An information outlet on ocean acidification provided by EPOCA, the European Project on Ocean Acidification
DURHAM — Scientists from the University of New Hampshire’s Ocean Process Analysis Laboratory (OPAL) have received funds from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of a five-year, $2 million-plus grant to continue work in the Gulf of Maine and New Hampshire’s Great Bay monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) and the effects of ocean acidification on coastal ecosystems.
Continue reading ‘UNH ocean scientists get funds for continued coastal water monitoring’
Over the last 150 years, human beings have released hundreds of billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere. About one quarter of this carbon has been absorbed by the world’s oceans, causing them to become more acidic. Ocean acidification is especially dangerous to corals and other organisms that build skeletons out of calcium carbonate. Many experiments have documented the effects of ocean acidification in the laboratory, but few have been performed in the natural environment. A recent article in Nature Publishing’s Scientific Reports journal describes the first controlled field experiment to test the effects of acidification on coral reefs—a multi-institutional effort that involved several MBARI engineers and was based on pioneering work at MBARI.
A panel is looking at how to respond to a new threat to the state’s shellfish.
A big question mark stands over Washington’s efforts to deal with ocean acidification is money: How much will be needed and where it will come from?
A state panel, the first of its kind in the nation, discussed a wide range of draft recommendations Friday (July 20) at the University of Washington. Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed the panel —a collection of scientists, shellfish industry officials, and federal and state government representatives — to recommend how Washington can tackle ocean acidification along its coasts. This is the first state effort of its kind in the nation.
