Show your support to the OA-Africa network by joining the ocean acidification day on the June 8, 2017.
Ocean acidification is now identified as major threat to marine ecosystems and is one of the SDGs target: “14.3 Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels”. When it comes to understanding, projecting and anticipating the impacts of ocean acidification, some countries or even continents are left relatively unexplored. For example, no studies were performed on ocean acidification impacts along the coasts of Africa despite its biological and socio-economical vulnerability to future global changes.
This was the rationale behind the development of an ocean acidification Africa network. OA-Africa has been developed over three training courses (South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius) and recently launched at a recent ocean acidification capacity building and networking workshop in Dakar, Senegal (13 – 16 February 2017). Prominent researchers representing several African coastal countries discussed the coordination and regional priorities for ocean acidification activities on the continent. Broadly, the network aims to coordinate on ocean acidification related research and monitoring, provide information and guidance to stakeholders and policy makers, and promote and advance ocean research through outreach and capacity building initiatives.
The OA-Africa network is leading an African “ocean acidification day”. It was agreed that on the ocean day (June 8, 2017), scientists from all over Africa and in partner countries will join forced to measure pH at the same time, following the indicator of the SDG 14.3: “Average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations”. This initiative led by African scientists (Folasade Adeboyejo from Nigeria & Andry Herizo Rasolomaharavo from Madagascar) and facilitated by Sam Dupont (Sweden) and Martin Le Tissier (Ireland) will be broadly communicated through a national and international press and social media campaign.
Ocean acidification has no frontiers and you can support this initiative of the OA-Africa network by joining African scientist and:
Take a pH measurement on your coast on the June 8, 2017
Take a picture of the even and share the data on a large scale social media campaign
Contact the press to join the event (OA-Africa will provide a press release that will be available in several languages)
If you are interested and want to receive additional information, please contact sam.dupont(at)gu.se.
I am definitely in and participating in this day as a way of making awareness to the public and organisations significantly contributing to this threat to ocean and land life.