Fiorenza Micheli | |
---|---|
Born | Italy |
Academic background | |
Education | University of Florence PhD, Marine Sciences, 1995, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Thesis | Individual-based approach to the study of predator-prey interactions in marine soft bottoms: role of foraging behavior of predators in determining patterns of predation on benthic prey (1995) |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station University of Pisa |
Fiorenza "Fio" Micheli is an Italian-American marine ecologist and conservation biologist.
Micheli was born and raised in Italy. Upon graduating from the University of Florence,where she studied animal behavior,she accepted a job collecting intertidal animals for a nature documentary. [1] Following this,she enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her PhD and at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis for her post-doctoral research. [2] In 1996,Micheli obtained a grant from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to settle a long-standing dispute between rival oyster and clam fishers. [1]
Upon completing her formal education,Micheli accepted a faculty position at the University of Pisa. She later accepted an assistant professor of Biological Sciences faculty appointment at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station. [3] While serving in this new role,she continued her research into the impact of human exploitation on the world's seas. [4] In 2002,Micheli initiated and co-organized an American Association for the Advancement of Science symposium to discuss socioeconomic and ecological strategies to manage fisheries sustainably and preserve marine resources. [5] In 2004,Micheli was selected as a Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow "to help them communicate scientific information effectively to non-scientific audiences,especially policy makers,the media,business leaders and the public." [6]
As a result of her research,Micheli was awarded one of five 2009 Pew Fellowships in Marine Conservation. She planned on using the $150,000 grant for her project "assessing human threats to Mediterranean marine ecosystems and their cumulative impacts on deep and shallow Mediterranean reefs." [7] Following this,she received further funding from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment to study two isolated Pacific atolls around Hawaii. [8] In 2014,Micheli co-authored a paper challenging a previously accepted theory which stated that protecting threatened species with unique functional roles is synonymous with protecting ecosystems. She argued instead that threatened species in high numbers could damage their surroundings. [9]
At the beginning of 2017,Micheli was the recipient of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Ricketts Memorial Award. [10] In June,Micheli co-authored a paper that called on marine scientists to incorporate social responsibility into sustainable seafood metrics. [11] She was also co-appointed to jointly lead Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions with conservationist Jim Leape. [12] As a result of her research,Micheli was named the third keynote speaker at the 2019 Inter-Agency Standing Committee Conference. [13]
During the COVID-19 pandemic,Micheli and Jeremy Goldbogen were appointed as Co-Directors of Hopkins Marine Station for a two-year term. [14] In this role,she earned various research grant for her four co-led research projects;One Ocean:A Vision for Transformative Ocean Research,Education and Impact at Stanford University,Resilience Engineering:Interventions to Maintain Ecosystem Value During Climate Change,Taking the Pulse of Monterey Bay:Revolutionizing Oceans Research and Education, and Creating a Digital Revolution for Ocean Stewardship. [15]
Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey,California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay,it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in October 1984. Its biologists have pioneered the animal husbandry of jellyfish and it was the first to successfully care for and display a great white shark. The organization's research and conservation efforts also focus on sea otters,various birds,and tunas. Seafood Watch,a sustainable seafood advisory list published by the aquarium beginning in 1999,has influenced the discussion surrounding sustainable seafood.
A conventional idea of a sustainable fishery is that it is one that is harvested at a sustainable rate,where the fish population does not decline over time because of fishing practices. Sustainability in fisheries combines theoretical disciplines,such as the population dynamics of fisheries,with practical strategies,such as avoiding overfishing through techniques such as individual fishing quotas,curtailing destructive and illegal fishing practices by lobbying for appropriate law and policy,setting up protected areas,restoring collapsed fisheries,incorporating all externalities involved in harvesting marine ecosystems into fishery economics,educating stakeholders and the wider public,and developing independent certification programs.
Ocean acidification is the reduction in the pH value of the Earth’s ocean. Between 1751 and 2021,the average pH value of the ocean surface has decreased from approximately 8.25 to 8.14. The root cause of ocean acidification is carbon dioxide emissions from human activities which have led to atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels of more than 410 ppm (in 2020). The oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. This leads to the formation of carbonic acid (H2CO3) which dissociates into a bicarbonate ion (HCO−3) and a hydrogen ion (H+). The free hydrogen ions (H+) decrease the pH of the ocean,therefore increasing acidity (this does not mean that seawater is acidic yet;it is still alkaline,with a pH higher than 8). A decrease in pH corresponds to a decrease in the concentration of carbonate ions,which are the main building block for calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shells and skeletons. Marine calcifying organisms,like mollusks,oysters and corals,are particularly affected by this as they rely on calcium carbonate to build shells and skeletons.
The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is a non-governmental organization which is composed of international science groups participating in arctic science research. IASC is an International Scientific Associate of ICSU,and was established in 1990. IASC's main aim is to initiate,develop,and coordinate leading edge scientific activity in the Arctic region,and on the role of the Arctic in the Earth system. It also provides objective and independent scientific advice to the Arctic Council and other organizations on issues of science affecting the management of the Arctic region. The decision-making organs of IASC are the Council and the Executive Committee. The day-to-day operations are supported by its secretariat headed by the executive secretary. IASC's geographical remit covers the Arctic Ocean and the surrounding landmasses.
Jane Lubchenco is an American environmental scientist and marine ecologist who teaches and conducts research at Oregon State University. Her research interests include interactions between the environment and human well-being,biodiversity,climate change,and sustainable use of oceans and the planet. From 2009 to 2013,she served as Administrator of NOAA and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. In February 2021,she was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as Deputy Director for Climate and Environment in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Hopkins Marine Station is the marine laboratory of Stanford University. It is located ninety miles south of the university's main campus,in Pacific Grove,California on the Monterey Peninsula,adjacent to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is home to ten research laboratories and a fluctuating population of graduate and undergraduate students. It has also been used for archaeological exploration,including of the Chinese-American fishing village that existed on the site before burning down in 1906.
The environmental impact of fishing includes issues such as the availability of fish,overfishing,fisheries,and fisheries management;as well as the impact of industrial fishing on other elements of the environment,such as bycatch. These issues are part of marine conservation,and are addressed in fisheries science programs. According to a 2019 FAO report,global production of fish,crustaceans,molluscs and other aquatic animals has continued to grow and reached 172.6 million tonnes in 2017,with an increase of 4.1 percent compared with 2016. There is a growing gap between the supply of fish and demand,due in part to world population growth.
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