Las revistas científicas también pueden verse cegadas por la espectacularidad

Las revistas científicas también pueden verse cegadas por la espectacularidad

El sistema de resonancia magnética funcional (fMRI) usado por The New York Times para observar los cerebros de ciudadanos indeciso para votar, trajo cola

El estudio no había pasado el filtro de las revistas científicas, pero un artículo aceptado para publicación en Perspectives on Psychological Science muestra que éstas también pueden verse cegadas por la espectacularidad de las imágenes de un cerebro en acción y las conclusiones que se pueden sacar de su análisis, dice publico.es.

El artículo, escrito por Edward Vul, estudiante de doctorado en el MIT, y dirigido por Harold Pashler, de la Universidad de California en San Diego, llama la atención sobre la correlación «improbablemente elevada» que algunos investigadores establecen entre activación cerebral y formas particulares de comportamiento.

En el documento se señalan 31 artículos en los que los autores cometieron errores fundamentales en el manejo de datos y estadísticas. Algunos de estos artículos se publicaron en revistas tan prestigiosas como Nature o Science.

Los autores no creen que la fMRI no sea útil para conocer el sustrato neurobiológico de la psicología humana; solo enfatizan la necesidad de cuidar el manejo de la estadística. De opinión similar es Pío Tudela, director del Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencia Cognitiva en la Universidad de Granada.
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La Ley del Deporte y el estudio para su reforma

La Ley del Deporte y el estudio para su reforma

Actualizarla tras de 19 años desde su redacción, eje de un seminario en la Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte de la Universidad de Granada
Las nuevas reformas en materia legislativa del deporte fue el eje central de la última jornada del Seminario de Deporte y Administración Pública. La necesidad de reformar la Ley del Deporte de 1990, que en muchos de sus aspectos se ha quedado obsoleta después de 19 años desde su creación, capitalizó el principal punto de análisis y debate.

En el acto estuvo como ponente Manuel Pezzi, que es el presidente de la Comisión de Deportes del Congreso de los Diputados. El parlamentario por Granada habló de la concienciación existente en la práctica totalidad de los grupos políticos para actualizar las normas que regulan el deporte profesional, así como las sociedades anónimas (SAD) que lo integran.

Pezzi explicó que se ha creado una subcomisión en el Parlamento para tratar de reglar los espectáculos deportivos, así como para intentar ejercer un mayor control de los fichajes desorbitados, elevados presupuestos y morosidad de muchas de las SAD. De igual modo, también para intentar la regulación de la contratación de extranjeros por parte de los equipos. Y es que la Unión Europea tiene la intención de tomar cartas en el asunto, al igual que en con el \’mandato\’ que determinados estamentos deportivos, como es el caso de la UEFA o la FIFA, ejercen sobre los estados.

En la mesa del seminario impartido ayer, además del diputado Manuel Pezzi, estuvieron el asesor jurídico de la Liga de Fútbol Profesional, Miguel García Caba; el director del departamento de Derecho Administrativo de la Universidad de Granada, Rafael Barranco; y el presidente de la Asociación de Gestores Administrativos de Andalucía, Salvador Jiménez.

El seminario, que se ha impartido en el Aula Magna de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte de la Universidad de Granada, se ha compuesto de cuatro sesiones. La ya mencionada y realizada ayer sobre estructuras deportivas y otras tres más: Muerte súbita e instalaciones deportivas; aspectos organizativos de clubes y sociedades anónimas; y patrocinio deportivo en época de crisis.
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Todo discurrió según lo previsto… menos los modales del alumnado

Todo discurrió según lo previsto… menos los modales del alumnado

Se impusieron las tradicionales becas a alumnos y profesores recién incorporados y se premió a los mejores expedientes · El futuro campus, el desafío de Bolonia y la mejora de infraestructuras, temas principales de los discursos

La Facultad de Educación y Humanidades de Ceuta celebró ayer el acto protocolario con motivo de la festividad del patrón de los estudiantes, Santo Tomás de Aquino. Un acto que normalmente trata de ensalzar los valores universitarios y en el que hubo de todo, buenos discursos, reivindicaciones y comportamientos, sobre todo por parte de algunos estudiantes, dignos de reprobación.
A diferencia del pasado año, el rector de la Universidad de Granada, Francisco Javier González Lodeiro, no estuvo presente, y su lugar lo ocupó la vicerrectora de Enseñanzas de Grado y Posgrado, Dolores Ferre. También hizo algo atípica la celebración el que, como representante de la Ciudad acudiera la portavoz del Gobierno, Yolanda Bel, que en su discurso final destacó su condición de alumna de la Facultad. También acompañaron al decano de la Facultad, Ramón Galindo y a la secretaria, Lourdes Navarro, el delegado del Gobierno, José Fernández Chacón y el director de la Escuela de Enfermería, Rafael Guisado .
A Navarro le correspondió leer la memoria del curso anterior, resaltando los cambios y las nuevas incorporaciones en el profesorado, las actividades realizadas durante los tres trimestres (semana sobre drogodependencia, concurso de coplas de carnaval, charlas de voluntariado de Cruz Roja, creación de una filmoteca sobre género e igualdad…) y no dejando pasar la ocasión para poner de manifiesto las carencias que presenta la biblioteca, sobre todo en lo relativo a espacio, aunque resaltó que en ella se invirtieron el pasado curso 10.625 euros, y otros 4.850 en material para los departamentos.
Además del alumnado de grado, casi 600 alumnos, 25 estudiantes están en la actualidad realizando el curso de doctorado ‘Modelos de Enseñanza Aprendizaje y Desarrollo de las Instituciones Educativas’, en una Facultad que cuenta con 75 profesores y 32 departamentos.
Los docentes se están empleando a fondo con motivo de la implantación del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES), asistiendo a cursos de formación de profesores-asesores y a otros acerca de la implantación del crédito europeo (ECTS) en los nuevos planes de estudio. También este ha sido el primer año de vigencia del contrato programa y se ha constituido un equipo de relaciones internacionales encabezado por el profesor José Antonio Liébana. Los acuerdos del programa Erasmus se han firmado con universidades de Finlandia, Portugal e Italia.
En cuanto a las infraestructuras y nuevo material, la Facultad ha adquirido tres nuevos ordenadores que se colocarán próximamente, así como un nuevo sistema de sonido -en el acto no se notó mucho-, y mejora del aire acondicionado.
Precisamente en este episodio, en el de las infraestructuras, se centró la parte más reivindicativa de la mañana, de la mano del decano Galindo, que no quiso dejar pasar la ocasión de decir, en presencia de la vicerrectora Ferre, que la Facultad ceutí “necesita más aliento del rectorado, ya que somos una Facultad alejada de la sede Central”, además de insistir en la necesidad de mejorar las instalaciones – “este salón de actos es un buen ejemplo de ello”, dijo-. Galindo también expresó su preocupación por “las crecientes dificultades que encontramos para coordinarnos con las Facultades hermanas”, y apeló a las autoridades para hacer de la Universidad “un motor de cambio para Ceuta, cuya influencia se extienda al norte de Marruecos y al Campo de Gibraltar”, apostilló.

El campus

Yolanda Bel habló de otro reto inminente para la universidad ceutí: las obras para la construcción de lo que sería el futuro campus en el antiguo cuartel del 54: “El campus es una reivindicación antigua pero justa, e insisto en que es algo que los ceutíes nos merecemos”, afirmó, recordando que la Ciudad va a financiar con 25 millones de euros esas obras, que ya tienen elaborado su anteproyecto.
Como es habitual, la mayor parte del acto la ocupó la imposición de becas a los profesores recién incorporados y a los alumnos de primer curso -aunque muchos optan por ponerse la beca al finalizar la carrera-, además de la entrega de los trofeos a los ganadores de las competiciones deportivas celebradas también con motivo del patrón, a los mejores expedientes del curso 2007/2008, y en esta ocasión, un reconocimiento especial a Radio Televisión Ceuta, “por la labor de colaboración que siempre ha tenido con la universidad”, que recogió el viceconsejero de Recursos Humanos, Ángel Javier Díez Nieto.

Premios al esfuerzo…

De entre los galardones e imposiciones varias que tuvieron ayer lugar, desde luego, las más merecidas fueron las correspondientes a los alumnos que han logrado los mejores expedientes al finalizar sus estudios en el curso 2007/2008. La mayoría, además, son mujeres. En la diplomatura de Ciencias Empresariales, el reconocimiento fue para Alejandro Ramírez Hurtado, en Psicopedagogía, para Farah Mohamed Chaib; en Ingeniería Técnica de Informática de Gestión, para Tomás Alberto Rodríguez Sánchez; en Magisterio de Educación Especial se condecoró a Verónica Aymerich Sousa, en el de Audición y Lenguaje, a Patricia Barragán González; en Educación Infantil, a María Nieves García Córdoba, en Educación Física a Raquel Berral Navarrete; en Primaria a Susana Martín Sánchez; en Educación Musical, a María Sánchez Lagares y en Lengua Extranjera a Deepa Vensi Ramchandani.

…y ceros en conducta

A pesar de ser un acto siempre alegre, el comportamiento de parte importante de algunos, afortunadamente no todos, los alumnos presentes dejó bastante que desear. Las entradas y salidas al salón de actos fueron constantes, por no hablar de los ruidos de tacones de chicas que salían al baño sólo para atusarse el flequillo y volvían a entrar compitiendo para ver quién llamaba más la atención sin importarles absolutamente nada lo que ocurriera en el interior del salón de actos. A ellos les dio más por hablar por el móvil, saludarse efusivamente con los colegas, dar gritos en el pasillo contiguo, hablar por el móvil o quedar con los amigos, hablando de lado a lado del salón, para tapear después. Lo grave es que buena parte de estos chicos aspiran a ser maestros y a educar a los chavales del mañana. Sólo cabe esperar que no les eduquen con su ejemplo.

Una sociedad falta de valores y autoridad

El catedrático criticó el nuevo concepto de libertad “con derecho a todo y sin obligaciones”

Rara vez se puede visualizar en un discurso aquello de lo que se está hablando como tuvo la oportunidad de hacerlo ayer el profesor Juan Lara Guerrero. El discurso del catedrático se inició señalando que, en la actualidad, “si se hace una búsqueda en internet en torno a los valores, los primeros resultados que aparecen hablan acerca de la economía empresarial”, ya que nos encontramos en una sociedad en la que “causa un gran revuelo la crisis de los valores financieros, y en cambio, no se mueve para frenar la crisis de los valores”.
Lara se dirigió a un auditorio con un gran número de futuros maestros, “que tendrán que educar, y no sólo enseñar, contracorriente”, puesto que ahora los modelos a seguir son “muchachas de pasarela”, iconos de una sociedad “que confunde fama con virtud”.
Nos encontramos, según el profesor, “en una sociedad carente de modelos estables, llena de contradicciones y en la que nada es seguro”.
Lara también protestó contra la tendencia de formar sólo en la técnica “descuidando la formación humana”, ya que más allá de la innovación y el espíritu crítico “están los valores”. Criticó también la no-labor de muchos padres: “Los padres han dejado de lado el autoritarismo, pero han renunciado a una sana autoridad”, indicó, señalando además que a menudo dejan la educación de los hijos en manos de las nuevas tecnologías, sin poner ningún límite, impulsando un concepto de libertad basado en sentirse con derecho a todo y sin obligación a nada. Y es que eso era lo que de hecho reflejaba el comportamiento de muchos de los allí presentes.
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Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming.

This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

«Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments,» said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, «for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.»

«The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future,» according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that «climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environment\’s oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earth\’s crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.»

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
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Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments, said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.

The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future, according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environments oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earths crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
Descargar


Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments, said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.

The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future, according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environments oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earths crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
Descargar


Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

«Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments,» said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, «for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.»

«The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future,» according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that «climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environment\’s oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earth\’s crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.»

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
Descargar


Sea beds have climatic change info

Sea beds have climatic change info

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

“Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments,” said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, “for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.”

“The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future,” according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that “climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environment’s oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earth’s crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.”

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
Descargar


Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

«Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments,» said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, «for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.»

«The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future,» according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that «climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environment\’s oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earth\’s crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.»

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
Descargar


Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

Sea beds can provide information about present climatic change

In a new research, scientists have determined that sea beds have accumulated information about the greenhouse effect for millions of years, which can lead to better understanding of the present climatic change.

Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for millions of years, which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, scientist David Gallego Torres developed the research work, under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martinez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada.

“Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments,” said Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, “for the carrying out of this work, we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions, which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments, its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments.”

“The analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future,” according to Professor Francisca Martinez Ruiz.

Gallego Torres said that one of the main conclusions of his research is that “climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environment’s oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earth’s crust of sediments and would remain there for a while.”

Another conclusion of the research is that the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity.
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Sea bed provides information about present climatic change

Sea bed provides information about present climatic change

Lately, every drought, flood or hurricane which happens in the planet is connected with climatic change, and therefore the interest of society and scientists is getting to know this phenomenon better. Climatic change is connected at present with the phenomenon of global warming. This is characterized by the increase of carbon dioxide (CO2 gas), which produces the reduction of heat emission to the space and provokes a higher global warming.

Although gases in the atmosphere tell us about this greenhouse effect, oceans have accumulated information for million years which allow us a better understanding of this phenomenon.

The past lets us know the present

In this process, which involves a better knowledge of carbon cycle in the sea, David Gallego Torres developed the research work «Acumulación y preservación de materia orgánica en sedimentos marinos: implicaciones en los ciclos del carbono y nutrientes» (Accumulation and preservation of organic matter in marine sediments: implications in the cycles of carbon and nutrients), under the supervision of Professors Francisca Martínez Ruiz and Miguel Ortega Huertas of the University of Granada (Andalusian Institute of Earth Sciences, CEAMA and Department of Mineralogy and Petrology).

«Oceans may act as a drain of carbon, in the way of inorganic carbonates or as organic matter settled in sediments», says Gallego Torres, who did research, among other phenomena, into the accumulation of organic matter in the geological past (Plioceno-Holoceno), in the East of the Mediterranean.

According to the researcher, «for the carrying out of this work we applied different techniques of geochemical analysis, mineralogy and isotopic analysis of organic matter for the reconstruction of the paleoceanographic conditions which induced to the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments (sapropels), its implications in the carbon cycle and, consequently, in the climatic variation in the Mediterranean area and in the African craton, the main source of nutrients of these sediments».

Professor Francisca Martínez Ruiz highlights that the analysis research line of the climatic variability in the geological past «provides scenes of climatic changes which help us to understand the answers of the components of the climatic system in future».

Conclusions

Doctor David Gallego Torres says that one of the main conclusions of his research is that «climatic fluctuations affect the marine environment in such a way that there may be a carbon taking by organic matter, due to these changes in marine environment\’s oceanography, in such a way that the organic matter would remain accumulated again in the earth\’s crust of sediments and would remain there for a while».

Other conclusions are:

the accumulation of organic matter in marine sediments is mainly connected with an intensification of marine productivity;
anoxic conditions (without oxygen) of the sea bed favour the preservation of such organic matter, but they can not produce an enrichment in the sediment by themselves;
anoxia causes nutrients\’ recycling maintaining a high productivity, in such a way that the interaction between primary high productivity and anoxia may promote the accumulation of organic matter in sediments.
Such fixing of organic carbon in the litosphere is connected with the climatic system, as high concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere facilitate a high productivity, due to an excess of carbon. Such CO2 is later fixed, in the way of organic matter, and removed of the atmospheric reservoir inducing a fall in Earth\’s superficial temperature.
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