The Smartfin Project aims to unite the surfing community and the research community in an effort to fill this gap in UCSD’s oceanographic data. Nicholas Rowlett, Project Lead at USCD, will share updates on this important project.

BACKGROUND

The global ocean may be the most critical part of Earth’s environmental system. Since the Industrial Revolution, the ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat from global warming and half of the excess carbon dioxide. Scientists confirm that the way the ocean handles continued increases in heat and carbon dioxide will largely determine how Earth responds to climate change.

The nearshore coastal zones are highly productive, rich in biodiversity, and are where the vast majority of human activity occurs. However, because coastal zones are so dynamic, it is challenging and expensive to measure the trends and effects of climate change in these areas. As a result, scientists do not have consistent, reliable nearshore data and our understanding of climate change in our coastal zones remains incomplete. This is where Smartfin comes in!