[trees-list] Show on PBS about the Biosphere 2 Center
Whitney Bauman
wbauman@srcourse.org
Mon, 28 Oct 2002 11:17:54 -0800
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Timothy "SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS," THE PBS TV SERIES HOSTED BY ALAN
ALDA REPORTS ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BIOSPHERE 2CENTER
"Forever Wild?" - The Future of the Earth's Wild Places - Premieres Tues.,
Nov. 5 on PBS
TUCSON - The award-winning TV series of science specials, PBS's Scientific
American Frontiers, will feature a report on Columbia University Biosphere
2 Center on Tues., Nov. 5, 2002 [check local listings for time].
"All over the world, wild places are facing enormous pressure from humans,"
says host Alan Alda in the upcoming episode. "Forever Wild?" examines
efforts by researchers to understand and reverse the strain. The report on
Biosphere 2 is part of 10 new shows slotted for Scientific American
Frontiers' 13th season on PBS.
In Arizona's Sonoran Desert, Alda reports, scientists at the 3.1-acre,
glass-enclosed Biosphere 2 Laboratory are trying to determine how rising
levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth's atmosphere might affect
natural systems, like forests and coral reefs. Scientists believe that
about one-third of the CO2 generated by humans is absorbed by and locked
into the Earth's rainforests--a process known as the CO2 fertilization
effect. Biosphere 2's Guanghui Lin wants to know how long the rainforests
can keep it up. In Biosphere 2's sealed, 2/3-acre rainforest, Lin and his
colleagues measure not only how much CO2 the leaves take in during
photosynthesis, but also what's given off by roots, decomposing leaves and
microorganisms in the soil. They can keep track of all the CO2 in the
system. The results are disturbing. When the rainforest chamber is run with
a mid-21st century atmosphere--about double today's CO2--the forest reaches
its limit to store the gas, Alda reports.
Another study of the effects of high CO2--this time in a 750,000-gallon
tank at Biosphere 2 that's home to a simulated Caribbean lagoon and
reef--yielded similarly alarming results. At the same mid-21st century
atmosphere, coral growth rates dropped by 40 percent--the CO2 disrupts the
way corals make their calcium carbonate skeletons. Marine biologist Les
Kaufman says these findings warn of what's to come in the larger ocean
environment. Like coral, many organisms--clams, lobsters and shrimp, for
example--use calcium carbonate to build their skeletons. So the whole
world's oceans are at risk, Alda reports.
What can we do to stave off the effects of increased atmospheric carbon?
Three sealed greenhouses at Biosphere 2 may hold some answers, Alda
reports. Each greenhouse contains young poplar trees growing in different
levels of CO2--one at today's level, the others at double and triple
today's level.
-more-
PBS-TV/B2C Press Release - Pg. 2
Scientists think the fast-growing poplars could be cultivated specifically
to absorb CO2, locking it away from the atmosphere--an idea known as
sequestration. Now in its third research year, the forest project has
yielded some surprises. In year one, the high- CO2 trees grew faster than
the ones with low CO2, but in year two they didn't. And because this is a
closed system, like the Biosphere 2 rainforest, scientists know the CO2 was
still absorbed. Unless there was some kind of mistake, the CO2 must have
gone below ground--into the roots or soil. That could spell trouble for the
idea of forest sequestration. In the coming years at Biosphere 2, they'll
be pursuing that question, and many others related to the global climate.
In June ('02), Alda, a five-time Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and
director, along with a production crew, visited the 250-acre campus and
research center marking the second time that the science television series
came to Biosphere 2. The program's first report was in 1995 prior to
Columbia assuming management responsibility in 1996.
Alda, who is in his ninth season as the series' host, is best remembered by
television audiences for his role as Hawkeye Pierce, in the classic TV
series, M*A*S*H. He also wrote and directed many of the hit-show's
episodes. During his 11 years on the show, Alda was honored with an Emmy
five times, and is the only person to be honored by the Television Academy
as top performer, writer and director. In addition to television, Alda's
career includes motion pictures and the Broadway stage.
Other segments in the Nov. 5 program include the Nature Conservancy's
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, a 50-sq.-mile former cattle ranch,
where biologists are working to restore the prairie using bison and fire,
and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, which is at the forefront
of environmental research and home to first-class plant collections and
public gardens. It is also one of the leading plant research centers in the
world that attempts to save endangered plants native to the U.S.
Scientific American Frontiers is produced by The Chedd-Angier Production
Company in association with Scientific American magazine, and is presented
on PBS by Connecticut Public Television. "Forever Wild?" was written,
produced and directed by John Angier and David Huntley. Visit the series on
the Web at www.pbs.org/saf.
Biosphere 2 Center is Columbia's Arizona campus devoted to deepening
understanding of earth systems vital to informed leadership of the planet.
Its research Laboratory allows systems-level research on the science of
sustainability. Academic programs in earth systems for high school,
undergraduate and graduate students as well as programs for 180,000 annual
visitors and local school children are part of the Center's continued
commitment to public outreach and education. For more information, visit
www.earth.columbia.edu.
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Timothy "SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS," THE PBS TV SERIES
HOSTED BY ALAN ALDA REPORTS ON COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BIOSPHERE 2CENTER
<br>
"Forever Wild?" - The Future of the Earth's Wild Places -
Premieres Tues., Nov. 5 on PBS <br>
<br>
TUCSON - The award-winning TV series of science specials, PBS's
Scientific American Frontiers, will feature a report on Columbia
University Biosphere 2 Center on Tues., Nov. 5, 2002 [check local
listings for time].<br>
<br>
"All over the world, wild places are facing enormous pressure from
humans," says host Alan Alda in the upcoming episode. "Forever
Wild?" examines efforts by researchers to understand and reverse the
strain. The report on Biosphere 2 is part of 10 new shows slotted for
Scientific American Frontiers' 13th season on PBS. <br>
<br>
In Arizona's Sonoran Desert, Alda reports, scientists at the 3.1-acre,
glass-enclosed Biosphere 2 Laboratory are trying to determine how rising
levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth's atmosphere might affect
natural systems, like forests and coral reefs. Scientists believe that
about one-third of the CO2 generated by humans is absorbed by and locked
into the Earth's rainforests--a process known as the CO2 fertilization
effect. Biosphere 2's Guanghui Lin wants to know how long the rainforests
can keep it up. In Biosphere 2's sealed, 2/3-acre rainforest, Lin and his
colleagues measure not only how much CO2 the leaves take in during
photosynthesis, but also what's given off by roots, decomposing leaves
and microorganisms in the soil. They can keep track of all the CO2 in the
system. The results are disturbing. When the rainforest chamber is run
with a mid-21st century atmosphere--about double today's CO2--the forest
reaches its limit to store the gas, Alda reports. <br>
<br>
Another study of the effects of high CO2--this time in a 750,000-gallon
tank at Biosphere 2 that's home to a simulated Caribbean lagoon and
reef--yielded similarly alarming results. At the same mid-21st century
atmosphere, coral growth rates dropped by 40 percent--the CO2 disrupts
the way corals make their calcium carbonate skeletons. Marine biologist
Les Kaufman says these findings warn of what's to come in the larger
ocean environment. Like coral, many organisms--clams, lobsters and
shrimp, for example--use calcium carbonate to build their skeletons. So
the whole world's oceans are at risk, Alda reports. <br>
What can we do to stave off the effects of increased atmospheric carbon?
Three sealed greenhouses at Biosphere 2 may hold some answers, Alda
reports. Each greenhouse contains young poplar trees growing in different
levels of CO2--one at today's level, the others at double and triple
today's level.<br>
<br>
-more- <br>
PBS-TV/B2C Press Release - Pg. 2<br>
Scientists think the fast-growing poplars could be cultivated
specifically to absorb CO2, locking it away from the atmosphere--an idea
known as sequestration. Now in its third research year, the forest
project has yielded some surprises. In year one, the high- CO2 trees grew
faster than the ones with low CO2, but in year two they didn't. And
because this is a closed system, like the Biosphere 2 rainforest,
scientists know the CO2 was still absorbed. Unless there was some kind of
mistake, the CO2 must have gone below ground--into the roots or soil.
That could spell trouble for the idea of forest sequestration. In the
coming years at Biosphere 2, they'll be pursuing that question, and many
others related to the global climate.<br>
<br>
In June ('02), Alda, a five-time Emmy Award-winning actor, writer and
director, along with a production crew, visited the 250-acre campus and
research center marking the second time that the science television
series came to Biosphere 2. The program's first report was in 1995 prior
to Columbia assuming management responsibility in 1996. <br>
Alda, who is in his ninth season as the series' host, is best remembered
by television audiences for his role as Hawkeye Pierce, in the classic TV
series, M*A*S*H. He also wrote and directed many of the hit-show's
episodes. During his 11 years on the show, Alda was honored with an Emmy
five times, and is the only person to be honored by the Television
Academy as top performer, writer and director. In addition to television,
Alda's career includes motion pictures and the Broadway stage. <br>
<br>
Other segments in the Nov. 5 program include the Nature Conservancy's
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, a 50-sq.-mile former cattle
ranch, where biologists are working to restore the prairie using bison
and fire, and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, which is at the
forefront of environmental research and home to first-class plant
collections and public gardens. It is also one of the leading plant
research centers in the world that attempts to save endangered plants
native to the U.S.<br>
<br>
Scientific American Frontiers is produced by The Chedd-Angier Production
Company in association with Scientific American magazine, and is
presented on PBS by Connecticut Public Television. "Forever
Wild?" was written, produced and directed by John Angier and David
Huntley. Visit the series on the Web at
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/saf" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>www.pbs.org/saf</a></font></u>.<br>
<br>
Biosphere 2 Center is Columbia's Arizona campus devoted to deepening
understanding of earth systems vital to informed leadership of the
planet. Its research Laboratory allows systems-level research on the
science of sustainability. Academic programs in earth systems for high
school, undergraduate and graduate students as well as programs for
180,000 annual visitors and local school children are part of the
Center's continued commitment to public outreach and education. For more
information, visit
<a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/" eudora="autourl"><font color="#0000FF"><u>www.earth.columbia.edu</a></font></u>.<br>
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