Nayyir Ransome builds relationships between the government and the people it serves to support the ocean. As Senior Analyst with Ocean Conservancy, Nayyir sees the power of small, incremental steps that lead to big impacts for people and waterways.
“I want to encourage people to start where they are. Start with your friends, your church group, your classroom”, Nayyir shared.
Nayyir started advocacy work when they were young, joining the Campfire Youth Legislature as a seventh-grade student in Broadmoor Middle School in East Baton Rouge Parish School System, a school that was closed in 2019. “I was one of the youngest people in the room. The bill that I proposed didn’t even make it out of committee. So, when it was time to come together on the floor and vote on all the bills that came out of committee, I decided that I was going to speak on every single bill that hit the floor, literally, all of them. I ended up winning Outstanding Legislator that year. This honor is given only to one legislator out of almost 500 young people from across the state. I still have the medal. I keep it on my desk lamp with all my other conference tags and medals. It reminds me how much impact a person simply speaking up can have. Whether or not the vote goes your way at that moment, someone is still listening.”
Nayyir got involved in Youth Legislature at a time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when many students were feeling unheard, anxious and facing physical displacement after Hurricane Katrina.
Remembering the day Hurricane Katrina landed
On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans. At least 1,900 people were killed in the storm and, due to medical and infrastructure complications, post-storm. The devastation of one of the deadliest hurricane seasons in United States history forced 650,000 survivors from their homes—some were never able to return.
“We were out of school for two weeks. Compared to New Orleans where many schools closed for months and others shut their doors permanently, this felt like a privilege. When we went back to school, there were 200 more students in the building. Many families from New Orleans were forced to move to temporary housing in Baton Rouge. Our school was one of many that saw a large influx of students from New Orleans where many schools were unable to reopen due to Katrina. There wasn’t enough space, services or support to handle that, and it became a tense environment for all of us.”
Nayyir’s family moved to Baton Rouge just one year before the storm. Coming from Philadelphia, one of the largest metropolitan cities in the country, Nayyir experienced an intense culture shock when adjusting to life in open-air, sea-centric Southern Louisiana. Nayyir reflected on the contrast of towering buildings and lightning-fast train transport to kids catching mudbugs from the crawfish mounds in the drainage ditches, designed to channel storm water, along roads without sidewalks.
“When I started participating in Camp Fire USA’s Youth Legislature program, I felt intimidated. It was a strange experience, grappling with my own sense of displacement while watching other kids being displaced on such a large scale due to Hurricane Katrina. I wasn’t from the area, but I was there, and I did understand how it felt to be pushed out, to feel discarded.”
New Orleans has a culture unlike any other place in the world, and this rich weaving of languages, ethnicities and histories creates an unshakable strength that still stands today. Yet, the crippling impacts of Hurricane Katrina can be traced through the yet-to-be-rebuilt homes in the Lower Ninth Ward and the reality of long-term health consequences and economic instability for many residents, even now, 20 years after the storm.
Hurricane detection is better than ever, thanks to NOAA
In 2005, the best hurricane detection science provided around a 48-hour warning. The people of New Orleans had less than 24 hours from the time the mandatory evacuation order was issued to when water began to spill over one of the levees.
When Hurricane Katrina developed into a Category 3 storm, receded and then reformed as a Category 5 storm, scientists, local officials and communities scrambled to keep up and spread information quickly.
“We didn’t know what was happening in New Orleans for three days. People with friends and family there were starting to panic.”
Now, thanks to the steady, decades-long efforts of organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), current predictive technologies can provide up to five days warning of extreme weather—enough time potentially to prevent storms from having the same catastrophic impact as Katrina. Yet, the question remains, ”Will we continue funding the hurricane forecasting systems we know are protecting our communities?”
Tell Congress to Protect NOAA Today
Take action to ensure Congress stands up for NOAA, demanding the agency be fully funded and fully staffed.
Understanding NOAA’s vital role during storm season
It might not be clear what NOAA does during hurricane season because much of their work is behind the scenes. The National Weather Service sits under NOAA, and NOAA scientists and professionals are key players in many of the long-term conservation measures, research and technology that prevent the most dire consequences of extreme weather. Their work includes projects that we may not think of as disaster preparedness and resilience, such as coastal restoration initiatives.
NOAA uses a variety of scientific instruments on crafts such as planes, saildrones and gliders to gather data from inside hurricanes. Long term ocean observations contribute to hurricane and weather models. This hurricane season we have an opportunity to speak up about the proposed cuts to NOAA and the vital resources we would lose if these budget changes are approved by Congress. Continuing to fund NOAA is one way to ensure ongoing improvements to weather forecasting, honor those lost to Hurricane Katrina and, in the aftermath, support the people of New Orleans today, as they rebuild and heal.
We can all speak up for life-saving hurricane detection and research
As storm seasons intensify, we need faster, more accurate weather prediction and storm detection more than ever. NOAA is America’s first line of defense against the deadliest impacts of natural disasters on our communities. Yet, NOAA’s funding is facing major cuts that, if enacted, will result in lives lost. We need to keep moving forward keeping in mind and heart the nearly 2,000 people who lost their lives during Katrina, the thousands more New Orleanians who lost their land and legacies, and the hundreds of thousands of people who are impacted by deadly storms in the United States each year.
Looking back, Nayyir can see how these experiences growing up in post-Katrina Louisiana shaped their advocacy and approach to community organizing.
“My time in Southeast Louisiana taught me a lot about people-centered advocacy. Even if we haven’t experienced something at its most extreme, we can find a way to understand the root of it by looking at our lives and the places we live. Ocean Conservancy has helped me to grow in how and why we must work across government agencies and lines to protect our ocean and the people who rely on it.”
Ocean Conservancy works alongside NOAA as a science-led advocacy organization mobilizing federal, state and local action for our ocean. Every investment in NOAA translates into vital seconds, hours and days of response time for communities when hurricane season strikes. The more data we can collect and use to predict the behavior and patterns of storms, the better we can respond and prevent tragedies.
Each year, storm season is intensifying from climate change—and not just on our coasts. Communities throughout the U.S. are affected by hurricanes and floods that threaten lives and livelihoods. We all rely on NOAA’s vital research and tools for weather prediction and extreme weather warnings. These services are a lifeline we cannot afford to lose.
Call on your Congress members today and insist they support full funding and operation of NOAA.
The post Honoring New Orleans 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina Means Protecting NOAA appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
Honoring New Orleans 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina Means Protecting NOAA
English version below
Wenn man an Chemie denkt, denkt man wahrscheinlich schnell an explodierende Gläser, ätzende Säuren und verrückte Professoren, aber nicht an den Ozean. Hier an Bord wird unsere Wissenschaftsteam auch von zwei chemischen Ozeanographen begleitet, Tobias Steinhoff und Kristin Kampen.
Den beiden habe ich die Frage gestellt, „Was findet ihr an der chemischen Ozeanografie spannend?“: Es ist unglaublich interessant, was es alles an unsichtbaren Prozessen im Meer gibt, die unser aller Leben beeinflussen: In der chemischen Ozeanographie untersuchen wir, wie sich chemische Bestandteile im Meer verhalten, z.B. wie sich gelöste Gase (wie CO₂ und Sauerstoff), Nährsalze (wie Nitrat und Phosphat), Spurenmetalle und organische Verbindungen im Meerwasser verhalten und verteilen. Der Ozean nimmt CO₂ auf, produziert Sauerstoff und transportiert Nährstoffe durch den Ozean und überall wirken chemische Prozesse mit. Diese Zusammenhänge zu verstehen ist Grundlage unserer Arbeit.
Auf unserer Ausfahrt in der Labradorsee nehmen sie Seewasserproben und extrahieren gelöstes organisches Material (DOM). Dies umfasst alle organischen Verbindungen, die im Meerwasser gelöst sind, also nicht als Partikel vorliegen. Das sind zum Beispiel Zucker, Aminosäuren, Fette und komplexere Moleküle, die aus abgestorbenen Organismen, Ausscheidungen von Meereslebewesen oder dem Abbau von Algen stammen. Als einer der größten Kohlenstoffspeicher spielt DOM eine zentrale Rolle im marinen Kohlenstoffkreislauf. Die Labradorsee ist eine der wichtigsten Regionen für die Bildung des North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). Oberflächenwasser sinkt in die Tiefe und nimmt dabei DOM mit. Das NADW verteilt dieses Material dann über Jahrhunderte durch die Weltmeere und entzieht so der Atmosphäre langfristig Kohlenstoff. Zusätzlich werden kontinuierliche Messungen von pCO₂/O₂ im Oberflächenwasser während der Fahrt durchgeführt, um sich den Austausch von CO₂ zwischen Ozean und Atmosphäre anzuschauen. Viele Prozesse sind hierbei immer noch nicht vollständig verstanden, wie z.B. der Gasaustausch bei hohen Windgeschwindigkeiten.
Da es hier auf See, besonders in dieser Region, oft sehr stürmisch zugeht, ist kein Geheimnis und es geht natürlich besonders in einem Chemie Labor dann doch mal etwas zu Bruch. Wie läuft diese Arbeit also bei 11bft und 6 Meter Wellen ab. Wasserproben müssen meist innerhalb von 24 Stunden verarbeitet werden. Da kann man nicht immer Rücksicht auf die Wetterbedingungen nehmen. Einige Arbeiten werden immer noch nasschemisch gemacht und unter Einsatz von Glasmaterial. Sowohl das genaue Abmessen von Reagenzien als auch das Zusammenhalten der Glasware ist nicht immer einfach bei einem rollenden Schiff (und auch nicht immer erfolgreich). Man versucht zwar den doch dann plötzlichen Bewegungen des Schiffes entgegenzuwirken und alle Proben Behälter, Kisten und Flaschen zu sichern. Man wird aber dann doch mal von einem umkippenden Mülleimer überrascht und die noch neu verpackten Plastikröhrchen oder andere Fliegengewichte im Regal finden bei der einen oder anderen Welle ihren Weg auf die gegenüberliegende Seite im Labor. Dazu kommt, dass beim Arbeiten mit chemischen Stoffen und Proben doch des Öfteren beide Hände für die Arbeit gebraucht werden. Wird man dann allerdings von einer Welle überrascht, erfordert das Festhalten mit der dritten Hand (Fuß falls man schnell genug ist), einiges an Bauchmuskeln.
Foto: Julia Pelle
Das Besondere an der Arbeit auf See ist, dass man neben der alltäglichen Schreibtischarbeit auch praktisch arbeiten kann. Dabei ist man auf die enge Zusammenarbeit mit seinen Kollegen angewiesen und lernt sie dabei viel besser kennen. Zusätzlich sind auch viele andere Forschungsbereiche mit an Bord, wodurch es einen spannenden Austausch zwischen den einzelnen Gruppen gibt.
Zum Schluss hier noch ein kleiner Tipp am Rande von unseren Chemikern und für deine erste Forschungsseereise: Laschen, laschen, laschen und immer ein Ohr am Bordfunk: Der Arbeitsplan ist bei den Wetterbedingungen eher ein Vorschlag und kann sich stündlich ändern (die nächste CTD Station ist immer um die Ecke).
Chemistry: Making the Invisible Visible
When you think of chemistry, you probably quickly imagine exploding glassware, corrosive acids, and crazy professors, but not the ocean. Here on board, our scientific team is also accompanied by two chemical oceanographers, Tobias Steinhoff und Kristin Kampen.
I asked them the question: “What do you find exciting about chemical oceanography?”
“It is incredibly fascinating how many invisible processes exist in the ocean that influence all of our lives. In chemical oceanography, we study the fate of various chemical components in the ocean: for example, how dissolved gases (such as CO₂ and oxygen), nutrients (such as nitrate and phosphate), trace metals, and organic compounds behave and are distributed in seawater. The ocean absorbs CO₂, produces oxygen, and transports nutrients through complex cycles, including chemical processes. Understanding these relationships forms the basis of our work.”
During our expedition in the Labrador Sea, they collect seawater samples and extract dissolved organic material (DOM). This includes all compounds dissolved in seawater, meaning they are not present as particles. Examples include sugars, amino acids, fats, and more complex molecules that originate from dead organisms, excretions from marine life, or the breakdown of algae. As one of the largest carbon reservoirs, DOM plays a central role in the marine carbon cycle.
The Labrador Sea is one of the most important regions for the formation of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW). Surface water sinks into the depths, carrying DOM with it. NADW then distributes this material throughout the world’s oceans over centuries, thereby removing carbon from the atmosphere over the long term. In addition, continuous measurements of pCO₂ and O₂ in surface water are taken during the voyage to study the exchange of CO₂ between the ocean and the atmosphere. Many processes involved are still not fully understood, such as gas exchange under high wind speeds.
It is no secret that conditions at sea especially in this region are often very stormy, and in a chemistry lab, things can occasionally break. So how does this work at 11 Beaufort and 6-meter waves? Water samples usually need to be processed within 24 hours, so you cannot always take weather conditions into account. Some work is still done using wet chemistry and glass equipment. Accurately measuring reagents and holding glassware steady is not always easy on a rolling ship (and not always successful). Although efforts are made to counteract sudden ship movements and to secure all sample containers, boxes, and bottles, you may still be caught off guard by a tipping trash bin, and newly packaged plastic tubes or other lightweight items can suddenly fly across the lab with the next wave.
On top of that, when working with chemicals and samples, both hands are often needed. If a wave hits unexpectedly, holding on with a “third hand” (your foot, if you are quick enough) requires quite a bit of core strength. What makes working at sea special is that, alongside everyday desk work, you can also do hands-on work. This requires close cooperation with colleagues, allowing you to get to know them much better. In addition, many other research disciplines are on board, which creates exciting exchanges between different groups.
Finally, here is a small tip from our chemists for your first research expedition: strap everything down, strap everything down, strap everything down and always keep one ear on the ship’s radio. The work schedule is more of a suggestion under these weather conditions and can change hourly (the next CTD station is always just around the corner).
Between all the scientific work, we celebrated Easter on board, although the weather had other plans for us. Due to rough conditions, we weren’t able to carry out any CTD casts.
Easter itself was spent in a mix of rest and small celebrations. Some of us enjoyed a long Easter breakfast with traditional Easter bread, while others took the opportunity to sleep in. In the evening, we gathered with both crew and scientists for a small celebration. The ship’s cook even organized a quiz, and those who answered correctly were rewarded with Easter chocolate.
The next day, the weather improved, and we began early with the recovery of K1, a 3,495-meter-long mooring in the middle of the Labrador Sea.
We joined the nautical officers on the bridge before sunrise to search for it. Fortunately, K1 has a floating buoy with a light, so we were able to spot it even in the dark. The actual recovery started at first light, and it began to snow while we were working.
Amid all the CTDs and mooring operations, there was also a personal highlight: my (Sarah’s) birthday. Although I’ve spent birthdays away from home before, this one felt especially unique, being so far out at sea, with only limited internet contact.
Normally, I work the 4-8 shift, but my incredibly kind shift team gave me the morning off. That meant I could sleep in and even find time to call family and friends back home. In the afternoon, I was surprised with my favourite cake, baked by Julia.
Our work continued with the mooring array at 53°N, which consists of seven moorings. So far, we have recovered five (K7, K8, K9, DSOW1 and DSOW2), and three of them have already been redeployed (K7, K8 and DSOW1,).
Deploying K7 turned out to be particularly tricky. On our first attempt, sea ice drifted toward us faster than expected, forcing us to recover nearly half of the mooring again. While the ship itself can handle drifting ice, deploying a mooring is much more delicate: a long cable with instruments and floats is released behind the ship before the anchor is dropped, allowing the system to sink into place.
Two days later, we tried again and this time, the deployment was successful.
Afterwards, we moved closer to the sea ice, which was a highlight for many of us. Seeing the ice up close and even spotting a seal swimming nearby, made the experience unforgettable.
Due to the continuing harsh weather, the decision was made to return to K1 and make use of an upcoming weather window for deployment the following day.
German:
Zwischen Stürmen und Wissenschaft: Ostern in der Labradorsee (04.04.26 – 13.04.26)
Zwischen all der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit haben wir Ostern an Bord gefeiert, auch wenn das Wetter andere Pläne für uns hatte. Aufgrund der rauen Bedingungen konnten wir keine CTD-Messungen durchführen (Messungen von Leitfähigkeit, Temperatur und Tiefe im Ozean).
Ostern selbst war eine Mischung aus Erholung und kleinen Feierlichkeiten. Einige von uns genossen ein ausgedehntes Osterfrühstück mit traditionellem Osterbrot, während andere die Gelegenheit nutzten, etwas länger zu schlafen. Am Abend kamen Crew und Wissenschaftler*innen zu einer kleinen Feier zusammen. Der Koch organisierte sogar ein Quiz, und wer die Fragen richtig beantwortete, wurde mit Oster-Schokolade belohnt.
Am nächsten Tag besserte sich das Wetter, und wir begannen früh mit der Bergung von K1, einer 3.495 Meter langen Verankerung mitten in der Labradorsee. (Eine Verankerung ist eine lange, am Meeresboden befestigter Draht, der mit Instrumenten ausgestattet ist, um über längere Zeit Ozeandaten zu messen.)
Noch vor Sonnenaufgang gingen wir mit den nautischen Offizieren auf die Brücke, um nach ihr Ausschau zu halten. Glücklicherweise verfügt K1 über eine schwimmende Boje mit Licht, sodass wir sie bereits im Dunkeln entdecken konnten. Die eigentliche Bergung begann bei Tagesanbruch und es begann sogar zu schneien.
Zwischen all den CTD-Einsätzen und Verankerungsarbeiten gab es auch ein persönliches Highlight: meinen (Sarahs) Geburtstag. Obwohl ich schon öfter Geburtstage fernab von zu Hause verbracht habe, war dieser besonders, so weit draußen auf dem Meer und mit nur eingeschränktem Internetkontakt.
Normalerweise arbeite ich in der 4-8 Uhr Schicht, aber mein unglaublich nettes Schichtteam hat mir den Morgendienst freigegeben. So konnte ich etwas länger schlafen und hatte sogar Zeit, mit Familie und Freunden zu Hause zu telefonieren. Am Nachmittag wurde ich dann noch mit meinem Lieblingskuchen überrascht, den Julia für mich gebacken hat.
Unsere Arbeit ging weiter mit dem Verankerungs-Array bei 53°, das aus sieben Verankerungen besteht. Bisher haben wir fünf geborgen (DSOW1, DSOW2, K7, K8 und K9), von denen drei bereits wieder ausgebracht wurden (DSOW1, K7 und K8).
Das Ausbringen von K7 erwies sich als besonders schwierig. Beim ersten Versuch trieb das Meereis schneller auf uns zu als erwartet, sodass wir fast die Hälfte der Verankerung wieder einholen mussten. Obwohl das Schiff selbst gut durch treibendes Eis navigieren kann, ist das Ausbringen einer Verankerung deutlich anspruchsvoller: Dabei wird ein langer Draht mit Messinstrumenten und Auftriebskörpern hinter dem Schiff ausgesetzt, bevor am Ende der Anker gelöst wird und das gesamte System absinkt.
Zwei Tage später versuchten wir es erneut, diesmal mit Erfolg.
Anschließend fuhren wir näher an das Meereis heran, was für viele von uns ein besonderes Highlight war. Das Eis aus nächster Nähe zu sehen und sogar eine Robbe in der Nähe schwimmen zu beobachten, machte das Erlebnis unvergesslich.
Aufgrund der weiterhin rauen Wetterbedingungen wurde schließlich entschieden, zu K1 zurückzukehren, um ein bevorstehendes Wetterfenster für die Ausbringung am nächsten Tag zu nutzen.
Between Storms and Science: Easter in the Labrador Sea (04.04.26–13.04.26)
Ocean Acidification
Humans Just Flew Around the Moon This Week. But Would Babies Born There Ever Truly Feel Gravity? Ask Jellyfish Babies.
This week, NASA’s Artemis II crew made history by flying around the Moon and returning safely to Earth, the first human journey to the Moon’s vicinity in more than 50 years. It was a stunning reminder that humanity is no longer just dreaming about living beyond Earth. We are actively rehearsing for it.
And that leads to a much stranger, deeper question: even if one day we build skyscrapers on the Moon, raise families there, and turn space into a place to live, will babies born away from Earth develop a normal sense of gravity? Or will their bodies learn the universe differently?
To explore that question, NASA once turned to an unexpected stand-in for human babies: jellyfish babies. On the STS-40 mission, scientists sent thousands of tiny jellyfish polyps into space because jellyfish, like humans, rely on gravity-sensing structures to orient themselves. The experiment asked a simple but profound question: if a living body develops in microgravity, will it still know how to handle gravity later?
The answer was both fascinating and unsettling. The jellyfish developed in space in large numbers, but once back under Earth’s gravity, the ones that had developed in microgravity showed far more pulsing abnormalities than the Earth-grown controls. In other words, their bodies formed, but their sense of balance did not seem to work quite the same way.
That is why this old jellyfish experiment still matters today. Before we imagine lunar cities, schools, nurseries, and generations born off-world, we need to ask not only whether humans can survive in space, but whether developing there changes how the body understands something as basic as up, down, and movement. Jellyfish babies cannot tell us everything about human children, but they may have given us one of the first clues that life born beyond Earth might not come home unchanged.
Reference: https://nlsp.nasa.gov/view/lsdapub/lsda_experiment/0c10d660-6b12-573d-8c3b-e20e071aed3b
Image: GEOMAR, Sarah Uphoff
-
Climate Change9 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases9 months ago
Guest post: Why China is still building new coal – and when it might stop
-
Greenhouse Gases2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Climate Change2 years ago
Bill Discounting Climate Change in Florida’s Energy Policy Awaits DeSantis’ Approval
-
Climate Change2 years ago嘉宾来稿：满足中国增长的用电需求 光伏加储能“比新建煤电更实惠”
-
Renewable Energy6 months agoSending Progressive Philanthropist George Soros to Prison?
-
Carbon Footprint2 years agoUS SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rules Spur Renewed Interest in Carbon Credits
-
Greenhouse Gases10 months ago
嘉宾来稿：探究火山喷发如何影响气候预测