RESILIENCE OF MARINE ORGANISMS TO CLIMATE CHANGE: DR. EMMA CROSS: Please join us for a live online seminar at 4 p.m. sponsored by the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.

You can register for the event at this link to receive the information to join the seminar:

https://wcsu.webex.com/webappng/sites/wcsu/meeting/info/480684a56b3b412ab6f98c127a64af0f?isPopupRegisterView=true

Abstract: Since the Industrial Revolution, anthropogenically-increased CO2 has altered oceanic surface seawaters through warming and acidification. Coastal environments also experience nutrient pollution, which increases primary production and microbial respiration often exacerbating acidification and causing loss of oxygen. Previous ocean acidification research has mainly focused on short-term laboratory manipulations of conditions. Incorporating different approaches investigating both the impacts of past and future environmental change provides a more complete understanding of organisms’ responses. My research involves field analyses, long-term laboratory experiments and museum collections to more accurately determine how seaweed, marine invertebrates and vertebrates have and will respond to climate change. In this seminar, I will discuss how some shell-bearing organisms have compensatory mechanisms to counteract effects of ocean acidification, how coastal marine fish are tolerant of future predicted acidification and hypoxia as well as how the shellfish aquaculture industry can incorporate seaweed to their operations as a climate change mitigation strategy.

Bio: Dr. Emma Cross is an assistant professor of Coastal and Marine Science in the Department of the Environment, Geography and Marine Sciences since August 2019. Before SCSU, Cross completed her Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey and then moved across the pond for a postdoctoral research fellow position at the University of Connecticut. Cross teaches a range of hands-on marine science and environmental studies classes covering topical issues such as climate change, plastic pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction. Her research focuses on the effects of ocean acidification, warming and hypoxia on seaweed, marine invertebrates, and vertebrates. Cross’ current projects include climate change mitigation strategies for the aquaculture industry and the environmental impacts of aquaculture on water quality and biodiversity. Cross uses field analyses, long-term laboratory experiments and museum collections as well as collaborations with the aquaculture industry and nonprofit organizations in New England to address topical marine science issues.