Note that the position is for 3 months, with possibility of extension for up to 2 years, subject to available funds. For some background information on the OA-ICC, please see http://www.iaea.org/nael/OA-ICC.

International Atomic Energy Agency, 21 May 2013. Job advert.

The event will kick off with a short film on ocean acidification featuring third generation ocean explorer Fabien Cousteau. Following the film, adults will join national and regional experts for a series of short presentations about ocean acidification.

Fun, hands-on activities that teach about the importance of a healthy ocean are planned for children (ages 5 and up) while their parents are viewing the film and engaged in the presentations.

Dr. Dwight Gledhill from NOAA’s ocean acidification program, Dr. Joe Salisbury from UNH, and Ben Cowie-Haskell from the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary are among the experts who will talk about ocean acidification, its impact on the oceans and what we can do to help decrease this problem.

Ocean acidification is the process of the lowering of pH of the ocean, making it more acidic. The burning of fossil fuels has caused an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the earth’s atmosphere and approximately a quarter of the excess CO2 is absorbed by the ocean. Over the last decade, scientists have discovered that the excess CO2 is changing the chemistry of the ocean and proving harmful for many forms of marine life.

World Oceans Day gives people across the globe the opportunity to pause and reflect on the critical role the ocean has in sustaining our planet. This event will help the entire family better understand that the things people do every day have an impact on the health of the ocean and that the health of the ocean has an impact on their daily lives.

Participants are welcome to bring a picnic and enjoy lunch by the seaside after the event.

There is no cost to attend the event, but registration is required. To sign up, please call SSC Education Director Perrin Chick at 603-436-8043, ext. 17 or visit www.neracoos.org/WOD2013 to register and for directions.

fosters.com, 23 May 2013. Article.

Poore A. G. B., Graba-Landry A., Favret M., Sheppard Brennand H., Byrne M. & Dworjanyn S. A., in press. Direct and indirect effects of ocean acidification and warming on a marine plant–herbivore interaction. Oecologia. Article (subscription required).

CORE, May 2013. More information.

We make emphasis in the development of rich and complete metadata using international standards (e.g., ISO 19115-2) including acknowledgement and reference to the data providers and data quality documentation. Our metadata templates include metadata available at data acquisition centers such as CDIAC, BCO-DMO, CCHDO. In addition, we plan to work in cooperation with the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center (OA-ICC). Before you send your data to NODC, we recommend that you contact us at NODC.Ocean.Acidification(at)noaa.gov to facilitate your data submission.

Index

The outline below is meant to guide you through submitting your ocean acidification data and metadata to NODC for long-term archival. Please contact us with any questions or comments at NODC.Ocean.Acidification(at)noaa.gov, nodc.dataofficer(at)noaa.gov. This document is available also in PDF (OADS Data Submission Guideline April 30, 2013).

• Sending data to NODC for long-term archival, discovery, and access
• Preparing your collection level metadata
• Archival, access, and discovery of embargoed data (restricted access)
• Attribution of data and Digital Object Identifiers
• Data file format preparation
• Data file organization preparation
• What to expect once you data have been submitted to NODC for archival
• To Update your data set after it is submitted to NODC
• What to do if you want NODC to submit your data to one or more data acquisition centers (DACs)?
• What to do if you submitted your data to a data acquisition center (DAC) and not to NODC?
• To Update your data set after it is submitted to NODC

1. Sending data to NODC for long-term archival, discovery, and access

   You can send your data to NODC in a variety of ways. While not mandatory, we prefer that you send your data via File Transfer Protocol (FTP). We have set up a dedicated ftp address for submission of NOAA OAP data to NODC at ftp://ftp.nodc.noaa.gov/pub/incoming/oads/

   FTP:

   • Enter “ftp ftp.nodc.noaa.gov”
   • When prompted for name, enter “anonymous” (use lower case)
   • When prompted for password, enter your e-mail address
   • When logged on, change directory to “pub/incoming/oads” by entering: “cd pub/incoming/incoming/oads/” (Note: You will not be able to create a new directory)
   • Change transfer type to ASCII by entering “ascii” if the data files are text. If the file is an image file, or a special PC format (word processor, spread sheet, presentation graphics) do not change the type to ascii, but make sure the transfer type is binary by entering “bin”
   • Use “put filename”, where “filename” is the name of your file, or for multiple files use “mput *.*” or “mput *” to transmit the data files. When transferring multiple files you can turn off the prompt for each filename by typing “prompt” before you type the “mput” command
   • After completion of file transmission, enter “ls” to obtain a list of files that were sent, both by you and other recent data submitters
   • Enter “bye” to log off
   • Send an e-mail message to NODC.Ocean.Acidification(at)noaa.gov, nodc.dataofficer(at)noaa.gov to let us know that ocean acidification related data were submitted for archival at NODC. Please describe your exact submission procedures and anything else you would like us to know about the data

2. Preparing your collection level metadata

   Following NOAA’s directives for management of environmental data and information (e.g., NOAA’s Administrative Order 212-15), our OADS team has developed rich and detailed descriptive metadata templates using the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Metadata standard (ISO 19115-2 extension of 19115) to make the online data easily discoverable, shareable, usable, and understandable for the long-term.

   In situ observational data: To the extent possible, please prepare your OA metadata according to the OADS Observational Metadata Content Standard templates:

   Ideally, you should send your metadata to NODC using our OA metadata submission text template] [see Example for the text template] [See Instructions about the metadata terms in the text template]

   Alternatively, if you have experience using Extensible Markup Language (xml) files, you could send your collection level metadata using our [XML (ISO 19115-2) template].

   Remarks: (a) Please make sure to document the pH scale used (e.g., NBS, total, free, seawater, etc) if pH data are provided (e.g., Dickson et al. 2007). (b) Please note that our current metadata standard for observational OA data includes a place where the data provider can enter information describing data quality (e.g., WOCE bottle quality flags, IODE Ocean Data Standards: Recommendation for a Quality Flag Scheme for the Exchange of Oceanographic and Marine Meteorological Data).

   Experimental or biological response data: We are in the initial stages of developing metadata appropriate for experimental or biological response data. A draft metadata content template is under review: [MS Word] [PDF format]

   A US inter-agency ocean acidification parameter vocabulary group was formed with the goal to create an ocean acidification parameter list to facilitate OA data sharing. The approved ocean acidification parameters are published in the Interagency Ocean Acidification Parameter list hosted by the Marine Metadata Interoperability (MMI) project. Individual parameters terms, definitions, recomended units, and references can be accessed via html and content negotiation. For example, the variable Dissolved Inorganic carbon (DIC) can be accessed in different web semantic standards such as html, rdf, n3, json

3. Archival, access, and discovery of embargoed data

   NODC follows an open data access policy. However, NODC will archive restricted access NOAA funded OA data when data access restrictions are specified for a finite amount of time (e.g. 6 months, 1 year, etc.). Data with online access restrictions archived at NODC will be inaccessible to the public but the metadata will be made available and discoverable through NODC data access search interfaces (e.g., geoportal). Metadata will indicate the date after which any restricted data will be released and made publicly accessible online without restrictions. The metadata will include the contact information for the data producer (e.g., Principal Investigators) so that interested users can contact the producer to request access to the data prior to the public release date and for any questions.

4. Attribution of data and Digital Object Identifiers

   We want to make every effort to help ensure recognition to PIs data providers by providing permanent identifiers (e.g., Digital Object Identifiers) to their data and for the citation of that data. The NOAA Environmental Data Management Committee (EDMC) and the Data Management Integration Team (DMIT) initiated a pilot project to assign digital object identifiers but a formal implementation procedure for requesting and assigning DOI’s is not yet in place yet as of April 01, 2013. In addition to assigning a unique NODC accession number and maintaining data version control of the data in our archive, OADS plans to assign a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to every NOAA funded OA data set received once a plan is implemented in accordance with NOAA policy. While this plan is implemented, the OADS metadata template preparation provides rich documentation about data attribution. OADS explores adopting additional strategies to further ensure data attribution following current best practices for data publication (e.g., Leadbetter et al, 2013).

5. Data file format preparation

   No specific ocean acidification data format is required. However, to help ensure that no information is lost in translation from your native data file format to an archival format and that NODC can port your data to new digital systems over the long-term, we recommend ASCII character encoding (e.g., comma-separated values (CSV), text columns) or NetCDF file format. Please avoid the use of commercial proprietary data file formats.

   The use of a widely used file format such as NetCDF is encouraged because it improves the long-term access, portability, and use of the data. NODC has developed feature type NetCDF templates (see feature type templates and examples). These templates conform to Unidata’s NetCDF Attribute Convention for Dataset Discovery (ACDD) and NetCDF Climate and Forecast (CF) conventions.

6. Data file organization preparation

   No data file organization is required. If you plan to an ASCII and/or NetCDF file formats, we recommend the following guidelines to organize your data:

   In situ observational data:

   If you plan to use an ASCII file format and organize your data following column headers, we suggest using:

   • Underway data: Column header names description (data file (csv) example)
   • Profile data (e.g., CTD, discrete bottle water samples, etc): Column header names description (data file (csv) example)
   • Mooring data (e.g., buoys): Column header names description (data file (csv) example)

   If you plan to use NetCDF, we suggest using our NODC NetCDF templates. Please feel free to leave out variables that you did not collect or include variables that you collected but are not listed in this guidance. Please properly distinguish ‘missing values’ from ‘zero values’.

   Experimental/biological response data: Guidelines in preparation

   Model data: Guidelines in preparation

7. What to expect once you data have been submitted to NODC for archival

   Once your OA data and metadata are submitted, your data will be prepared for long-term archival and optimized for OA data discovery and access through our NODC web services (e.g., Geoportal, Live Access Server, OPeNDAP services) and data products such as the World Ocean Database where appropriate (See Archival and Access to Embargoed Data)

8. To Update your data set after it is submitted to NODC

   Should any changes be needed to a data set that you have submitted, please send an e-mail message to: NODC.Ocean.Acidification@noaa.gov, nodc.dataofficer@noaa.gov to let us know

9. What to do if you want NODC to submit your data to one or more data acquisition centers (DACs)?

   If you submit your data set to NODC, we will arrange to notify and transfer if appropriate a copy of the data set to data acquisition centers (e.g., CDIAC) after your submission with your permission. To help us do that, please send an email to NODC.Ocean.Acidification@noaa.gov, as soon as the data submission is complete. In the email, please describe:

   • Title of your data set, and any other data set identifiers if available (e.g., NODC accession number, DOI, location, etc)
   • Which data acquisition center you want NODC to contact to notify and submit if appropriate your data with your explicit permission
   • Date and time of your data submission
   • A point of contact for future communication concerning this data set (OADS staff will contact your research group for additional questions if any)

10. What to do if you submitted your data to a data acquisition center (DAC) and not to NODC?

    If you submit your data set to a DAC, we will arrange with the data center to transfer a copy of the data set to NODC after your submission with your permission. To help us do that, please send an email to NODC.Ocean.Acidification@noaa.gov, as soon as the data submission is complete. In the email, please describe:

    • Title of your data set, and any other data set identifiers if available (e.g., DOI)
    • Which data center you submitted your data to
    • Date and time of your data submission
    • A point of contact for future communication concerning this data set (OADS staff will contact your research group for additional questions iof any)

The ocean is awe-inspiring. We were born of it, and it gives us life by producing much of the oxygen we breathe and the water we drink.

It is mysterious and vast. No wonder we speak of emptying oceans with teaspoons to describe impossible tasks.

Yet, unfathomably, we have accomplished the impossible. We have changed the basic chemistry of the oceans — drop by drop — in such a profound way that we may be destroying a web of life that we depend upon for our very existence. Those ocean creatures should be wary of us — not the other way around.

Scientists are concerned that we are changing the ocean’s chemistry so rapidly that we are outstripping the evolutionary pace of many organisms to adapt.

The change we’ve introduced is called ocean acidification.

HOW DOES THE SCIENCE WORK?

The basic science is pretty straightforward: Since the industrial revolution, humans have been pumping ever increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. Some of that CO2 is absorbed by the ocean, where it dissolves to form carbonic acid.

The ocean today absorbs nearly a third of the carbon dioxide we produce, probably mitigating the impact of climate change. But the ocean has absorbed so much CO2 that overall acidity levels are rising, and at a much faster rate than previously thought.

More acidic water makes it harder — and ultimately impossible — for some creatures like oysters, corals, and mussels to form shells, which are made largely from the calcium carbonate, plain old chalk, that occurs naturally in seawater. That’s why acidification is sometimes referred to as “osteoporosis of the sea.”

WHICH OCEAN CREATURES ARE AFFECTED BY ACIDIFICATION?

This process affects creatures up and down the food chain — from the tiny organisms that build the planet’s coral reefs and the plankton drifting with the ocean currents, all the way to the whales that feed on the plankton.

Also affected are the lentil bean-sized pteropods, delicate, balletic creatures that nourish many of the fish we then consume. In other words, the ability of all ocean life to sustain itself is being compromised.

Scientists have been surprised at how sensitive plants and animals are to even small changes in CO2 levels. For many creatures, acid is deadly. Their shells disintegrate. And many scientists are concerned that we are changing the ocean’s chemistry faster than many organisms can adapt.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE OCEANS LOOK LIKE?

Because the science is fairly new, we still do not fully understand the long-term effect of increasingly acidic oceans. The ocean is a complex, integrated, self-regulating system; how it will change is hard to predict.

As we conduct this uncontrolled experiment on two-thirds of the planet, scientists are racing to find ways to make the ocean more resilient.

The Obama administration signaled its commitment to acidification research. There is no controversy surrounding the science underlying the acidification of the ocean.

There is no question about where the CO2 is coming from. There is no question about how the chemistry works.

And there is only one known way to stop acidification: to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.

The more we reduce now, the less severe, and costly, the future consequences.

WHAT CAN MOMS DO TO HELP?

BECOME AN ADVOCATE for fighting climate change with enormous reductions of our carbon emissions.

DEMAND comprehensive legislation that cuts carbon emissions.

And go ahead, take a swim. Bathe in those natal waters, and give thanks for the life they support. The ocean has the capacity to heal itself much faster than one teaspoon at a time.

We need to give it that chance. We would be doing ourselves a big favor — giving our grandchildren a chance to inhabit a livable planet.

Moms Clean Air Force, May 2013. Armed with the Facts guide.

Ivanina A. V., Dickinson G. H., Matoo O. B., Bagwe R., Dickinson A., Beniash E. & Sokolova I. M., in press. Interactive effects of elevated temperature and co2 levels on energy metabolism and biomineralization of marine bivalves Crassostrea virginica and Mercenaria mercenaria. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Article (subscription required).

To aid planning efforts for submission evaluation for this Ocean Challenge as well as planning for future projects, responses to a three-question survey are requested from the community.  Please take a moment to provide feedback by June 5, 2013 here.

The deadline for concept submissions is July 31, 2013. Further information is available here.

A study of survivors of the extinction provides unique insight into the response of deep-sea calcifiers to past episodes which resemble the potential future consequences of fossil fuel CO2 emissions. The organisms, contrary to expectations from experiments, actually increased the thickness of their shells during ocean acidification, with organisms living buried within the sediment able to survive better than forms living on the sediment surface.

The research, by scientists from the University of Bristol (UK) and Yale University (USA), is reported in this week’s early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science.

The team used Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (SRXTM) at the TOMCAT beamline at the Swiss Light source, Paul Scherer Institute (Switzerland) to generate high resolution (0.37 µm), 3D images of deep-sea benthic foraminifera, unicellular organisms which make fossil shells of about the size of the full-stop at the end of this sentence.

This non-destructive technique was used to understand the effects of ocean acidification on the growth of deep-sea calcifiers during the massive ocean acidification of the PETM, when an estimated 35-50 per cent of deep-sea benthic foraminifera went extinct. The team studied the most common surviving species, evaluating what might have enabled them to cope with extreme ocean acidification. The PETM has been described as one of the best analogues for anthropogenic carbon emissions, despite its rate of emission estimated at an order of magnitude slower than today’s.

Dr Laura Foster, first author of the paper, and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, explained: “We use state-of-the-art techniques to virtually section foraminifera, and gain insight in their shell construction, duration of life and mode of reproduction. We have much to learn about and from single-celled organisms, which serve as monitoring organisms for deep-sea calcifiers in general, and their response to past ocean acidification. They are a crucial part of the huge deep-sea oceanic ecosystem, and understanding what happened to them during acidification in the past is critical to improving projections on the effects of future climate change.”

Dr Daniela Schmidt, a Royal Society Research Fellow at Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences, added: “Short-term experiments cannot provide information on ways in which organisms can acclimatise, adapt or evolve in the long term. We used the geological record to examine the impact of multiple stressors, such as changes in carbonate chemistry and temperature, to provide information on how organisms adapt to large CO2 releases.”

Professor Ellen Thomas from Yale University, co-author on the paper and currently a visiting Leverhulme Professor at the University of Bristol added: “The calcite shells of benthic foraminifera are widely used to measure trace elements and isotopes used to reconstruct such parameters as temperature and carbonate saturation. The methods developed at the University of Bristol to gain insight in the 3D structure of microscopic fossils are crucial in increasing understanding of such environmental proxies, as well as the organisms themselves.”

University of Bristol, 22 May 2013. Press release.

Foster L. C., Schmidt D. N., Thomas E., Arndt S. & Ridgwell A., in press. Surviving rapid climate change in the deep sea during the Paleogene hyperthermals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA. Article (subscription required).