Scientists deploy a CDT rosette that to collect water samples on ECOA-3. Credit: NOAA OMAO
The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program’s (OAP) fourth East Coast Ocean Acidification (ECOA-4) research mission set sail from Newport, RI today to assess ocean acidification and its impacts on marine resources. Over the next several weeks, researchers aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow will conduct an intensive survey of the Atlantic seaboard, from Florida to Canada’s waters. The team is led by the University of New Hampshire and joined by others at the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and University of Delaware for the duration of the mission through July 28th.
The predicted upcoming El Niño provides the ECOA-4 mission a unique opportunity to observe changes in ocean chemistry and impacts on ecosystems from surface to seafloor as conditions build. El Niño events bring warmer water, wetter conditions and alter severe weather patterns in the region. This could disrupt plankton communities, shift species distributions, and affect fisheries. A strong El Niño could raise sea surface temperatures 2°C (3.6°F) or more above average.
ECOA-4 provides an essential “snapshot” of the carbon system and ocean chemistry. Data collected during ECOA-4 “allow us to monitor decadal changes in the coastal ocean and validate regional ocean forecasts essential for decision support,” says OAP’s Acting Director Dwight Gledhill. OAP conducts ECOA cruises every four years on average. By measuring chemistry, biology and physics concurrently, researchers can better understand the complex environmental impacts on the East Coast.
Data collected during ECOA-4 are fundamental to the models and forecasts that resource managers and others use to protect valued regional industries. Key fisheries, such as the Atlantic sea scallop, are impacted by ocean acidification and warming and stand to benefit from improved models and predictions.
Ultimately, the high quality information from ECOA-4, combined with ongoing efforts across the East Coast, provide a more comprehensive understanding of ocean chemistry. Together, coastal communities and industries can better safeguard valuable marine ecosystems and livelihoods against the long-term challenges of ocean and coastal acidification.
NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP), 8 June 2026. Article.
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