Dr. Follows explains how ocean circulation, seawater chemistry and marine biology combine to shape the complex system known as the ocean carbon cycle. Life on Earth depends on the viability of this cycle, which regulates the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Dr. Follows describes how the system works and also the biological consequences when the CO2 balance is seriously disrupted by excess atmospheric CO2. Understanding the dynamics of the carbon cycle requires the skills of many scientists representing different fields: geology, biology, chemistry, physics, among others. The Follows group participates in a major interdisciplinary effort, the Darwin Project, which is unraveling how the carbon cycle works, how it becomes destabilized, and what it takes to recover its stability. Mick Follows, PhD, Senior Research Scientist Earth, Atmosphere, & Planetary Sciences Massachusetts Institute of Technology "