He's developed a new method of dating coral that gives us a more accurate picture of what's happening with climate change and sea level rise. Here he is in on the Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas on a research trip.
Oh, and I thought you'd like to see some very pretty coral, before it becomes fossilized.
So, how do you figure out how old a coral fossil is? Well, the first thing you do is bring it home to the lab at the famous Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. WHOI (for short) is on the forefront of climate change research.
Seriously, this is important research, because with the proper dating, scientists now warn us we might be in for a repeat of the Last Interglacial period, which was very serious because it heated up the planet, caused major ice cap melting and in turn, really big sea level rise.
This happened 125,000 years ago and yes, I 'm sorry to say--it looks like we're headed for a repeat performance.
Oh, and with sea level rise, if you live in a coastal area, for example Cape Cod--it's very serious!
It's a matter of life and death for people who live by the water. But really, this sea level rise affects all of us living on Planet Earth. We are all in this together.
So, if you want to help make the world a better place for our children, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren, what can you do? First of all, open your hearts and minds to the notion of climate change. Read about it. Talk about it. Spread the news--we need to save our planet and we must talk to the people in government and ask them to help the sciences and organizations that support research, such as Woods Hole Ocean and Climate Change Institute, the Comer Science and Education Foundation and the National Science Foundation.
After all, the future depends on you and what you do today.
The children will say thank you. And I will too.
Merci beaucoup!
