Triaging the train wreck of climate change
By Warner M.Montgomery warner@thecolumbiastar.com

Dr. Steve Stancyk (l) congratulates Dr. Brian Helmuth for his talk on global climate change. The photograph was taken by a FLIR ThermaCam which registers temperature.

Brian Helmuth, associate professor of biological sciences and marine science at USC since 2004, received his Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of Washington. Early in his career, he discovered his beloved coral reefs in Belize were dying. That led him to focus his research on finding out why. His talk to the local chapter of The Explorers Club March 7 was based on his latest findings: Global warming is having large impacts on natural ecosystems, and these impacts are, in turn, affecting humans.

The results of public opinion polls, said Dr. Helmuth, have uncovered the science of climate change analysis is influenced by politics.

The truly scientific approach, according to Dr. Helmuth, is to continue to analyze the climate all over the globe, scrutinize the incoming data, and vigorously test hypotheses to determine what is happening. In his research he is trying to find out:
• The magnitude of the impact of climate change
• Which species will be affected?
• Where will impacts occur?
• What can we do to prepare for these effects?

He is using thermal photography to measure the body temperature of living organisms to determine changes. He believes the temperature of a plant or animal's body is among the most important determinants of survival and reproduction. When an organism's temperature rises or falls beyond its tolerance level, it must move, stop reproduction, or die. His precious coral could not move when its temperature increased so it died.

The Greater Piedmont Chapter of The Explorers Club meets monthly for a lunch and an exciting talk. For information, contact Nena Powell Rice at 803-777-8170 or nrice@sc.edu.