Carbon Sootprints (2013/14)
On the North Norfolk coast, a modest looking observatory houses scientific equipment. Over the past 5 1/2 years, Dr Philip Wilson and colleagues from the UEA have undertaken research into the rise and fall of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Every 2 minutes an instrument takes readings of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the air. Information is also gathered as to where the air came from. Since the weather patterns are known, it's possible to see where that air is likely to have been before it was sampled.
The data plots the seasonal cycles. Effectively you can visualise the planet breathing, this invisible process affects the ecological wellbeing of every species that shares our planet. The worrying factor is that due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, the equilibrium has been disturbed as CO2 levels are rising steadily. Click here to read an transcript of Philip Wilson and Hannelore Smith in conversation about the research.
To find out more about the Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory visit www.weybourne.uea.ac.uk |
"I have been fortunate to visit the observatory and to engage in many fascinating discussions with Dr Wilson about his research. The silent and invisible rhythms of nature interest me. Dr Wilson and others within the scientific community predict that the rising levels of CO2 and subsequent rising temperatures (global warming) will continue to cause strange weather behaviour and changes in climate, affecting patterns within nature – Will nature evolve and overcome the fallout from human prosperity and progression, or will we see the gradual decline and extinction of species…" |
2015 Copyright © Hannelore Smith