In our very first podcast, Dr Matt Balme explains how he uses his knowledge of Earth to understand the Martian climate, following the Geological Society’s session at the 2009 British Science Assocation meeting, ‘The Great Mars Field Trip’.
And October’s Shell London Lecturer, Dr Rosalind Rickaby, explains her research into coccolithophores - tiny marine organisms that face a big climate challenge. The ocean's ability to absorb CO2 is a vital part of the carbon cycle. Approximately one quarter of CO2 emissions caused by human activity are absorbed by the ocean, in part by coccolithophores. Whilst the ‘paradigm view’ is that ocean acidification will make it harder for coccolithophores to survive, recent research suggests that they are defying the odds, and flourishing in their rapidly changing environment.