity in their waters, and incipient soils that have developed along their shores.
How does the damage in Antarctica affect us in the U.S.?
The most immediate effect would be from the melting of Antarctic ice, which contributes to sea level rise worldwide, and if it proceeds at a high rate, could produce catastrophic sea level rise for coastal US cities. Other effects, such as ozone depletion, extend the flux of ultraviolet radiation northward, where it can be expected to increase the rates of skin cancer in southern South America, New Zealand and Australia.
What can the public expect to see from the Cary Institute in the future?
I'd like to see us have regular conferences, workshops, and presentations on a large range of current environmental problems, such as impacts of the Marcellus shale natural gas extraction, of shoreline simplification along the Hudson, of invasive species in our local forests, and of the loss of species in various ecosystems on human health. Look to us to be an honest broker of the latest, independent science applied to national problems.
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