How Are Those Climate Change Resolutions Going?

Some secondhand clothes I purchased recently at a charity shop.

Back in early January I set some Climate Change New Year’s Resolutions. At the time, I had no idea that the COVID-19 pandemic would occur and that life, in many ways, would be radically changed. However, although COVID-19 has contributed to a global reduction in carbon emissions (relative to 2019), it is clear that there is still much work to do when it comes to making the sorts of emissions cuts required to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Here in Queensland, Australia, there is currently no community transmission of COVID-19 and life has largely returned to normal, with the exception of not being able to travel very much outside of the state, since the Australian international border is closed and many of the Australian state borders also remain closed.

This will be the first year, in many years (possibly since before I was in university?), that I have not had any international travel and the emissions associated with the flights. However, since July I have been traveling from Brisbane to rural Queensland regularly for geological field work, so I am still responsible for a substantial amount of airline emissions!

Anyway, let me reflect on how my Climate Change Resolutions have been going so far this year…

Offset All of My Airline Emissions:

To date, I’ve had ten domestic round-trip airline flights for work and two domestic round-trip airline flights (one Brisbane-Sydney and one Brisbane-Cairns) for personal travel. That is still quite a lot of travel! For the personal trips (mini vacations) I’ve already bought carbon offsets through the airlines. The airline offset programs are not perfect, but I always buy the offsets when I book my own flights. If nothing else, this indicates to the airlines that I care about the carbon footprints of my flights. For the work trips I will buy the offsets all at once at the end of the year. I anticipate having two more trips before the field season wraps up. Once my travel is complete, I’ll calculate the emissions and buy carbon offsets through Gold Standard. No doubt, I’ll buy some extra offsets — to cover any doubts I have about the quality of the airline offsets I bought for my personal travel, and also because contributing to quality carbon offset programs is a worthwhile way to spend some money.

I do wrestle with guilt over my airline travel emissions. My job requires frequent travel, and I’m reluctant to give up a job that I really enjoy. I also feel fortunate to have a well-paying, stable job at a time when many people, including many geologists, are losing work due to the financial impacts of COVID-19. I also enjoy exploring the world in a personal capacity. However, our vacations are by necessity going to have to be more local (within Australia) over the next couple of years, so that should cut down emissions a little.

There is a long way to go still with technology development, but I am really looking forward to the day when electric (or other low emission) airplanes are available.

Walk More:

Well, I certainly have been driving much less this year! Since March I’ve been working from home rather than going into the office in the city. Even though the pandemic is largely under control in Queensland, my team is still working from home when not in the field. When we do start returning to the office, I’ll take public transport (train or bus) to the office as much as possible, rather than drive.

Buy Less Stuff:

I have been reasonably good about this one, at least compared to my normal spending habits. With the exception of a couple of pairs of shoes, I’ve fulfilled my normal clothes shopping habit by purchasing a few secondhand items at charity shops, including the lovely dress and shirts in the above photo. Here in Australia the charity shops are full of wonderful secondhand items that deserve to have their use extended. I suppose it did help that for several months (March to June) I avoided going to the shops at all due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, in these days of online shopping it is still easy to purchase items and, with the stress of the pandemic, I have been tempted to indulge in a little retail therapy. I’ve managed to (mostly) channel this to a hobby of mine: collecting vintage children’s mystery series books, such as Nancy Drew books. I’ve been buying some secondhand books to complete parts of my collection. I’ve mostly bought these online, so there are emissions associated with transport of the books — but at least they aren’t new books.

With the holiday season approaching, I am giving some careful thought to how I will avoid unnecessary consumerism for Christmas presents. I did just send a small Christmas box to my immediate family in the USA. It is difficult for me not to see them this year (and probably not next year either), so I sent a few Australian-themed gift items to them. However, aside from these few trinkets I plan to sponsor an Australian zoo animal for my family members as the main gift this year. For other friends and family, I’ll give donations on their behalf — most likely to the World Wildlife Fund, which gives you the option to send a fun e-card announcing the donation.

Waste Less Food and Eat Less Meat:

I have been very good about not wasting food, and I have tried to eat more vegetarian food than usual. For example, I always order a vegetarian option when we order take-out once a week on Friday nights. At home we have also been successful at cooking more vegetarian meals and have added some great new dishes to our menu. I’m still looking for more vegetarian recipes, so feel free to leave one in a comment below!

I have been eating meat at my geology field camp — one dinner is cooked for the team, and I don’t want to create extra hassle. I do eat vegetarian dishes when they are available or when I’m making food for myself — for example, I’ll often make a vegetarian salad or sandwich for my lunch.

I’m happy with how this resolution is going. I guess I would describe myself as a Flexitarian. In future it may be possible for me to further reduce my meat and dairy consumption and avoid more emissions associated with these foods — but for now I am happy with the reduction that I have made.

Donate More to Climate Change and Environmental Charities:

On this front, I have continued with my monthly recurring donation to the National Center for Science Education, which does some fantastic work on climate change education. I’ve contributed a monthly donation to this organization ever since Trump was first elected in 2016, and I plan to continue with this donation for years to come.

This year, I’ve added monthly recurring donations to the World Wildlife Fund, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors, and the Climate Council.

Due to my busy life working full-time, studying part-time, and being mom to a 3-year-old (not to mention life changes due to the pandemic!) I don’t have time for volunteer work in this space. But I can at least make these monthly donations — and organizations such as this can always use the steady funding that comes from monthly recurring donations.

Continue to Learn More About Climate Change:

I have been continuing with my part-time M.Sc. in Carbon Management at The University of Edinburgh. I completed two more courses, namely Carbon Measurement and Energy & Carbon. In September I started the final year of the degree. I am currently enrolled in a research methods course, then from January to June I will complete a mini thesis. And then I will obtain my third (and probably final) university degree.

In addition to my coursework, I read a powerful book on climate change titled The Weather Makers. This book by Tim Flannery was published in 2005. However, its message is still highly relevant — perhaps more so, since 15 years have passed and we have failed to make significant progress on the emissions reductions required to prevent catastrophic climate change.

Some days, I feel despondent about climate change and the massive technological and lifestyle changes that will be required to reduce emissions and make the difference that we need. Some days, I feel guilty about my privileged lifestyle that in some ways is environmentally conscious but in other ways is still highly wasteful. Honestly, I could survive on much less than what I do. That said, I also believe it is unfair to place all of the responsibility and guilt onto consumers — companies and governments also need to do much more to make it easy for consumers to buy more sustainable goods.

Most days, though, I feel proud that I am imperfectly — but slowly, surely — managing to reduce my carbon emissions and general environmental footprint on the planet. If millions more people were to also make such an effort to imperfectly reduce their footprints, the world would be a much better place. What have you done this year to reduce your carbon emissions?

Climate Change Resolutions

A pretty view of the Glasshouse Mountains, near where I live in Brisbane, Australia.

Happy New Year, everyone!

This year, I am not worrying about stereotypical New Year’s resolutions, such as trying to exercise more or learn a new language. Instead, I am making some climate change resolutions. That is, I am making some resolutions to lower my environmental (including carbon) footprint. These resolutions are not perfect — there is certainly much more that I could do to lower my footprint. However, I have thought about these resolutions at length and have selected them because they will make a meaningful impact — and should also, importantly, be possible for me to stick to this year and beyond.

Without further ado, my climate change resolutions are:

Offset All of My Airline Emissions:

Airline travel contributes the most, by far, to my carbon footprint. I feel guilty about all of the emissions, and I do plan to take more local holidays with my husband and son. However, most of my family lives far away in another country, and I’m not willing to give up our trips to visit them. My job also requires lots of airline travel, both domestic and international. I will try to cut back on airline travel when possible, but I anticipate having to take quite a few flights in 2020.

While an imperfect solution, I will pay to offset the carbon footprint of all flights I take, both personal flights and work flights. Last year I offset all of the personal flights for me and my immediate family. This year I will offset all of my flights. I will do this either through the airline programs (for example, Qantas give you the option to pay a little extra to offset the emissions from your flights) or through a credible offset program, such as Gold Standard.

Walk More:

My next goal is to walk more. For example, to walk to the shops rather than drive — especially when I am only picking up a few items.

I have made progress on reducing my non-airline transport emissions since I moved to Australia last year. I used to drive to work every day. Now, I take the train — and often walk to the train station rather than drive. In 2020 I’ll try to drive to the station as little as possible, especially in the cooler months. This means getting my 2-year-old to walk (or to sit in a pram) on the way to daycare, but I’ll just have to budget extra time for that — and it will be good to show my son the example of walking as much as possible. At least when I do have to drive my emissions aren’t too bad — we purchased a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle when we moved to Australia.

Buy Less Stuff:

This is a big one. I enjoy shopping, especially for clothes and books. Normally, I buy a few new items of clothes (or shoes or a bag or something along that line) every month. I don’t really need these items — I have a closet stuffed full of things to wear. However, buying them makes me happy. I have many happy memories of going clothes shopping with my mom — or with my sister or friends. Also, I grew up in the US and in a cultural environment where holidays mean that lots of little gifts need to be purchased, often inexpensive plastic novelties that get thrown away a short time later.

Anyway, I am going to make a strong effort this year to buy less stuff. I started with this lightly last year. For four months of the year, I went on a “shopping diet” and bought as little as possible, including no clothes, shoes, or purses.

This year I’m going to try to take that effort much further. I already made a change this December. I didn’t buy any clothes, etc. (for myself) — and I bought many fewer presents than usual. For most friends and family members, I donated to an environmental charity on their behalf and sent them an e-card. No one seemed to mind that I made a donation rather than send a gift – or, at least, they were too polite to say so.

In 2020, I am going to strive to really reduce my shopping. I’m only going to permit myself one “new clothes” shopping exception — I’ll let myself do just a little shopping with my mom when I visit the US. Otherwise, I’m going to really put myself on a shopping diet.

I have to be realistic here — this is going to be a tough one. To make it feasible, I will permit myself to buy a few clothing items from secondhand charity shops — say, every couple of months. I will also allow myself to buy books, but I will strive to buy secondhand books — or to buy e-books on Kindle, if I really want to read something new.

For gifts, I will strive for thoughtful, useful items rather than novelty items that are likely to be thrown away after a short use. When time permits, I’ll make a card for someone — or knit them a little gift. Or, sometimes, I will continue to donate to environmental charities on people’s behalf as a gift.

Waste Less Food and Eat Less Meat:

My husband and I are already pretty good about not wasting food, aside from what our picky toddler sometimes throws on the floor before we can stop him! However, we will try to be even more diligent here and will do our utmost not to waste food. We did just buy a composter, so that will help keep some food materials from going into the trash.

We are also going to strive to eat less meat. I gave it careful thought and have decided not to become completely vegetarian in 2020. I was vegetarian years ago, and I gave it up because I disliked not eating whatever was put in front of me (for example, when I was a guest somewhere), especially when travelling in certain countries. Also, I appreciate trying different cuisines — and my husband really enjoys having a nice steak now and then as a treat. However, there is nothing to stop us from eating less meat at home. Already, we tend to cook vegetarian 2-3 nights a week. This year, we will aim to add more vegetarian recipes to our list (we’ll aim to try at least one new one per month) and will try to increase our vegetarian eating to 3-4 nights a week, at least. If you have any good vegetarian recipes, please share them in a comment below!

Donate More to Climate Change and Environmental Charities:

I don’t have much time to dedicate to charity causes, but I do have some money that I can donate. I already make a monthly recurring donation to the National Center for Science Education, which does some fantastic work on climate change education. I’ll keep up this monthly donation, and I’ll add a monthly donation for Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors.

I’m also currently raising money for Australia Zoo through a birthday fundraiser – see this post.

I’ll make once-off donations, too — for example, as I did for some Christmas gifts this year.

Continue to Learn More About Climate Change:

I will continue to learn as much about climate change as possible, including the science, the economics, and the social/political aspects.

I am committed to this in a major way, since I am currently in my second year of a part-time M.Sc. in Carbon Management through the University of Edinburgh.

Keeping up with these studies while working full-time and being a mom is far from easy, but I will do it. I fully believe that knowing as much as possible about climate change will serve me well now and in the future, both in my professional life and personal life.

That’s all — I’ll let you know how I do with these resolutions as the year progresses.

What about you? Do you have any climate change resolutions? How will you strive to reduce your environmental footprint this year?

Donate to Help Australia – and I’ll Send You an Aussie Postcard

A mother and baby koala at Australia Zoo. I took this picture a couple of weeks ago during our most recent visit to the zoo.

I moved to Australia last year, and I am very happy and proud to be living in this incredible country.

Recently, my heart has been breaking as I hear about the Australian bushfires, which are catastrophic and have grown much worse over the past couple of weeks. The extreme nature of the fires is no doubt due to climate change, as explained, for example, here and here.

I live in Brisbane, and fortunately I haven’t been very affected by the fires, aside from some days of poor air quality. The fires in the state of Queensland are, fortunately, a little better than they were a few weeks ago.

I have felt very emotional over the past couple of months – and especially over the past couple of days as I read about the fires getting much worse in New South Wales and Victoria. The news of fires ripping through Kangaroo Island also made me very upset. I feel sad and helpless – the scale of the devastation and environmental loss is enormous, monstrous, almost unimaginable. There are ecosystems that may never recover. I mourn the loss of these ecosystems, and I feel despair that the world may not wake up in time to avert more major losses as a result of climate change disasters.

I allowed myself some time to feel sad this weekend. Sometimes that is necessary. Then, I decided that I should try to do something to help, even if it is a very small something.

So, I started a birthday (my birthday is January 12th) fundraiser on Facebook for Australia Zoo, which is a zoo about an hour from Brisbane that does amazing work for animals. They have an incredible animal hospital that has treated thousands of animals affected by bushfires. You may know the zoo because it is owned by Steve Irwin’s family. We have a family pass to the zoo, so my husband and I take our son there often. He loves visiting and seeing all of the animals.

I set an initial goal of raising $500 AUD for the fundraiser, and I’m happy to say that I’ve already raised more than that, thanks to some generous donations from friends and family. However, I would love to raise more. If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider donating. If you do and are willing to message me your address, I’ll mail you a postcard from Australia as a thank you!

In fact, I won’t limit the postcard offer to my Facebook fundraiser, since I know that many people are not on Facebook — and also there are many Australian charities in need of aid right now. If you donate to any wildlife or humanitarian charity that is providing assistance for the Australian bushfires, I’ll send you a postcard. Just leave a comment below saying where you made a donation and then email your address to georneysblog (at) gmail (dot) com.

If you need some ideas of where to donate, there are some in this article. For example, my husband and I recently made a donation to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service, in addition to our donation to Australia Zoo.

If you can’t donate, then please share this post — or the link to my Facebook fundraiser.

I hope that I send many postcards out! It’s one small thing I can do. I still feel sad and overwhelmed by the bushfire news, but I’ll do my one small thing — and hopefully inspire others to do small things as well.

LASI V: Fire and Ice– Antarctic Glaciovolcanism Provides Clues to Past Climate

Brown and black products of Quaternary glaciovolcanic activity, with Paleozoic granite in the background, northern Victoria Land Antarctica. John Smellie for scale. Photo Credit: National Antarctic Research Program of Italy.

Note: Dr. Sergio Rocchi, an associate professor at the University of Pisa in Italy, presented a talk, “Intravolcanic sills, lava flows, and lava-fed deltas (Victoria Land, Antarctica): Paleoenvironmental Significance” at the LASI V workshop in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in October 2012. The article below is based on this talk and also an interview with Dr. Rocchi. Over a few weeks, I am highlighting some of the research that was presented at the LASI V workshop. This is the third post in that series.

When volcanoes erupt underneath and in the vicinity of glaciers and ice sheets, a unique geological record is created that provides information about both the volcanism and the snow and ice which interacted with the lava as it was being erupted. “Glaciovolcanism” is the term used to describe the interaction of lava with ice, snow (in all its forms, such as “firn” or compacted snow), and meltwater.

Glaciovolcanism includes study of modern examples in places such as Iceland and Antarctica as well as study of ancient examples. For the ancient examples, the ice and snow have generally long since melted away as a result of changing climate over the ages. Furthermore, the sediments and sedimentary rocks—tills and moraines and diamicts— associated with the glaciers and ice sheets have also often long since eroded away. However, volcanic rocks which interacted with the ice and snow are harder and slower to erode, and they often remain long after ice and sediment have disappeared.

Dissected late Pliocene volcano, northern Victoria Land Antarctica. John Smellie for scale. Photo Credit: National Antarctic Research Program of Italy.

Glaciovolcanic rocks can provide much valuable information about ancient glaciers and ice sheets. For example, study of glaciovolcanic rocks can help geologists identify if ice was present and, if so, can help geologists learn about the thickness of the ice, the elevation where the ice was present, the temperature conditions at the base of the ice, and the structure of the ice. A limitation is that volcanic eruptions do not occur continuously. Depending on the circumstances, they may occur at intervals of 10s—or even of 100s or 1000s— of years. Also, over time even hard glaciovolcanic rocks can erode away. Nevertheless, study of glaciovolcanic rocks is a powerful tool for reconstructing past ice cover and conditions, which in turn provides much information about past climate that can complement other paleoclimate studies—for example, study of sedimentary and coral records. Volcanic rocks are also fairly easy to date using isotopic techniques, so they can provide clear age constraints to help with paleoclimatic reconstructions.

Dr. Sergio Rocchi is a volcanologist who has studied glaciovolcanic rocks in Antarctica along with his colleague Dr. John Smellie and other co-workers. Dr. Rocchi explains, “Volcanic eruptions in subglacial environments generate some glacial volcanic lithofacies [units of rocks with certain characteristics] which can tell us the thickness and also the type of ice that was present at the time of the eruption. Additionally, the volcanic rocks can be dated by isotopic means, so the combination of the age and thickness of the ice can be a very useful source of paleoenvironmental information.”

Sergio Rocchi flying over Mt Melbourne Volcano, northern Victoria Land Antarctica. Photo credit: National Antarctic Research Program of Italy.

Sergio Rocchi over Campbell Glacier, northern Victoria Land Antarctica. Photo credit: National Antarctic Research Program of Italy.

As an example, Dr. Rocchi and his co-workers have studied Late Miocene glaciovolcanic rocks of Victoria Land, Antarctica. There, hyaloclastite-rich glaciovolcanic rocks, including some “lava-fed deltas” (features which form when lava enters water either in a marine/lacustrine or a glacial meltwater environment), have enabled reconstruction of Late Miocene glacial cover over Victoria Land. The glaciovolcanic rocks indicate that at this time Victoria Land was covered by a thin (<300 m thick) cover of ice. This ice sheet is much thinner than that predicted by some modeling studies and implies a more complex climatic transition in the Miocene than previously thought.

While most work regarding glaciovolcanism to date has been carried out in Antarctica, study of glaciovolcanism can also be done in many other places. “Similar work can obviously been done wherever there are or were volcanoes and ice,” says Dr. Rocchi. “The main places where volcano-ice interaction can be studied are Antarctica, Iceland, and British Columbia in the northern Cascades. A future project for which we are raising funding is making a comparison of the glaciovolcanic record in Antarctica with that in Iceland.”

In the future, study of glaciovolcanism will no doubt continue to help geologists and climate scientists unravel the history and nature of past glaciers and ice sheets. Combined with other paleoclimate records, study of glaciovolcanism will help scientists to better understand how Earth’s climate used to be and how climate changes over time. This information is invaluable in a time when humans are experiencing the effects of anthropogenic climate change and when scientists need as much information as possible in order to evaluate what may happen to Earth’s climate in the coming years.

References:
Prof. John Smellie’s website about Antarctic Glaciovolcanism.

Smellie, J., Wilch, T., and Rocchi, S., 2013. ‘A‘ā lava-fed deltas: A new reference tool in paleoenvironmental studies. Geology. (to be published in the April issue).

Smellie, J., Rocchi, S., and Armienti, P. 2011. Late Miocene volcanic sequences in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica: products of glaciovolcanic eruptions under different thermal regimes. Bulletin of Volcanology, Vol. 73: 1-25.

Smellie, J., Rocchi, S., Gemelli, M., Di Vincenzo, G., and Armienti, P. 2011. A thin predominantly cold-based Late Miocene East Antarctic ice sheet inferred from glaciovolcanic sequences in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Vol. 307: 129-149.

Smellie, J., Johnson, J., McIntosh, W., Esser, R., Gudmundsson, M., Hambrey, M., van Wyk de Vries, B. 2008. Six million years of glacial history recorded in volcanic lithofacies of the James Ross Island Volcanic Group, Antarctica Peninsula. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Vol. 260: 122-148.

Monday Geology Picture: Listwanite Hills in the Sultanate of Oman

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Listwanite hills in the Sultanate of Oman, January 2012. The reddish parts of the moutnain are listwanites while the grayish parts are less-altered peridotites.

Today I am going to share some pictures of listwanite (also sometimes spelled listvenite, listvanite, or listwaenite), an unusual rock type that I bet even some of the well-educated geologists who read this blog have never seen or even read about. I don’t even think there’s a wikipedia entry about listwanite. Perhaps I’ll write one after my thesis defense next month.

Listwanite forms when ultramafic rocks (most commonly mantle peridotites) are completely carbonated. The pyroxene and olivine minerals found in peridotite commonly alter to form carbonate and serpentine minerals. However, peridotites are usually not completely carbonated. Rather, they typically contain carbonate veins (primarily magnesite; also calcite, dolomite, and other carbonates). Complete carbonation of peridotite means that every single atom of magnesium and calcium as well as some of the iron atoms has combined with CO2 to form secondary carbonate minerals such a magnesite and calcite. The silica atoms in listwanite are found in quartz. Thus, liswanites consist of quartz (a rusty red color) and carbonate and also sometimes talc and Cr-muscovite (a mineral known as mariposite/fuchsite). Geologists are still studying how listwanites form, but they likely form through the interaction of CO2-rich fluids with peridotites at higher than ambient temperatures up to ~200 degrees Celsius. Structural controls (faults and fractures) permit the percolation of the CO2-rich fluids through peridotite, so the formation of listwanites is generally structurally controlled.

Listwanites are important rocks to study for a number of reasons. First of all, listwanites contain large amounts of CO2 which originated from fluids and which is now stored in solid mineral form. Recently, geologists and other scientists have been investigating the potential of storing CO2 in solid minerals (which are more stable than CO2 stored as a liquid or gas) through carbonation of mafic and ultramafic rocks (see, for example, this Nature Geoscience Progress Article by Matter and Kelemen, 2009). Mafic and ultramafic rocks uptake significant CO2 through their natural alteration processes (that’s what I study for my PhD, so expect more on this in the next year or so as I submit my papers for publication). However, the natural carbonation rates of these rocks are too slow to significantly offset anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Therefore, scientists are currently investigating if it is possible to geoengineer CO2 uptake in mafic and ultramafic rocks so that this CO2 uptake happens more quickly. This could be done, perhaps, by fracturing and heating and injection of CO2-rich fluids. This is already being tested in mafic basalts through the CarbFix Project in Iceland.

However, scientists and engineers still have plenty of work to do in order to figure out the right conditions and protocols for CO2 sequestration in mafic and ultramafic rocks. In order to learn about what conditions lead to complete carbonation of ultramafic rocks, scientists such as Peter Kelemen and Gregory Dipple (and their many grad students and collaborators) are working to learn more about listwanites to see if mother nature can provide some clues.

In addition to the recent interest in listwanites for carbon sequestration efforts, listwanites are also important because they are often associated with economic mineral deposits, particularly gold deposits.

So, now that I’ve explained what listwanites are and why they are important, here are some pictures of listwanites which I observed during my trip to Oman back in January. Listwanites are pretty neat rocks, aren’t they?

Temporal Disconnect: An Underwater Oceanographic Institution?

Martha’s Vineyard oceanview, Cape Cod, November 2008.

I was walking along the beach today in Woods Hole here on Cape Cod. I wanted some fresh air and felt like collecting some seashells. You always find the best seashells in the winter. There’s no one else on the beach, usually, so the biggest, most beautiful seashells will just be waiting for you there on the sand, perhaps tangled in some seaweed. As I walked the beach and looked for shells, I thought about how in the next century or two– at most– all of Cape Cod will be underwater.

I find it somewhat ironic that Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)– one of the leading research institutions studying oceans and climate change– will be one of the first places to go underwater once sea level rises, as it is currently doing and will continue to do over the next hundred years or so. The institution is built on the low-level glacial till of Cape Cod, and most of the scientists have offices with an ocean view. In the summer the scientists and graduate students often go down to the beach for a quick swim. Building an oceanographic instituion on the ocean makes sense, but if WHOI scientists and trustees were smart they’d begin investing in some property in the hills of New Hampshire. Why? Because that’s where the new oceanfront property will be not so long from now.

The scientists here at Woods Hole are very environmentally aware. The scientific parking lot is cluttered with bicycles and compact hybrid cars, a great contrast to the Land Rovers and SUVs that fill the nearby Martha’s Vineyard Ferry parking lot. Most people you encounter here acknowledge that climate change is occurring and that sea level will rise significantly in the near future.

Almost everyone here would agree that Cape Cod will be one of the first places to go underwater when sea level does rise significantly. However, no one seems to worry about the location of the oceanographic institution. At least, they don’t worry about it on a day-to-day basis. The scientists take their lunchtime strolls along the beach and play with their expensive mass spectrometers and PCR machines in their multi-million dollar labs. No one seems too worried about having to move all of these fancy labs and scientific equipment once sea level rises.

I am sure that at times Woods Hole scientists must wonder about what will happen to the oceanographic institution once Cape Cod is underwater.Yet, it is difficult to really worry about the institution on a day-to-day basis, even for those scientists who are actively studying climate change. I’ll speak now for myself: while I intellectually recognize that the sea is rising– and rising fast– I cannot wrap my mind around the effect of sea level rise on my own life. When I look at the ocean, I don’t see it rising. One day’s ocean does not appear different from the next day’s. Sea level rise occurs fast on the geologic timescale but still occurs quite slowly on the human timescale.

Human minds have not evolved to think on geologic scales. We are very well-adapted to thinking on the scales– both physical and temporal– that apply to our own short lives. If one cannot actually see the sea rising or anticipate it rising significantly within her own lifetime, it is difficult to become alarmed. One may have minor concern for one’s descendants, but that gut reaction of “Wow! The sea is rising, so I’d better run away” just doesn’t happen for an ocean that rises on the order of millimeters per year. You just can’t see the change occurring nor anticipate- in a gut way- its future influence on your life.

Honestly, I think this is why the issue of sea level rise and climate change is so difficult for many people– myself included– to become worked up about. I am a first-year graduate student now in the program at Woods Hole. I will graduate in four to five years**. Very likely, Woods Hole will not be underwater in five years. After I graduate, who knows where I may end up? So, I find it challenging to become concerned about sea level rise here on Cape Cod, at least in my daily life and routine. Once the waters are lapping at my office door, then I’ll become alarmed.