For many years scientists have operated on the belief—backed by extensive calculations and climate models—that the global ocean absorbs approximately 30% of the atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by human activities. However, in a recent paper published in the journal Biogeosciences, Dr. Nicholas Bates, Senior Scientist and Associate Director of Research at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), discovered this might not always be true.

Since October 1988, scientists have been sampling the deep ocean waters of the Sargasso Sea as part of the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) project, with 2013 marking the program’s 25th year of continuous operation by BIOS.

In August, the University of Southampton awarded Prof. Nicholas Bates a second, merit-based Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in recognition of his many contributions to the field of ocean sciences. To earn this honor, a copy of every scientific paper he has authored or contributed to was presented to the University.  The binders filled six feet of shelf space, and took six months for internal and external examiners to review.  Congratulations on this honor!

From September 23 through 27, Professor Nicholas Bates, senior scientist at BIOS and Dr. Ludger Mintrop, owner of Marianda—a company in Kiel, Germany that specializes in instruments for marine chemistry analysis—co-hosted a first-of-its-kind professional development course in Bermuda.

In 2003 the field of Arctic research was significantly advanced by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for World Ocean and Polar Regions Studies between NOAA and the Russian Academy of Sciences. This groundbreaking agreement paved the way for a new level of collaboration between these two countries in their ongoing efforts to understand the dynamics of the Arctic sea region. The Russian-American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) program was the first research program initiated under this MOU, aimed at studying the ocean carbon cycle and the impacts of ocean acidification on the marine environment in the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean.

Amid growing concern regarding the current federal funding climate for ocean science research, the National Science Foundation (NSF) just announced continued support for the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) research program at BIOS. According to Dr. Nicholas Bates, Senior Scientist and Associate Director of Research at BIOS and Principal Investigator of the BATS project, “This represents about $14 million from NSF to BIOS over the next five years: approximately $6 million for research and roughly another $8 million to support science days at sea aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer.” This announcement comes on the heels of a $4 million award from NSF last year to support Hydrostation S, the world’s longest-running hydrographic time-series, for another five years. Together, these two awards represent a significant commitment by NSF to ocean time-series off Bermuda.

In the late 1980s Rod Johnson was working in the UK civil service—a “fantastic job” by his own account—when he attended a meeting concerning the Global Ocean Flux Study (GOFS). During this meeting a topic of discussion was how Bermuda and Hawaii would be pivotal in achieving the GOFS objectives of understanding biogeochemical variability in the oceans and the impact of climate change on these processes.  At the time, Johnson’s girlfriend (Sarah), now his wife, had just moved to Bermuda and, in a move that would impact the course of his career, he decided to contact Dr. Tony Knap, then-Director of BIOS (at the time BBS), to inquire about employment opportunities.

Successful scientific research is rarely a one-person endeavor, particularly when the research is interdisciplinary in nature, or requires field or laboratory investigations in multiple environments. The collaborative nature of modern ocean science research is evident in a recent publication in Science Advances, the peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A new five-year grant from the National Science Foundation will update the ship’s instrumentation, and BIOS scientist Ruth Curry will take the helm of the Oleander’s physical data program from oceanographers at the University of Rhode Island and Stony Brook University.

BIOS oceanographer Rod Johnson is the chief scientist on board a cruise this month offshore Bermuda using a new underwater vehicle designed to reduce costs and improve science efficiency at sea, while gathering samples for biological and chemical analyses from the ocean water column.