((PKG)) PIA – DENISE BREITBURG
((Banner: A Life of the Sea))
((Executive Producer: Marsha James))
((Camera: Kaveh Rezaei))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
I think that people appreciate nature and see its value when
they have the opportunity to experience it. I have an
understanding, through my work, of the threats that it's
under, and I feel an obligation to try to speak out and do
what I can to help things improve.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
My name is Denise Breitburg and I'm a Marine Ecologist at
the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
One of the things that, I think, for me growing up just 10
miles (16 km.) from the ocean, was a real love of the ocean
early on. Being able to go and see the water and walk on
the beach even during the winter really I think left a lasting
impression on me.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
When excess nutrients, things like nitrogen and phosphorus,
from fertilizers, from sewage, when too much of that is
entering coastal waters, we're fertilizing them just like we
would fertilize our lawns. But as the plants that grow decay,
that decay process uses up oxygen. And so, we're creating
large areas in coastal waters that are really uninhabitable for
many, many of the organisms that really belong there.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
This happens all over the world, but in the open oceans,
there is a oxygen problem as well because of increasing
global temperatures. Air warms up and as the water warms
up, water just can't hold as much oxygen. And then at the
same time, animals actually need more oxygen when
temperatures are higher. This really is a global problem.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
So, I think as a researcher, the most important thing that I
can do is to try to uncover information that will help us
manage our oceans and coastal waters in a sustainable
way. For an individual homeowner, that may have to do with
anything as simple as not putting too much fertilizer on a
lawn. For farmers, it's the amount of fertilizer and crops. For
cities, it's good infrastructure that keeps sewage out of the
waterways. For example, in Chesapeake Bay, we're now
doing a pretty good job of reducing the amount of nitrogen
coming into the bay. But one of the big reasons that
nitrogen levels are coming down, is because of the Clean Air
Act, which has been incredibly important in limiting the
amount of nitrogen from power plants in the Midwest that
drift this way in the atmosphere and could be deposited in
this area.
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
One of the things that I love about this job is being able to be
outdoors to actually get in the water to have my hands on
animals. But I think that might paint a little bit more
glamorous picture of this profession than it really is. I spend
more time reading and writing and working at a computer
probably than anything else, and the kinds of things that I try
to do in my personal life is volunteering with organizations,
trying to teach kids how to appreciate the outdoors and
protect it, to leave a better world for future generations as
well.
((NATS))
((Banner: A Life of the Sea))
((Executive Producer: Marsha James))
((Camera: Kaveh Rezaei))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
I think that people appreciate nature and see its value when
they have the opportunity to experience it. I have an
understanding, through my work, of the threats that it's
under, and I feel an obligation to try to speak out and do
what I can to help things improve.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
My name is Denise Breitburg and I'm a Marine Ecologist at
the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
One of the things that, I think, for me growing up just 10
miles (16 km.) from the ocean, was a real love of the ocean
early on. Being able to go and see the water and walk on
the beach even during the winter really I think left a lasting
impression on me.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
When excess nutrients, things like nitrogen and phosphorus,
from fertilizers, from sewage, when too much of that is
entering coastal waters, we're fertilizing them just like we
would fertilize our lawns. But as the plants that grow decay,
that decay process uses up oxygen. And so, we're creating
large areas in coastal waters that are really uninhabitable for
many, many of the organisms that really belong there.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
This happens all over the world, but in the open oceans,
there is a oxygen problem as well because of increasing
global temperatures. Air warms up and as the water warms
up, water just can't hold as much oxygen. And then at the
same time, animals actually need more oxygen when
temperatures are higher. This really is a global problem.
((NATS))
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
So, I think as a researcher, the most important thing that I
can do is to try to uncover information that will help us
manage our oceans and coastal waters in a sustainable
way. For an individual homeowner, that may have to do with
anything as simple as not putting too much fertilizer on a
lawn. For farmers, it's the amount of fertilizer and crops. For
cities, it's good infrastructure that keeps sewage out of the
waterways. For example, in Chesapeake Bay, we're now
doing a pretty good job of reducing the amount of nitrogen
coming into the bay. But one of the big reasons that
nitrogen levels are coming down, is because of the Clean Air
Act, which has been incredibly important in limiting the
amount of nitrogen from power plants in the Midwest that
drift this way in the atmosphere and could be deposited in
this area.
((Denise Breitburg, Marine Ecologist))
One of the things that I love about this job is being able to be
outdoors to actually get in the water to have my hands on
animals. But I think that might paint a little bit more
glamorous picture of this profession than it really is. I spend
more time reading and writing and working at a computer
probably than anything else, and the kinds of things that I try
to do in my personal life is volunteering with organizations,
trying to teach kids how to appreciate the outdoors and
protect it, to leave a better world for future generations as
well.
((NATS))
