Ocean Acidification

Fifteen years ago, oyster hatcheries on the West Coast faced an invisible crisis. Oyster larvae were dying by the billions from an unknown culprit, threatening a multi-million dollar industry and families’ livelihoods. Oyster growers turned to scientists to uncover the hidden threat – changing ocean chemistry that brought more corrosive waters to western shores.

Now, our nation is no longer flying blind. Congressional action empowered NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) to better understand ocean and coastal acidification (OA) and its ecological and economic impacts.

Highlights include:

• OAP’s work helps harvesters of the nation’s most valuable shellfish fisheries understand a changing ocean and how they can adapt to keep up production.
• OAP established the first-ever dedicated national ocean acidification observing network
• Our science has advanced from from collecting observations to putting them to use in models and forecasts that enable community and industry planning.
• OAP leads interagency coordination and outreach to on-the-ground communities most impacted by a ocean acidification.

Key Insight: Hatcheries on the West Coast were pumping in local water during upwelling, a natural process that has been delivering more corrosive waters to the surface due to OA. Technological advances allow hatcheries to measure acidity in real-time, and adjust the acidity of the water to protect oysters as they grow. Today, OAP helps growers prepare for continued OA from investigating practices from seawater to genes.

Recognizing the severe ecological and economic threats posed by OA, Congress passed the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act (FOARAM) of 2009, officially establishing NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program. Recently reauthorized under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, this mandate charged OAP with the critical mission to monitor ocean chemistry, understand its impacts on marine life, and give communities the information and tools they need to adapt.

From water chemistry to resilience

This year marks OAP’s fifteenth year on the frontlines of ocean acidification. Our understanding has evolved far beyond the initial identification of this ocean crisis. A robust observing network that powers modern forecasts now stands. This set the foundation to then unravel the complex sensitivities of many marine species, and deliver essential tools that communities rely on to secure their livelihoods and futures.

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NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, 16 October 2026. More information.