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The pH scale and the chemistry of ocean acidification

Published 24 November 2021 Courses and training , Educational Materials , Resources , Web sites and blogs Closed
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Ocean acidification provides a useful and engaging context to explore your learners’ understanding of the pH scale

This resource explores the concept of changing pH linked to ocean acidification and can be used as a worksheet to aid understanding during the lesson or as homework. Extension questions provide more challenge and delve into other aspects of chemistry linked to ocean acidification. They lead to a research task where learners can present what they have learnt to explain some of the consequences of ocean acidification on marine organisms.

Sustainability in chemistry

The Sustainable Development Goals logo

This resource accompanies the Education in Chemistry article Tie ocean acidification into your chemistry topics where you will find more support and suggestions for how to connect your current chemistry teaching with UN sustainable development goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. Use the goal to add further context to this resource.

Teacher notes

The download includes answers to all of the questions in the worksheet. 

Question 4 gives learners an opportunity to apply their knowledge and practise a longer-answer question. A structure strip to support this question is provided. Structure strips give scaffolded prompts and help overcome ‘fear of the blank page’. Learners stick the strip into the margin of their exercise book, or a sheet of A4 paper, and write alongside it. Read more in Improve students’ understanding through writing.

A student sheet and teacher notes available as PDFs or MS Word docs. Download All

The extension questions provide further challenge for learners within the topic. Question 7c asks learners to consider equilibrium and they may need a prompt to think about Le Chatelier’s principle if attempting this question.

Question 9 asks learners to undertake further research and present their findings as a poster or infographic, you could suggest alternative formats for this. You could also give learners more of a scaffold with prompts, eg:

  • Choose a sea creature that will be affected by ocean acidification.
  • State why that creature is affected.
  • Identify what might happen to other creatures, either who eat this organism or who are eaten by it.
  • Use the information on carbonic acid in this worksheet to help you include the chemistry behind your points.

The references below contain a wealth of information, in an accessible form for learners and you may wish to give these, either as a starting point or for sole use in this piece of work.

Link carbon-neutral alternatives to your lessons on ocean acidification and enhance your teaching in this topic area with the articles in this series on Goals 7 (sustainable energy) and 8 (biofuels).

…

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Curso regional de capacitación y entrenamiento sobre medición del sistema de carbonatos para la evaluación del indicador de acidez media del mar (ODS 14.3.1) (in Spanish)

Published 9 November 2021 Courses and training Closed

Enroll

“In the framework of the long-standing collaboration between Monaco Environment Laboratories and IOC-UNESCO, and with the support of INVEMAR of Colombia, a regional training course on the measurement of carbonate systems as an indicator of mean marine acidity (ODS 14.3.1) was developed  under the ongoing technical cooperation project RLA7025, carried out at the IOC-UNESCO Ocean Teacher Global Academy platform.

This training aimed to provide knowledge and tools to 68 specialists from the region in sampling and chemical analysis of pH, total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon of coastal waters, following a standardized protocol developed by REMARCO in the region for SDG 14.3.1 reporting.

Along with the technical experts, this training course involved the participation of SDG 14 national focal points, who were trained on how to prepare and validate content for SDG 14.3.1 data reporting.

The training course is hosted on the IOC/UNESCO Global Ocean Teacher Academy platform and will therefore be accessible as an e-learning course for all specialists in the region.”

Links:

  1. INVEMAR | Colombia 50% Mar
  2. INVEMAR | Colombia 50% Mar
Continue reading ‘Curso regional de capacitación y entrenamiento sobre medición del sistema de carbonatos para la evaluación del indicador de acidez media del mar (ODS 14.3.1) (in Spanish)’

Human impact on coral

Published 27 September 2021 Courses and training , Events Closed

In this live lesson, students will speak with a coral scientist about how human behaviour affects the coral ecosystem, and conduct two short investigations into how increased carbon dioxide levels are harming reefs.

PART OF: AXA CORAL LIVE 2021

Learning Outcomes

  • Insight into the work of a marine scientist
  • Explore how human activity is affecting the reef
  • Understand how changes in the environment can harm individual organisms and cause entire species to go extinct

Preparation

If you have never joined a live lesson before, see the guidance hub, where you will find technical and educational support.

Live lessons work best when students have some prior knowledge and have prepared questions. You can select from any of the STEAM activities in the Coral Oceans collection or teach the one-off Coral Live prep lesson.

This lesson is based around the Ocean acidification in a cup and Dissolving coral in vinegar activities and if your students are following live, you will need to gather these activity resources in advance.

Questions generated by your class can be submitted via the Encounter Live tab in your Encounter Edu profile.

Session outline

1. Introduction (5 mins)

Maisy will open the session with a welcome and brief introduction to the expedition.

2. Subject knowledge (15 mins)

Maisy will ask about how human activity is harming coral reefs and introduce students to some of the threats to the coral reef including coral bleaching, ocean acidification and coastal developments.

3. Activity (15 mins)

Maisy will begin demonstrating the two activities, Ocean acidification in a cup and Dissolving coral in vinegar. Students can follow along in real-time. During this time, you can submit your students’ questions via the Live chat.

4. Q&A (15 mins)

After completing the activity Maisy will answer some of the questions students have submitted before suggesting other Coral Live activities you might like to try.

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New ocean acidification training hub launched to tackle growing threat

Published 17 September 2021 Courses and training , Web sites and blogs Closed
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Pacific Islands scientists during an ocean acidification training workshop in Suva, Fiji
Image credit: The Ocean Foundation

A new Suva-based Regional Ocean Acidification Training Hub launched today will combat ocean acidification and its effects in the Pacific region.

Ocean acidification is caused by fossil fuels releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere which is then absorbed by the ocean. This CO2 when combined with seawater produces carbonic acid, which turns the seawater more acidic, a process called ocean acidification.

The earth’s oceans are absorbing more carbon dioxide (CO2) than ever before, becoming 30% more acidic over the last 250 years and projected to acidify by 150- 200% by 2100.

Ocean acidification intensifies coral bleaching and interrupts the lifecycle of shellfish, affecting fish and other large marine creatures and the entire marine food chain. And with coral reefs facing bleaching due to warmer seas and damage from pollution, ocean acidification is making things worse. 

“People in the Pacific depend on the ocean for their livelihoods”, said Dr Katy Soapi, Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science (PCCOS) Coordinator.

“Every additional tonne of CO2 emission will lead to increased levels of ocean acidification and this will have huge impacts on coral reefs, shellfish, our food security, biodiversity, tourism and fisheries”, said Dr Soapi.

The Ocean Acidification Training Hub will enhance and sustain ocean acidification monitoring and research capacity in the region. Through mentoring, skills development and training, the hub will equip the Pacific region with the skills necessary to successfully implement a region-wide ocean acidification observing programme.

“We will also have two Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) in a box kits for analysis of ocean acidification that will be used by the Hub for training.  There will also be five kits given as grants to eligible countries to develop their capacity in this area. These box kits contain everything needed to analyse and monitor ocean acidification,” said Dr Soapi.

Over the next three years the Hub will offer training courses on ocean acidification through the Ocean Teachers Global Academy training platform, ocean acidification monitoring equipment grants, and a number of Masters Student Fellowships for Pacific Islanders researchers.

“Having the Ocean Acidification Training Hub based in Suva means we can develop and share the knowledge and skills needed to deal with this issue. This is just the start, this Hub will have huge benefits for people in the region”, said Alexis Valauri-Orton, Program Manager with The Ocean Foundation.  

The Hub will be managed by the Pacific Community (SPC) and co-hosted with the Institute of Applied Science at the University of the South Pacific, in partnership with the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and the University of Otago.

For further information on the hub, please contact Dr Katy Soapi katysspc.int”>katys@spc.int.

Continue reading ‘New ocean acidification training hub launched to tackle growing threat’

Tie ocean acidification into your chemistry topics

Published 5 August 2021 Courses and training , Educational Materials , Resources , Web sites and blogs Closed
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Link UN sustainable development goal 14 to your teaching of dissolved ions, acids and the pH scale

A digital illustration of a swimming turtle with a 14 on its shell
Help your students see the impact that excess carbon dioxide has on the world’s oceans. Source: © hitandrun/Debut Art

Students at 14–16 will be familiar with the composition of the atmosphere and that carbon dioxide is one of the most significant greenhouse gases. The chemistry of the atmosphere and the impact of human activity on climate change is a key area of the 14–16 curriculum.

This article is part of the Sustainability in chemistry series, developed to help you integrate the UN’s sustainable development goals into your teaching of chemistry. It supports Goal 14: conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The oceans play a vital role in atmospheric chemistry by ‘mopping up’ some of the excess carbon dioxide we produce. They cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and have absorbed about a third of the carbon dioxide emitted since the industrial revolution. This links with Goal 14: conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

Put it in context

Goal 14 is a good chance to introduce an important context when teaching about the atmosphere and climate change, because people tend to focus on the air around us. They’ll consider emissions from cars and factories and understand the importance of trees in the rainforest, but often ignore interactions between the atmosphere and oceans.

Student worksheet, for age range 14–16

Use this worksheet to explore and develop understanding of the pH scale and apply it in the context of ocean acidification. Extension questions provide more challenge and delve into other aspects of chemistry linked to ocean acidification, leading to a research task on the consequences for marine organisms.

Download the student worksheet as MS Word or pdf and the teacher notes (including answers) as MS Word or pdf.

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Virtual workshop 2021: session 1 talk 2, essential ocean variables

Published 16 April 2021 Courses and training Closed
An introduction to sustained ocean observations and Essential Ocean Variables as a system to improve scientific knowledge about the ocean climate and ecosystems, human impact, and human vulnerability.
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Virtual workshop 2021: session 2 talk 1, monitoring ocean acidification equipment

Published 16 April 2021 Courses and training Closed
Overview of how to assemble and connect Ocean Acidification monitoring equipment. The focus will be on pH sensor connectivity, downloading the data files, and familiarising yourself with the suite of cables.
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Virtual workshop 2021: session 3 talk 2 monitoring ocean acidification, learning from the data

Published 16 April 2021 Courses and training Closed
We will present some of the data collected from CMEP OA Kits so far and discuss how this data has been used to identify drivers of pH on Barrier Reefs.
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Virtual workshop 2021: session 3 talk 1 monitoring ocean acidification data processing (video & text)

Published 16 April 2021 Courses and training Closed
We will demonstrate how to process, quality control and analyse the data collected by the pH and CTDO sensors. We will also give you some recommendations on how to present your data when writing reports.
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State legislation on ocean & coastal acidification webinar (video)

Published 24 November 2020 Courses and training , Events , Science Closed

March 19, 2020, from 2pm – 4 pm Eastern

Holly Galavotti, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Mike Molnar, Coastal States Organization; Justine Kimball, Ph.D, Senior Program Manager, California Ocean Protection Council; Caren Braby, Marine Resources Program Manager, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; Donald Witherill, Director, Division of Environmental Assessment, Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Summary: Ocean and coastal acidification threatens marine ecosystems and the coastal communities that rely on them. The U.S. EPA’s Ocean and Coastal Acidification Program promotes awareness and conducts research and long-term monitoring to mitigate impacts of acidification and develop solutions. States play a critical role in guarding their coastlines against local causes of acidification.

Hear from three states who have successfully enacted state legislation on ocean and coastal acidification as they share their experience and discuss actions that have been implemented to address acidification in their state.

Flyer for the State Legislation on Ocean & Coastal Acidification Webinar

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Communicating OA science to policy makers (webinar recording)

Published 28 October 2020 Courses and training , Presentations Closed

On October 20 and 21, the OA Alliance and The Ocean Foundation co- hosted a Communications Workshop for OA Scientists.

This virtual workshop provided an overview of best practices in communicating OA science to decision and policy makers and other stakeholders, drawing upon lessons learned and experiences from our national and subnational government members.  It also described how governments are increasingly tackling ocean acidification through legislation, climate action strategies and other international frameworks and specifically—exploring how scientists and in-region stakeholders can most effectively contribute to those processes.

This workshop was meant for scientists working on ocean acidification who are interested in learning how to interact with policymakers.

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Call for applications: Climate change and acidification of the Mediterranean Sea – from air-sea interactions to the impacts on marine ecosystems

Published 24 February 2020 Courses and training Closed

Dates: 16 Apr 2020 to 24 Apr 2020

Venue: ENEA Station for Climate Observations and Marine Protected Area of Isole Pelagie, Lampedusa, Italy

This course is organized by ENEA – Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – in cooperation with IAEA – Ocean Acidification Coordination Centre and the University of Gent, and within and in collaboration with the marine Protected Area of Isole Pelagie. The aim of the School is to promote multilateral cooperation amongst different partners through training and research of young scientists from European and Developing Countries, on the theme of Climate Change. Being the education the core of the programme, this school will be based on multidisciplinary inputs in Climate Change research and didactics, considering three main compartments, Atmosphere, Ocean and Marine Ecosystems.

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Scientists learn how to monitor ocean acidification during IAEA training course

Published 6 December 2019 Courses and training Closed

DSC_0868.JPG

Photo credit: IAEA

Fifteen participants from three different IAEA Technical Cooperation projects met this week at the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco to receive training on ocean acidification monitoring. Participants learned how to measure pH and total alkalinity using a set of simplified methodologies developed by The Ocean Foundation, the IAEA OA-ICC and experts in the field in the framework of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing network (GOA-ON). The training aimed to empower participants to start ocean acidification monitoring in their countries, report toward the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.3.1 on ocean acidification, and, ultimately, to inspire mitigation and adaptation actions. The course included both lectures and practical sessions on carbonate chemistry, sampling design and data quality and assurance, as well as biological impacts, experimental design, and opportunities for international networking and collaboration.

Continue reading ‘Scientists learn how to monitor ocean acidification during IAEA training course’

Call for applications: Climate change and acidification of the Mediterranean Sea: from air-sea interactions to the impacts on marine ecosystems

Published 7 November 2019 Courses and training Closed

This course is organized by ENEA – Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – in cooperation with IAEA – Ocean Acidification Coordination Centre and the University of Gent, and within and in collaboration with the marine Protected Area of Isole Pelagie. The aim of the School is to promote multilateral cooperation amongst different partners through training and research of young scientists from European and Developing Countries, on the theme of Climate Change. Being the education the core of the programme, this school will be based on multidisciplinary inputs in Climate Change research and didactics, considering three main compartments, Atmosphere, Ocean and Marine Ecosystems.

Continue reading ‘Call for applications: Climate change and acidification of the Mediterranean Sea: from air-sea interactions to the impacts on marine ecosystems’

Workshop for teachers: carbonated water – teaching climate science and ocean acidification

Published 16 September 2019 Courses and training Closed

A professional development workshop for middle and high school teachers.

Participants in this workshop will:
• Gain knowledge of climate change and ocean acidification in the Pacific Northwest
• Explore sources of local environmental data and work towards incorporating data into inquiry-based science learning experiences;
• Receive materials and activities included in the Ocean Sciences Sequence (OSS) curriculum on Climate Change developed by UC Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science
• Become familiar with and utilize Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to foster “three dimensional” learning through Cross Cutting Concepts, Core Disciplinary Ideas, and Science and Engineering Practices.

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Training course: Sistemas de carbonatos – documentación de conjuntos de datos, su análisis y visualización geográfica, en el marco del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 14.3 para minimizar los impactos de acidificación de los océanos (in Spanish)

Published 12 July 2019 Courses and training 1 Comment

Summary

El curso proporcionará las herramientas necesarias para evaluar la calidad de los datos QA/QC que permitan seleccionar sólo aquellos que cumplan con la calidad requerida para el indicador ODS 14.3.1. Aplicar las mejores prácticas para estandarizar y organizar los datos de acuerdo a la metodología 14.3.1. Identificar cuales son las herramientas de análisis más apropiadas y utilizarlas adecuadamente. Por último los participantes aprenderán a visualizar los resultados de los análisis de manera que sean entendibles para públicos no especializados, incrementando las capacidades en los países para reportar el indicador.
Continue reading ‘Training course: Sistemas de carbonatos – documentación de conjuntos de datos, su análisis y visualización geográfica, en el marco del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 14.3 para minimizar los impactos de acidificación de los océanos (in Spanish)’

Workshop announcement: underway and sensor CO2 data and metadata quality control procedures

Published 12 March 2019 Courses and training , Events Closed

When: 1-3 April 2019

Where: Sopot, Poland

Description: It is a fundamental requirement when investigating major issues like global change to have absolute confidence in the quality of the data utilized in the process. Due to the fundamental role of surface ocean CO2 data in such investigations, significant effort has gone over the past
decade into developing techniques and methodologies that allow globally coherent quality control of this data. The goal of this workshop is to update the workshop participants on those protocols through a series of lectures and practicals given in the context of the most comprehensive surface ocean CO2 data set, the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas.

Participation: Registration is free and on a “first come – first served” basis to welcome 20 participants at maximum. To register please send an email by 22 March 2019 to Maciej Telszewski (m.telszewski@ioccp.org) and Karol Kulinski (kroll@iopan.pl) with your name, title and full affiliation as well as a brief description of your post in relation to the workshop agenda.

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Call for applications: OA-ICC/SCOR training course on best practices for ocean acidification experiments in multi-stressor scenarios, 24-28 June 2019, Monaco

Published 26 February 2019 Courses and training Closed

Deadline for applications through competent official authorities: 5 April 2019!

Location/Dates: IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco, 24-28 June 2019

Organizers: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Working Group 149.

Purpose:
The objectives of this training course are to become familiar with the modes of learning available in the new SCOR WG149 web-based best practice guide (to become available in April 2019). This best practice guide will provide a valuable platform to test methods and best practices for ocean acidification studies within a multi-stressor context that were developed at an IAEA Technical Meeting held in Monaco in June 2017.

Expected Outputs:
– Competency in the use of the new web-based best practices guide that can be passed on to others;
– New tools and best practices to study ocean acidification in conjunction with other stressors tested and adapted as necessary;
– Increased capacity by participants to study ocean acidification in a multi-stressor context; and
– New science collaborations among scientists attending the event.

Continue reading ‘Call for applications: OA-ICC/SCOR training course on best practices for ocean acidification experiments in multi-stressor scenarios, 24-28 June 2019, Monaco’

Call for applications: 2019 course on a suite of biogeochemical sensors

Published 8 January 2019 Courses and training Closed

Application deadline: 1 February 2019

Building on the success of the 2015 training course, IOCCP and EU BONUS INTEGRAL Project (Integrated carboN and TracE Gas monitoRing for the bALtic sea) are now organizing a 10-day international training course on “Instrumenting our ocean for better observation:a training course on a suite of biogeochemical sensors.” The course will be held on June 10-19, 2019 at the Sven Lovén Center for Marine Sciences, in Kristineberg, Sweden. This course responds to the growing demand of the global ocean observing system and the marine biogeochemistry community for expanding the correct usage and generation of information from a suite of autonomous biogeochemical sensors.

The goal of the course is to train the new generation of marine biogeochemists in the use of a suite of biogeochemical sensors and to assure the best possible quality of the data produced. The workshop will be limited to a total of 28 participants at a PhD / early postdoc level selected through a competitive process at the discretion of the organizers.

This intensive training course will provide trainees with lectures and hands-on field and laboratory experience with sensors (deployment, interfacing, troubleshooting and calibration), will provide in-depth knowledge on data reduction and quality control as well as data management. This course will also provide an overview on the use of remote sensing, modelling and intelligent data extrapolation techniques.

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PERSGA Member States trained on ocean acidification in Aqaba

Published 17 October 2018 Courses and training Closed

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Credit: PERSGA

A group of 26 participants representing 7 Member States (Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) of the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), had the opportunity to attend a 5-day introductory course on ocean acidification in Aqaba, Jordan from 30 September to 4 October 2018. This regional workshop was organized by PERSGA in partnership with the IAEA Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC), The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and the Marine Science Station (MSS)/University of Jordan and Yarmouk University.

The workshop sought to give participants entering the field of ocean acidification a solid overview of the topic, from the underlying chemistry to its impacts on marine organisms and ecosystems. It introduced methods used to monitor ocean acidification in the field, as well as approaches to assess the risk to marine life using lab experiments. An international group of experts shared their expertise in ocean acidification research through lectures and practical demonstrations.

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