{"id":412,"date":"2021-10-29T10:44:50","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T09:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/natural-sciences\/?p=412"},"modified":"2021-11-03T09:44:58","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T09:44:58","slug":"krill-climate-change-and-cop26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.imperial.ac.uk\/natural-sciences\/2021\/10\/29\/krill-climate-change-and-cop26\/","title":{"rendered":"Krill, climate change and COP26"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr
Dr Emma Cavan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr Emma Cavan<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a Fellow in the Department of Life Sciences at\u00a0<\/span>Silwood\u00a0Park<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0Her research\u00a0focuses on\u00a0the vital role that Antarctic krill (small ocean crustaceans) play in biogeochemical cycles (where biological,\u00a0geological\u00a0and chemical aspects of a natural cycle are\u00a0considered<\/span>).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Emma\u00a0will be heading to Glasgow,\u00a0taking\u00a0the case for krill to the\u00a0COP26<\/a>\u00a0climate\u00a0conference this year\u00a0as part of\u00a0Imperial\u2019s delegation<\/a>. As well as taking the opportunity to share her research and hear from other delegates, she\u2019ll attend the release of a\u00a0World Wildlife Fund<\/a> (WWF) short animation, which explains the connection between krill and sinking carbon. She was involved behind-the-scenes in the making of the animation as an advisor, and looks forward to presenting her field of research to UN delegates via this creative collaboration. Plus, she\u2019s on a panel at an event outside of the main COP on\u00a0climate action and fishing<\/a>, with the NGO Our Fish<\/a>. <\/p>\n

On the eve of\u00a0travelling to the conference, Emma\u00a0reflects on\u00a0why\u00a0protecting natural carbon sinks is\u00a0so important\u00a0as part of our efforts to\u00a0tackle\u00a0carbon emissions,\u00a0how her research has evolved since\u00a0<\/span>publishing this\u00a0paper<\/span><\/a>\u00a0back in 2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and her hopes for\u00a0COP\u2019s impact at this critical juncture, as humans try to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By Dr Emma Cavan. Edited by Claudia Cannon.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

How krill poo can help us fight climate change<\/h1>\n

The climate change<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>conversation\u00a0has been on the agenda for a long, long\u00a0time, but this year\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0become\u00a0hard\u00a0to avoid\u00a0\u2013 not only\u00a0because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0all over the\u00a0news<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but\u00a0also because of its catastrophic\u00a0effects across\u00a0the globe<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>People sometimes find it surprising\u00a0how natural processes that have occurred for millennia,\u00a0such as the krill life cycle, can help in our fight against the climate crisis in\u00a0intricate and unexpected ways<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A huge task ahead of us is how to take carbon out of the atmosphere and maintain atmospheric carbon dioxide <\/span>levels \u2013 <\/span>in fact,\u00a0krill and their poo\u00a0can\u00a0play their part! Krill<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>poo pellets are large, carbon-rich<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>because<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>krill\u00a0eat microscopic plants in the ocean that perform photosynthesis)\u00a0and sink quickly to the deep ocean<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0locking carbon away from the atmosphere for\u00a0long periods\u00a0of time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>There are so many\u00a0<\/span>reasons why krill are incredible and vital<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Natural\u00a0ecosystems\u00a0like this\u00a0are\u00a0a great example\u00a0of how\u00a0<\/span>nature-based solutions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0can help us fight climate change, but they\u00a0can only help<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>if they\u00a0themselves\u00a0are protected<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where does the research go from here?<\/h1>\n

Since\u00a0publishing\u00a0a\u00a0paper\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span>the importance of krill in biogeochemical cycles<\/span><\/a>\u00a0two years ago<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0my research has\u00a0developed\u00a0to look in more detail at how fisheries are interfering with the carbon sink\u00a0cycle. By\u00a0harvesting\u00a0animals that sink carbon, such as krill or fish, fisheries could be reducing the carbon stored in the deep oceans.\u00a0The complexity of biology\u00a0and intricate ecosystems, however,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>means that we can\u2019t be certain that simply by removing krill through fishing there will be less sinking carbon; indeed, carbon might<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>be able to sink as successfully through other available routes<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0such as\u00a0via\u00a0dead phytoplankton (algae) cells or\u00a0salps.\u00a0A decline in krill might also lead to an increase in phytoplankton (marine plants), which are themselves important for transporting carbon to the sea floor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Krill
Krill swarm under ice. Credit: Donna Patterson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Krill migrate vertically through the water column, and we know that they can quickly move carbon to the deep, but we don\u2019t know exactly how this happens. Are krill at the surface in the day, or the night? Do they release pellets at surface or depth? Do they respire less carbon dioxide<\/span>\u00a0at depth because\u00a0it<\/span>\u2019<\/span>s\u00a0colder?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>We know from other studies that the pellet sink is high where there is sea-ice, possibly due to krill larvae and juveniles that live there, but this isn\u2019t confirmed, and because the Southern Ocean is rarely sampled in winter then the contribution of krill to sinking carbon in winter is not known.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much more research is becoming available about how animals interact with the oceans, including how they fertilise them. Whales, for example, seem to be particularly important in local nutrient fertilisation through their faeces.\u00a0Before we get to impacting fisheries management,\u00a0we need more information, such as: if \u2018x\u2019 number of krill are fished then the impact on carbon sink\u00a0is\u00a0\u2018y\u2019, so keep krill fishing below \u2018z\u2019, but we just do not have those numbers available.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s a\u00a0really new\u00a0topic of research, and there\u2019s need now to work more closely with fisheries<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to better understand how their practices influence ocean health. There’s so much more <\/span>to learn \u2013 watch this space for more krill research!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Two\u00a0complex and interlinked\u00a0crises: climate and biodiversity<\/h1>\n

It certainly does seem to have taken a while for the biodiversity story to get the same attention as climate change,\u00a0even though\u00a0<\/span>they\u2019re linked in many ways<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>There are many things that feed into\u00a0mitigating both\u00a0the climate and biodiversity crises \u2013 on a\u00a0<\/span>small-scale individual level<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>as<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>well as on the global political and industrial stages<\/span>. We need to make ‘green’ lifestyles affordable<\/span>, and to stop conglomerate companies from causing so much pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"King
King penguins in South Georgia. Credit: Dr Emma Cavan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although my research isn\u2019t directly involved in\u00a0analysing\u00a0the sustainability of the fishing industry<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>through my connection to\u00a0the NGO\u00a0<\/span>Our Fish<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>\u2019<\/span>ve seen research that shows how polluting fishery vessels are<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Certainly, more could be done \u2013 industrial fishing is incredibly detrimental to the environment \u2013 but like so many other areas the picture is complex. As well as incentives, the switch to greener solutions needs to be affordable for the people on the ground. Just as people might not be able to afford to buy and run electric cars, there might be <\/span>barriers\u00a0that\u00a0prevent individual fishers\u00a0from fishing \u2018greener\u2019.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking the case\u00a0for krill\u00a0to COP<\/h1>\n

COP is the place where the international governmental community comes to agree on – among other things \u2013 emissions targets that all counties will try to reach. It\u2019s vital for life on Earth that we stay within a 1.5 degree global warming limit \u2013 but at the rate we\u2019re going, we\u2019re already set to surpass that, and the consequences could be catastrophic. Though it\u2019s incredibly useful that COP sets the target, it is really then up to governments and industries to force a reduction in carbon dioxide<\/span>\u00a0emissions by their policy decisions and actions<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have always wanted to go to COP and couldn\u2019t miss this opportunity whilst it\u2019s in the\u00a0UK<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s a real\u00a0privilege to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>be able to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>witness\u00a0critical\u00a0negotiations\u00a0that\u00a0will take place<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>As a scientist I want to\u00a0use\u00a0the opportunity to\u00a0raise awareness of my research,\u00a0and\u00a0maybe\u00a0even get the chance to\u00a0speak to some UN delegates about\u00a0the critical importance of\u00a0natural carbon sinks,\u00a0biodiversity and\u00a0saving the ocean<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>One of the biggest issues which prevents policy from using science is the timeframe; science takes years to go from idea to a published paper, but policy needs information now.\u00a0By bringing us together COP provides a\u00a0uniquely\u00a0<\/span>valuable<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>environment<\/span> for us all to share our expertise and be able to to mix, not only with academics, but also with <\/span>NGOs, policy makers, industry representatives and people from all over the world that will be there<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As\u00a0a two-week\u00a0global political event<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>COP also gets a lot of coverage \u2013 especially this year \u2013 which gets the public thinking about climate change and understanding its severity, plus there are many opportunities for schools and charities to get involved<\/a> too. Hopefully social media will be full of reflections and information that showcases how much understanding there is about the crisis we face, and how strongly people feel about it. It will also hopefully give industry guidelines on reducing emissions and improving sustainability, whilst also showcasing technology that might help us achieve this.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact that climate change is discussed across political parties, and there is so much talk about becoming \u2018net zero\u2019 (which means either no emissions, or the ability to offset the emissions we produce in other ways so that they don\u2019t increase), gives me hope that many politicians are genuinely engaged in the conversation now. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out more<\/h1>\n