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Loose researches the polar oceans using geochemical tracers \u2014 gasses dissolved in seawater \u2014 to study physical and biogeochemical processes. He has been studying how sea ice in the Arctic affects the accumulation, transformation and exchange of gasses like methane and carbon dioxide.<\/p>\n
His work in the Arctic will form an important piece in global carbon accounting, as Loose and fellow scientists attempt to estimate and verify aspects of the carbon cycle, emissions reductions, and our eventual progress toward the goal of quantifying sources, sinks, and fluxes in monitoring the carbon cycle during the decarbonization of the global economy (0% net human greenhouse gas emissions).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ultimate goal is to do a better job of estimating how ice cover affects the exchange of carbon dioxide and methane between the ocean and the atmosphere,\u201d Loose said.<\/p>\n
Loose is looking forward to exploring Arctic system science with his peers in Norway and says that the Nordic country has invested substantial resources into understanding how the Arctic works, from the atmosphere to fisheries to the smallest organisms in the ocean.<\/p>\n The Loose family headed to West Norway in late August. The Fulbright makes it possible for them to stay nearly a year; they are excited about the chance to experience Norwegian culture, try pickled herring, speak a Nordic language, and hike in the mountains. With a toddler and an infant, they are also looking forward to experiencing Norway\u2019s family-friendly culture.<\/p>\n \u201cThe country is known for putting children at the center of society,\u201d said Loose. \u201cCoffee shops and bars have play areas. Even trains come with an entire train car with play equipment and padded walls, dedicated for play and letting out kid energy.\u201d Loose\u2019s wife Stephanie Anderson (GSO Ph.D. \u201921, now at MIT) also received a three-year Simons Foundation Fellowship which will enable her to work from Norway. She is working in the Darwin Project<\/a> which focuses on modeling the marine ecosystem from inside a global model of ocean circulation. She\u2019ll be doing model experiments of organism evolution through a range of oceanic conditions.<\/p>\n This is Loose\u2019s first sabbatical and first time applying for a Fulbright, the U.S. government\u2019s flagship program of international educational and cultural exchange. \u201cThe fellowship does an amazing job of sending scholars from all different disciplines and career stages to destinations around the world, to exchange knowledge and enhance cultural awareness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/916\/Bergen-500x375-1.jpeg\")