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Ecological Studies, Hazards, Solutions, 2006, Vol

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6. Lessons important for future
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Part 2


5. Importance of natural mechanisms (including biological and hydrobiological factors) for stabilizing climate system and regulating the parameters of the environment. Katrina-induced calamity demonstrated importance of natural mechanisms for stabilizing climate system and regulating the parameters of the environment which are relevant to weather and climate. Several studies were published on the role of biota (including aquatic biota) as an important factor for stability of the environment (Gorshkov 1997; Ostroumov 2003, 2005). The list of biota-dependent phenomena and processes that are vital to the formation and regulation of environmental parameters was given and substantiated in (Ostroumov 2005). It includes, inter alia (the items below overlap each other):

generation of nuclei for water condensation and cloud formation;

defining the green gases flows and steady-state concentration in the atmosphere;

defining the heat and energy balance on the surface of land and water, and in the lower part of the atmosphere;

defining the characteristics of the interface water/air;

defining the characteristics of the interface land/air.

We would like to underline – among a variety of ecological mechanisms and phenomena - the role of the system of functions in the ecosystems that lead to water purification. That system was named 'biotic mechanism for water purification' (Ostroumov 2004). The mechanism is a coupling device that connect together many biotic (physiological and other) processes and geochemical flows through water column. This mechanism form many parameters of aquatic ecosystem: transparency, turbidity, quantity and quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and suspended organic matter (SOM), optical properties of water, parameters of water/air interface (surface microlayer), heat absorbtion,CO2 emission or sinking, CH4 generation rate and many others. All or many of those parameters and processes are important in forming or regulating the climate system and weather phenomena.

The role of biotic factors (e.g. associated with plankton productivity and biomass, plankton-dependent optical parameters, energy sorption and storage by water, etc.) is especially pronounced in polar or subpolar regions, which in turn are so important in weather formation. The biota in polar waters is subject to seasonal changes. The dynamic, changeable pattern of biotic factors is especially vulnerable to man-made influence, which in turn may have long-term consequences for the environmental parameters that depends on biota.

6. Lessons important for future:

1. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the tragedy of dramatic consequences of increasing water level. Not only Katrina but also the global warming and some other types of environmental change may induce increasing water level. That clearly add new emphasis on the proof of the precious role of the biotic factors and mechanisms (mentioned above) that regulate environmental parameters.

2. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated also another tragedy – that of power of militant ignorance. Not only ignorance is the word. Refusal to hear the voice of knowledge. Refusal to see knowledge. Refusal to accumulate knowledge. Nobel Winner Josef Brodsky said: it is hard to say, what is worse: to burn books or not to read books. There were predictions of the disasters in New Orleans; there are scientific books and papers which say about the hazards of damaging the regulatory functions of biota. Why those who are in charge of the well-being of the society did not read them?

3. The author makes the following predictions: if the current attitude keeps on – the attitude of the neglect and underestimate of the value of research into functioning ecological systems (including aquatic ecosystems, both marine and freshwater), - we predict that no proper understanding of climate change and extreme weather events will be reached. On practical terms, it means that in the case of insufficient funding of ecology and aquatic ecology, no ability will be developed to forecast and counteract the disasters similar to or equal to those caused by Katrina. In short, it means that saving millions on ecology and aquatic ecology will translate into new losses of billions, plus even more, new losses of human lives.

Literature (several sites at Internet were also used)

Gorshkov V.G. Slowing down of global changes of carbon cycles by marine biota. DAN.1997. 353: 390-393.

Ostroumov S.A. The functions of the living matter in the biosphere // Vestnik RAN (Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences). 2003. V. 73. No. 3. P. 232-238.

Ostroumov S.A. Biotic mechanism of self-purification of freshwater and marine water. Мoscow: МAX Press. 2004. 96 p.

Ostroumov S.A. Searching approaches to solving the problem of global change: elements of the theory of the biotic-ecosystem mechanisms of the regulation and stabilization of parameters of the biosphere, geochemical and geological environment // Vestnik MGU (Bulletin of Moscow Univ.). Ser. Biol. 2005. No. 1. P. 24-33.[The list of biota-dependent phenomena and processes that are vital to the formation and regulation of environmental parameters].


NEW SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION IN ECOLOGY AND HYDROBIOLOGY: HI-ECOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES p.22-24.

S.A.Ostroumov


Dept of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow 119992


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