5 December, 1-2 PM.
The Webinar will highlight opportunities to use citizen science in acidification monitoring. Speakers: Parker Gassett (University of Maine), Emily Rivest (VIMS) and Charlie Plybon and Mara Dias (Oregon Surfrider).
- Parker Gassett, University of Maine, will present on a project currently being conducted to fast track the Environmental Protection Agency’s soon to be released “Guidelines for monitoring changes in pH and associated carbonate chemistry of the coastal waters of the Eastern United States” to citizen science monitoring groups with the capacity to monitor the marine carbon system. The project is designing a “Train the Trainer” model of workshops and webinars for the spring of 2018 in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, and aim to collate a toolkit for coastal acidification monitoring for citizen scientists that can be transferred to other geographies.
- Emily Rivest, VIMS, will present on a project titled A citizen science initiative in global change ecology in the Chesapeake Bay. CSI Oyster was developed to generate paired datasets of biological and physical parameters in the lower Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Working with two high schools at a total of 7 sites, the project’s first goal is to evaluate methods for data collection by citizen scientists. The second goal is to determine what aspects of water quality affect oyster growth the most and if these drivers differ by location.
- Charlie Plybon and Mara Dias, Oregon Surfrider, will be presenting on some efforts underway in Oregon to use citizen science for acidification monitoring. Charlie will be presenting on Surfrider’s engagement and citizen science partnership placing pH monitoring units in Oregon’s Marine Reserves to study, educate and engage the public in ocean acidification. The project, spearheaded by Dr. Francis Chan of Oregon State University and the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO), brings together multiple community groups along the Oregon coast with the State’s leading researchers, state and federal agencies to monitor ocean acidification. Mara will be presenting on the Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force volunteer, water testing program. Through this program, citizen scientists are providing critical water quality information to protect public health at the beach, raise awareness of local pollution problems and to bring together communities to implement solutions.
Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN). More information and registration.
