As I write this report to you, our valued supporter, I have just come from a meeting that included 20 of
the world's most respected climatologists. The focus was hurricanes and how we might better understand what one of our participants, Dr. Kerry Emanuel
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has characterized as the "Divine Wind."The meeting was part of a workshop sponsored by BBSR's Risk Prediction Initiative
(RPI), a program that helps corporations better understand how to cope with extreme climate events. We are joined by corporate strategists from the fields of insurance, banking and the investment community, each expecting the very best analysis from the scientists and researchers who collaborate with RPI. Since its inception more than a decade ago, RPI has emerged as one of the premiere climate event information and modeling efforts in the scientific realm, providing rapid information to users. Its assessments are taken seriously, and its assessment of what we know about climate is an integral part of the risk analysis underway at companies in Bermuda and around the globe.
This project is but one example of our commitment at BBSR to making the ocean that surrounds us, and impacts everything from the air we breathe, to the food that sustains us, to the hurricanes that
unleash themselves upon our communities, more easily comprehensible to the scientist and the lay person alike. At BBSR, we focus our scientific inquiry on how the health of our oceans can influence the
health of humankind, and RPI is a significant part of that commitment. Since last writing to you in the
2004 Annual Report, we have celebrated the opening of the Michael R. Naess Laboratory, which is now occupied by a cadre of scientists and technicians who
study, among other subjects, the human impacts on coral reef health, and the relationship between biological diversity and ecological function in the open ocean. For example, Dr. Nick Bates, Associate
Director for Research at BBSR, is helping us to better understand the fate of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by human activities and how it might directly impact the earth's climate and ocean
ecosystems. His research and that of our other eminent scientists continues to make BBSR a global leader in marine science. Our educational programs
continue to grow, with 74 undergraduate and graduate students availing themselves of comprehensive marine science and oceanographic class work so far this year. Under the auspices of Director of Education
Dr. Gerry Plumley,
the educational foundation of BBSR continues to expand and will result in an exciting commitment that will be announced next year, one that will place BBSR at the forefront of marine education.
Of particular note is our intention to purchase a new ship for our deep-ocean research needs. Much more information is contained in this edition of Currents, but let me preface that with how exciting it is for the
scientific team to contemplate a new deep-ocean vessel that will expand our capability to engage in research that we have always aspired to but for which we have never had the available resources. We will
need a great deal of support from our donor community to make this a reality, but if that happens, the new ship will bring a dawn in research capability never before seen at BBSR. The critical component
that ensures BBSR is a leader in its various fields of endeavor is the continued involvement of our friends, who join as donors
in support of the scientific and educational efforts of the institution. Whether your gift is in support of scholarships for deserving students, individual scientific research, the purchase of the new ship, or as an unrestricted gift to BBSR, please know that your donation is essential to our continued vitality as a significant member of the marine science community. We appreciate it deeply and will do what we can to strive for your continuing commitment.
This is an exciting time to be a part of BBSR, both for those who live the dream of discovery and our friends who have joined us on this fantastic voyage. I hope that you enjoy this issue of Currents.
All the best to you and your family, and my hopes for a safe holiday season. |
