SALISBURY, MD – The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate report provides new estimates of the chances of crossing the global warming level of 1.5°C in the next decades. It includes Salisbury University research to support its findings.
Dr. Stuart Hamilton, associate professor and Geographic Information Systems Management graduate program director, is cited in the “AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis” report, the most recent major revision of its kind since 2013.
The report details unprecedented changes in the climate, some irreversible, stating it is unequivocal that human activities have caused the planet’s climate to warm at a rate faster than anything experienced in at least 2,000 years.
“It’s difficult to understate the importance and historical relevance of this latest IPCC report,” said Dr. Michael Scott, dean of SU’s Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology. “It will likely be referenced by both scientists and policy-makers for generations. For Dr. Hamilton’s work to be included as contributing to the global body of knowledge regarding climate change is a testament to his dedication to his science and the clarity of his results.”
Hamilton’s research, along with Dr. Daniel Friess of the National University of Singapore, titled “Global Carbon Stocks and Potential Emissions Due to Mangrove Deforestation from 2000 to 2012,” quantifies annual mangrove carbon stocks from 2000 to 2012 at the global, national and sub-national levels, and global carbon emissions resulting from deforestation over the same time. The research states that 2% of global mangrove carbon was lost between 2000 and 2012, equivalent to a maximum potential of 316,996,250 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
“The importance of preserving the world’s reaming forested wetland environments is increasingly recognized as a key component in mitigating global climate change,” said Hamilton.
“Our research into mangrove carbon stocks and emissions has resulted in local, regional, and now global policy actions.”
Hamilton is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Geographers and a certified geographic information systems professional (GISP).
“SU undergraduate and graduate students work with these unique data in both the classroom and field projects,” he said. “Such policy-relevant research projects are only possible due to SU’s investment in high-performance computing, overseas field research, and scientific equipment.”
To view the full report, visit www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/#FullReport. For more information visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.
