Science

Science in the arctic: deploying mescosms at 79°N

Posted by jamie — 9 June 2010 at 1:44pm - Comments

Like many other marine species, pteropods are threatened by ocean acidification © Cobbing/Greenpeace

Janet Cotter, from Greenpeace's Science Unit is currently on board the Esperanza on the first leg of the Arctic Under Pressure expedition. The ship is currently in Ny-Ålesund in the arctic, where Janet has been helping seagulls from 'contributing' to ocean acidification research.

In my day job, I work as a scientist as Greenpeace's Research Laboratories in Exeter, which is part of the Greenpeace's Science Unit. We might not get do the banner hanging from bridges and all the dramatic stuff that other Greenpeace activists do, but we have an important role in the organisation.  We analyse samples from around the world in our laboratories, often looking for toxic contamination of soils, rivers and seas, or sampling foodstuffs for GM contamination.

Of climate, weather and arctic blasts

Posted by jamie — 12 January 2010 at 6:11pm - Comments

Still melting

Juliette in our international office posted this on the Climate Rescue blog and, as similar thoughts have been going through my head in response to the current cold weather, it's worth reposting here.

It cannot be said too often that climate and weather are not the same thing. The first regulates the temperature and weather patterns on a long term basis, the other one is guilty for blocking the traffic with snow this morning, or making the heat today unbearable. NASA puts it better than I could:

Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere "behaves" over relatively long periods of time.

Revealed: the true state of the world's oceans

Posted by jossc — 5 March 2009 at 12:37pm - Comments

A clean, healthy and biodiverse sea area around Appo Island, Philipinnes

Clean, healthy and biodiverse : the reef around Appo Island in the Philipinnes

Behind many a Greenpeace action and every campaign lies a large amount of science related work. Much of the analysis and some of the research backing our campaigns comes from the scientists of the Greenpeace Research Laboratories,  based at Exeter University. Over the years they have accumulated a vast amount of expertise and thousands of scientific papers on a wide range of issues including many that are related to the health of the worlds oceans. From bycatch to ocean acidification, the team has been uncovering the facts behind the changes we are now witnessing happening at sea.

Science minister gets the hots for GM food

Posted by jamie — 23 September 2008 at 11:21am - Comments

Government wonks have once again been druming up support for GM food, the latest tub-thumping courtesy of science minister Ian Pearson. He's been saying that if engineered crops can be demonstrated to alleviate hunger around the world, then the great British public will be only too happy to see them being cultivated in our green and pleasant land as well.

Climate change to blame for more Atlantic hurricanes

Posted by bex — 30 July 2007 at 2:57pm - Comments

The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew
The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.

After a study last week confirmed the link between climate change and increased rainfall in the UK, a new study published yesterday has made the connection between climate change and a doubling in the number of Atlantic hurricanes in an average season over the past 100 years.

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