Portal to the Planet: Climate Feedback Loops

At the Museum and Sea Center

February 29, 2020 / 10:00 AM–12:00 PM

A third of Earth’s carbon dioxide is currently absorbed in the ocean. Tiny mixotrophic algae have the power to remove carbon dioxide from the ocean when they make energy from sunlight (as plants do). Yet mixotrophs can also eat prey, as animals do, producing carbon in the process! Ocean temperaturesmay affect whether they act like plants or animals.

Join us at the Sea Center Saturdays, January 18–May 9* for an interactive “Plankto” peg board game to discover the fascinating way mixotrophs contribute to the ecosystem, and how scientists expect them to react to rising ocean temperatures.

Included in admission to the Sea Center.

For more information, contact Sea Center Programs Coordinator Tristin Mentry at 805-962-2526 ext. 103 or tmentry@sbnature2.org.

Supported by NSF Grant OCE-1851194, EF-1921367 1921367 

*No program on March 28 and April 18.

Related Exhibition: Shark Cove & Intertidal Wonders