Lowell Lecture
The Immortal Life of Nitrogen
Date & Time
June 3, 2014
Location
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf Boston, MA 02110
Driving Directions
Speaker(s)
Robinson W. Fulweiler, Ph.D, assistant professor, associate director of Marine Program, Department of Earth and Environment, Department of Biology, Boston University
Presenting Organization
Topics
Without nitrogen there would be no life - no me, no you, no blue whale, no Atlantic cod, no Antarctic krill. But like anything - too much nitrogen leads to a series of negative consequences. In the 100 years, human activities have more than doubled the amount of nitrogen cycling through the biosphere and in doing so we have introduced large amounts of nitrogen to coastal waters. This excess nitrogen has led to eutrophication, loss of submerged aquatic vegetation, harmful algal blooms, increased low oxygen conditions and dead zones, fish kills, and loss of biodiversity. Fortunately, we can take steps to mitigate this excess nitrogen and to decrease future inputs to marine waters. Fulweiler will tell the story of how one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century transformed our planet and how each of us can help save our coastal ocean through simple, easily adaptable changes.
Registration is recommended: www.neaq.org/aquariumlectures