Just six days into the job, Jane Lubchenco, the new head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), tells National Geographic "there is a great urgency in addressing [ocean] acidification by reducing CO2 emissions."

"The decisions that individuals make every day add up to affect our global climate," Lubchenco added. "The changes we are seeing now are influenced by our energy choices and uses over the last couple hundred years."

Oceans serve as a carbon sink, absorbing about a third of human-generated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The additional CO2 changes the chemical composition and lowers the pH of the seas. Acidic waters can prevent some marine life from producing calcium carbonate needed for shells and exoskeletons.

Lubchenco, a marine biologist and former Oregon State University professor, was at the Aspen Environment Forum in Colorado yesterday to talk about climate change politics and science.

It is going to take thousands of years to reverse the accumulation of CO2 in the oceans, she said. "So, the sooner we can get on top of this now, the better it is going to be."

In addition to providing one billion people around the world with a source of protein and lovely vacation destinations, the oceans produce much of the oxygen we breathe, explained the new NOAA administrator.

"Oceans are affecting our lives every single day directly and indirectly," she said. "They are a global resource and one that requires our attention and better stewardship."

Working to stabilize the climate is just one of many priorities the agency has under President Obama's administration, Lubchenco said.

"NOAA will play a key role in creating new jobs and revitalizing the economy."

There will be new jobs in habitat restoration, and with the creation of new technologies and NOAA infrastructure, including ships for data collection and a new research facility that will essentially issue climate forecasts, much like NOAA issues weather forecasts, Lubchenco said.

The National Climate Service would provide information up to 100 years out about where we might expect drought, fire, or increased wind patterns.

Lubchenco explained that with better models and more data scientists are now able to make predictions at the regional scale—the level at which businesses, government, and individuals need information about.

"[Wind farm] businesses want to know what the winds are going to be for the next 100 years," she said.

NOAA is still working out the details and collecting input on what shape the National Climate Service will take. The service does not have a launch date yet.

Photograph courtesy NOAA.

The Aspen Forum is sponsored by the Aspen Institute, the National Geographic Society, Shell, Duke Energy, and General Motors.

—Tasha Eichenseher

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