“Do your small part and that will add up.” Today on Campus Voices, we are celebrating Earth Week and 45 years of Earth Day by talking with Jon Cohen, Assistant Professor for Marine Biosciences, and Chris Petrone, Marine Advisory Service Agent for the Delaware Sea Grant office in Lewes.
Starting small, we talked about plankton, their influence on the ocean’s ecology, their defense mechanisms against plastic waste…and how they are not ugly. They are, however, perfectly adapted to their environments, equipped to avoid the bends, absorb invisible light, and keep you company at the beach, among other things.
We also discussed the changes in environmental policy since the 1950s, and the further steps we can take. Among discussion points ranks the role of primary school education, the size and diversity of the ocean, and the challenges surrounding raising awareness, from attempting to quantify patterns of variability and change to conveying the necessity of long-term planning…after all, the ocean has a much longer life cycle than we do.
Listen to the Interview
Jon Cohen and Chris Petrone
28:38
27.5 Mb
About our Guests
Jon Cohen is an Assistant Professor for Marine Biosciences at the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. He research interests include zooplankton ecology, deep-sea biology, and polar biology, and consequently, he has collaborated in the Arctic to study any similarities in how plankton absorb invisible light in these environments.
Chris Petrone is a Marine Advisory Service Agent, assisting stakeholders in sea grants, including fishermen, tourist agencies, and boaters. He is also a Marine Education Specialist, applying his knowledge of coastal cleanup and marine debris to not only the coasts, but also rivers, inland bodies of water, and the surrounding landscapes.
Learn More
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment
- Jon Cohen
- Chris Petrone
- Sea Grant Delaware
- UDaily:
- Marine organisms illuminate Arctic during polar night (UDaily, Karen B. Roberts, 2/2/2015)
- Diving in freezing waters to understand what happens at bottom of Arctic Ocean (UDaily, Karen B. Roberts, 1/21/2015)
- Delaware Bay Study (UDaily, Karen B. Roberts, 1/6/2015)
- Coast Day Essay Contest (UDaily, Eadoh Reshef, 9/3/2014)
- Delaware Sea Grant to guide teachers across Delmarva Peninsula for watershed training (UDaily, Teresa Messmore, 6/5/14)
Photo by Morgan Dennison