Whaling battles

organisms within a few decades,” says Carol Turley of the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Jean-Pierre Gattuso of CNRSUniversity Pierre and Marie Curie, who has researchers in the team said: “The oceans absorb about a quarter of human-made carbon dioxide. This has been limiting the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and mitigating climate change. However, the massive amounts absorbed — about 24 million tons every day — considerably upset the ocean chemistry by increasing the acidity of seawater.” Pen Hadow, the director of the survey, who also led last year’s expedition, said the Arctic Ocean’s vulnerability motivated the trip. “We know that disappearing ice cover and the potential impacts of acidity are parts of some big ocean changes. Since ocean acidification is widely viewed as a bellwether for wider global change, it is important we understand better what is happening.” The ice base on the western shore of Ellef Rignes Island in Canada will be home to a team of six scientists who will work on the ice, protected by two guides to ward off polar bears attracted by the human activity. The Catlin Group, international speciality insurers, sponsors the survey to allow scientists to obtain data that can be used to forecast the risk posed by the changing environment.