2015-2016

News Release

REF NO.: 48

SUBJECT: Memorial University to host healthy oceans lecture

DATE: January 26, 2016

Oceans encompass more than 95 per cent of Earth’s biosphere, and their massive volume and remoteness ensure we will not fully quantify their biodiversity in our lifetimes.

Estimates of marine biodiversity suggest that between 33 and 90 per cent of animals remain unknown to science, and while human pressures on the ocean will almost certainly increase in the future, we have little understanding of the role different species play in maintaining ocean health.

Dr. Paul Snelgrove will present on the topic during a public lecture at Memorial University on Thursday, Jan. 28. The talk, titled Marine Biodiversity and the Health of Canada's Oceans, is part of the Canada Ocean Lecture series. Dr. Snelgrove is a professor with the departments of ocean sciences and biology and director of the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada's Canadian Healthy Oceans Network.

During the lecture, Dr. Snelgrove will discuss new tools and approaches that have revolutionized ocean sciences in the last decade, documenting new species, new environments and new processes that create unprecedented opportunities to improve ocean sustainability.

The Canada Ocean Lecture Series is a joint initiative between the Shorefast Foundation and Simon Fraser University in co-operation with Memorial University. The series aims to increase awareness of Canada's vast marine environment and its importance to Canadians.

The public lecture will take place Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, room IIC-2001. A reception will follow; free parking is available in lot 15B.

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