Seeking climate connections among the oceans' smallest organisms

Seeking climate connections among the oceans' smallest organisms
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 12, 2025

Andrew Babbin is working to develop eco-friendly capsules designed to remove excess anthropogenic nitrogen from waterways, helping to prevent the harmful algal blooms that result from fertilizer runoff in lakes and streams.

Simultaneously, Babbin is pioneering a new approach to mapping low-oxygen zones in the ocean, known as oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). As global temperatures rise, oceanic oxygen levels are declining, creating dead zones where marine life struggles to survive. While past efforts to chart OMZs have relied on sporadic sensor deployments at limited depths and locations, Babbin envisions a more comprehensive mapping method-by utilizing sharks as data collectors.

"We want to measure oxygen. Sharks need oxygen. And if you look at where the sharks don't go, you might have a sense of where the oxygen is not," Babbin explains. He is collaborating with marine biologists to equip sharks with oxygen sensors. These large pelagic fish frequently move up and down the water column, and their diving patterns could offer insights into oxygen distribution and broader ocean chemistry.

Babbin attributes many of his research breakthroughs to collaborative efforts, both within his own team and across MIT. "My best thoughts come from this collective action," he says. "Particularly because we all have different upbringings and approach things from a different perspective."

Now, Babbin is extending this spirit of collaboration to his new role as a mission director for MIT's Climate Project. Alongside Jesse Kroll, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and chemical engineering, Babbin co-leads one of the initiative's six missions: Restoring the Atmosphere, Protecting the Land and Oceans. Together, they are organizing workshops across the MIT campus, aiming to foster interdisciplinary connections and inspire innovative approaches to assessing climate mitigation strategies and societal impacts.

"One area we want to promote is thinking of climate science and climate interventions as two sides of the same coin," Babbin notes. "There's so much action that's trying to be catalyzed. But we want it to be the best action. Because we really have one shot at doing this. Time is of the essence."