It was a pleasure to welcome Dr. Annmarie Eldering to Wellington last week. A scientist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Dr Eldering is working on the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) project. She came to Wellington to attend a conference organized to review current standards for measuring levels of carbon dioxide and other gases, in an effort to standardize such metrics worldwide.

This year marks the 75^th anniversary of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which conducted the first-ever stand-up rocket engine test in 1936. Located with CalTech in Pasadena, California, JPL is a major research, development, and exploration hub with a long string of “firsts” to its credit. JPL was led for more than 20 years by Kiwi-American Dr William Hayward Pickering.

I have always had a strong interest in space travel and space sciences, so having someone from NASA nearby is a great temptation. Rather than pepper Dr Eldering with questions, however, I asked her to just talk a bit about the highlights of her visit to New Zealand.

*  *  *

Dr Annmarie Eldering.

Dr Annmarie Eldering:

Ambassador, thank you for asking me to write a few paragraphs about my trip.

As you know, the purpose of my visit was to attend a weeklong conference on Greenhouse Gas Measurements, but I did have time to get out and explore a bit.

I’ve never visited New Zealand, so I was impressed by the beautiful scenery of Wellington. I love hiking and getting outside, so on the afternoon of my arrival, I walked all along the waterfront and enjoyed the scenery and beautiful architecture.

The conference is a very interesting meeting of about 100 experts from around the world who take detailed measurements of greenhouse gases. There are measurements being made all over the world – in Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia, throughout the continents of Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Africa, and in many small island nations. The goal is to make sure that all of these measurements can be compared to one another, and that they are precise enough that we can see small trends (i.e., changes over time) in greenhouse gases.

At this meeting, people share comparisons of their data, talk about things they have learned about how the instruments operate, and plan for next steps to improve and continue the measurements. More details about the meeting can be found at: http://www.niwa.co.nz/node/103049

NIWA’s Atmospheric monitoring station at Baring Head.

I flew in for the meeting because the data that are being collected are critical to the project that I work on. I am one of the science leads of a JPL/NASA project called the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2. We are building a satellite instrument that will make precise measurements of the carbon dioxide all around the globe.

We will measure the column of carbon dioxide — i.e., the total amount between the surface and the top of the atmosphere. It will be important to check that our measurements are correct, so we will rely on data that is collected by a set of special ground-based measurements like those being discussed at the meeting here in Wellington.

Computer model of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2.

Scientists from NIWA are operating a special ground-based measurements site in Lauder and collaborating with us on checking our satellite measurements. I was very happy to meet those scientists in person after all our past communications via email and telephone.

Of course we spent most of our time in meetings at the Convention Center, but one evening we had dinner at the Te Papa museum. We were fortunate that the museum is open late on Thursday, so I had a couple of hours to explore the exhibits before the dinner started. I especially enjoyed the display called “Passports,” where I learned about the waves of immigration to New Zealand. The photos of recent immigrants who came as refugees from other countries were very powerful and certainly resonate with me as an American.

One afternoon, I took some time away from the conference to talk to students at two colleges in Wellington. I always enjoy having the opportunity to talk to students about the project I work on, and also about how I got interested in working in the area of atmospheric sciences and greenhouse gases in the first place.

The first school that we visited was Wellington Girls College. I was quite pleased to see that there was a room full of students who were interested to hear what I had to say. I talked about the path of training and work that I took to end up where I am today, in a science leadership position for the OCO-2 mission.

Dr Eldering at Wellington Girls College.

The girls had great questions — asking about other missions that NASA is building, how air pollution has changed over time, and how our understanding of climate change is improving. They were a very thoughtful audience, attentive, well-mannered, and appreciative. In fact, I left with a nice gift of a local Pinot Gris.

The next stop was Scots College. I was impressed again by the attentiveness of the students and the excellent questions that they asked. Again, it was clear that students had been learning about climate and the carbon cycle, so it was easy to have a good conversation with them. In fact, one of the students had just written an essay about climate change, won a contest, and will be traveling to New York to participate in meetings in the coming weeks.

Dr Eldering at Scots College.

It has been an interesting and productive visit, and good progress was made on a very important topic. Ambassador, I’ll keep you informed about how OBO-2 is proceeding.

*  *  *

Thanks to Dr Eldering for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet some of Wellington’s future scientists during her time here. I always deeply appreciate when visiting VIPs are so gracious and enthusiastic about meeting with students.

Dr Eldering’s visit prompted me to do a bit of additional research, and I came across a great video from the State Department about the importance of women in science. I urge you to take a look by clicking here.

As you know from prior posts, I am a partisan of exchange programs and study tours.  The most recent visit that we have been able to arrange is particularly exciting.

(L to R) Teresa Miimetua Matamaki and Anne Irene Rasmussen.

Under the auspices of the Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, fourteen officials from Pacific Island nations will spend the next three weeks in the U.S. discussing climate change policies, renewable energy research, adaptation approaches, and mitigation technologies.

Included in the delegation is Anne Irene Rasmussen, the Principal Climate Change Officer at Samoa’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.  Also included is Teresa Miimetua Matamaki from the Cook Islands National Environment Service.

The study tour is designed to expose the participants to a full range of ideas, strategies, and potential solutions, as well as to provide an opportunity for American policymakers, scientists, and citizens to hear Pacific Island perspectives on climate change issues. By bringing together a group of Pacific Islanders with similar portfolios, the trip will also help build valuable working networks both within the region and with American counterparts.

The participants will have access to experts and information from various sectors of American society and at the federal, state, and local government levels.  They will also visit and study environmentally sensitive locations that pose complex public policy challenges, including the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (the world’s third largest barrier reef system), Everglades National Park, and the State of Hawaii.

A small slice of the Everglades.

We wish Anne and Teresa a very productive and interesting visit.

I spent an interesting couple of days last week at the first Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (“the GRA”).  

An idea first floated by New Zealand in the run-up to last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the GRA is made up of 29 nations committed to working together to develop and disseminate science-based methods of producing substantially more food while reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. Agriculture produces approximately 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions, yet the sector is often neglected in climate change research and investment.  

One neglects the sector at one’s peril. As populations continue to increase, we will need to significantly increase food production, which could result in escalating environmental degradation if not carefully managed. There is a particularly dangerous catch-22 in the cycle because the world’s food supply is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The anticipated work of the GRA addresses this conundrum and touches a variety of critical interrelated issues facing the planet in the coming years, including food security, sustainable development, poverty reduction, rising sea levels, and environmental protection.  

continue reading…