Questionnaire, ocean acidification observing network

To document the status and progress of ocean acidification in open-ocean and coastal environments and to understand its drivers and impacts on marine ecosystems, it will be necessary to develop a coordinated multidisciplinary multinational approach for observations. In partnership with the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project, and the Global Ocean Observing System, the University of Washington is hosting a workshop on June 26^-28^th to take steps to develop a global ocean acidification monitoring network.

Real science in virtual school labs

Up-to-date marine data enables students to carry out scientifically valid virtual experiments. The method yields insights on how scientific knowledge is created and developed, according to research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg followed upper-secondary students from the Swedish town of Lysekil for one year. The study was part of the research project I2I, Inquiry to Insight.

Using scientific data provided by the marine researchers involved in the project, the students explored the marine environment of the Gullmar Fjord on the Swedish west coast. The students used a virtual ocean acidification lab to conduct studies on acidification of the marine environment, studies with impressive validity based on the latest authentic data.

Research turns to acidification and warming in the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea Acidification in a changing climate (MedSeA), a project funded by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Programme, assesses uncertainties, risks and thresholds related to Mediterranean acidification and warming at organism, ecosystem and economic scales. Eighteen institutions in 11 countries, mainly from the Mediterranean, are collaborating to identify where the impacts of acidification on Mediterranean waters will be most severe, taking into account the complete chain of causes and effects, from ocean chemistry through marine biology to socio-economic costs (Fig. 18). Policy measures for adaptation and mitigation that may vary geographically, and at the same time require coordination between regions or countries, will be proposed.

Studying ocean acidification in the Arctic Ocean

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy and its United Nations Convention Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) cruises has produced new synoptic data from samples collected in the Arctic Ocean and insights into the patterns and extent of ocean acidification. This framework of foundational geochemical information will help inform our understanding of potential risks to Arctic resources due to ocean acidification.

Research project: Indian aquatic ecosystems – impact of deoxygenation, eutrophication and acidification

Project leader: Naqvi, S.W.A.

Objectives:

• To understand processes responsible for formation of oxygen minimum zones in the North Indian Ocean and to evaluate the extent of ongoing changes in oxygen
• distribution in the region through observations and modeling.
• To establish trends in changes in seawater pH in the North Indian Ocean and evaluate the impact of acidification on biogeochemistry and ecosystems.
• To understand the fate of fertilizers, especially nitrogen, in terrestrial ecosystems in order to evaluate their fluxes to the ocean and consequent modification of coastal
• biogeochemistry and ecology.
• To improve the understanding of OMZ processes such as redox transformations of biogenic elements and their interactions, microbial ecology, trophic transfers in lowoxygen waters, and effect of oxygen deficiency on benthic processes, and to evaluate the current and future impacts of human activities on these processes.
• To reconstruct paleo-redox conditions from sedimentary record from the Indian continental margin.

Ocean acidification gets deep in the Mediterranean Sea!

In recent years the issue of ocean acidification has moved rapidly up the political, economic and social agendas and is especially pertinent when combined with other pressures upon the marine environment, such as increased seawater warming and oxygen loss, overfishing and proliferation of invasive species. The Mediterranean Sea is of special interest to ocean acidification research as it is a complex, semi-enclosed body of water with high environmental variability and natural CO2 vents that may give scientists a window into a what a high CO2 ocean may look like in the future.

To discuss and share knowledge about ocean acidification and climate change impacts on this dynamic marine environment, over 60 scientists from 12 countries, mainly from the Mediterranean region, met in Rome on 4th and 5th March 2012 for the first Annual Science Meeting of the EU-funded Mediterranean Sea Acidification in a Changing Climate (MedSeA) project.

SCCOOS projects – 2012 Ocean Acidification

What is ocean acidification?

As the ocean absorbs increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, it causes changes in ocean chemistry. When carbon dioxide reacts with water, it creates carbonic acid, decreasing pH and carbonate ion concentration. Lower levels of pH in the ocean result in higher levels of acidity, causing “ocean acidification.”

Click here to view Part 1 and Part 2 of Scripps Institution of Oceanography Professor Andrew Dickson’s “Introduction to CO2 Chemistry in Seawater” lecture on UCTV.

What are the potential impacts?

Ocean acidification can have significant impacts on marine species, especially organisms that rely on calcium carbonate to build and maintain their shells and skeletons, such as clams, oysters, sea urchins, crabs, lobsters, and corals. Ocean acidification can both reduce amounts of calcium carbonate and prove corrosive to shells and corals.

What is SCCOOS doing?

SCCOOS plans to add ocean acidification monitoring to its ongoing observations of the coastal ocean. Sensors that monitor pH, CO2, and dissolved oxygen can be added to pier stations and gliders. These observations will allow for continuous measurements of acidification in the Southern California Bight and will allow for improvements to be made to the models that forecast climate change.

European Free CO2 Enrichment Experiment (eFOCE)

The objective of the eFOCE project is to develop, validate and implement experimental systems that enable scientists to investigate the long-term effects of acidification in situ on benthic marine communities – i.e. those organisms which live on or near the seabed. The project will be carried out in cooperation with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), which has recently developed a number of prototypes, and in partnership with several European laboratories involved in two projects – EPOCA and MedSeA – being co-funded by the European Commission. Over a 3-year period, the aim of the project is to develop and test systems which can be used in relatively long (> 6 month) experiments in the Mediterranean Sea. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of these systems and make them available to the international scientific community via an international network.

Data management for the UKOA programme

BODC announces the launch of the data management area for the UK Ocean Acidification (UKOA) research programme.

UKOA is a five-year, £12 million research programme that began in 2010. It involves 27 research institutes in the UK, has close links with other ocean acidification programmes around the world and is co-funded by NERC, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

Ocean acidification occurs as carbon dioxide (CO₂) dissolves in seawater and forms carbonic acid. The oceans absorb roughly half of human CO₂ emissions and, if we continue emitting CO₂ at the same rate, the acidity (hydrogen ion concentration) of the upper ocean is predicted to increase by about 150% by 2100. This pH change has other important implications for ocean chemistry – and marine life.

Oregon Sea Grant research projects

Oregon Sea Grant has committed nearly $2 million to nine research and outreach projects over the next two years, including investigations into hypoxia and ocean acidification, community tsunami preparedness, and the migration and diseases of native salmon. The competitive awards are funded by NOAA dollars awarded to the Oregon program as one of the nation’s 32 National Sea Grant College Programs.