Ocean Acidification

Presented by R. Christopher Chambers, Research Fishery Biologist, NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, Highlands, New Jersey

Date & time: Tuesday, 21 April 2015, 12:00pm ET

Click here to register.

Elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and the acidification of Earth’s oceans are due largely to absorption by seawater of excess, atmospheric CO2 from fossil-fuel combustion. Evidence available about CO2 effects on fish suggests that effects differ across species and perhaps populations, and may interact with other stressors. Further, these differences may also be associated with life-history strategies, habitat use, and parental exposure. Today’s webinar summarizes experimental work from the NOAA Howard Laboratory on the effects of high CO2 on two species of flatfish from the NW Atlantic, winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus, and summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, that differ in life history and habitat. Overall, winter flounder displayed increased fertilization success and embryonic survival with increasing CO2 and decreasing temperature. The responses of winter flounder varied with the source of adults (Mid-Atlantic Bight, MAB vs Gulf of Maine, GOM) with offspring of GOM origin more tolerant to elevated CO2 than those from the MAB, but less tolerant to warmer water. Summer flounder exhibited reduced fertilization and embryonic survival with elevated CO2 and colder temperature. Population and species differences in early life-stage responses to elevated CO2 may influence the adaptation potential and persistence of these species at predicted levels of near-future climate change.

Continue reading ‘SOCAN webinar: “Effects of Elevated CO2 on the Early Life-Stages of Marine Fishes and Potential Consequences of Ocean Acidification”, 21 April 2015’

A seminar on the effects of ocean acidification manifested in the genetic inheritance in marine mollusks will be organized at the University of California Davis within the framework of the Bay Area Science Festival.

Date, time & location: Wednesday, 5 May 2015, 04:00 PM – 05:00 PM, UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory, 2099 Westside Rd, Lecture Hall, Bodega Bay, CA 94923

Speaker: Carolyn Friedman, School of Aquatic and Fishery Science, University of Washington

Open to the public, free of charge

Continue reading ‘Seminar: “Trans-generational effects of ocean acidification on marine molluscs”, May 2015, UC Davis, California’

Timing and venue: 19th-21st May 2015; National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOC), UK
Organisers: Susan Hartman and Caroline Kivimae, NOC / Pam Walsham, Marine Scotland Science, Koen Parmentier, MUMM and Joop Harmsen Alterra Wageningen UR

Aims of the workshop

1. To obtain a consistent approach to sampling, sample pre-treatment sample storage across the OSPAR contracting parties for all four carbonate parameters (TA / DIC / pCO2 / pH).
2. Discuss the key analytical techniques for all four carbonate chemistry parameter measurements; challenges, limitations and misconceptions affecting quality of results. The emphasis of the workshop will be on theparameters of TA/DIC since these are likely to progress to the OSPAR CEMP but considerations will also be given to pH and pCO2.
3. To obtain a consistent approach to the analysis of TA/DIC, and correct use of reference materials/standards across the OSPAR region.
4. The role of Quasimeme exercises in Quality assurance and Quality assessment.
5. Consider the limitations of reference materials across the OSPAR region i.e. salinity ranges, open oceans and coastal waters.
6. Address issues with calculation of data using the various software packages
7. Address data quality objectives needed for various assessment purposes. GOA-ON identified the need for two different levels of data quality to ensure the availability of data and permit assessment of short term variability as well as longer term trends.

Continue reading ‘Quasimeme Workshop on Quality Assurance for inorganic carbon system measurements in context of ocean acidification monitoring’

Dates and location: 2-10 September 2015, Regional Natural Park of Porto Venere, La Spezia, Italy
Language: English
Attendance and study mode: Campus / Full time
Available places: min 8 – max 15

The course aims to introduce students to the theme of global climate changes in the Mediterranean Sea and with particular emphasis to coralline algae, and bryozoans, biomineralizers from the Gulf of La Spezia. The course will held in the Regional Natural Park of Porto Venere (La Spezia, Italy) and it will be based on seminars and fieldwork activities. Students will be based on Palmaria Island for 10 days, where they will perform field work activities and attend seminars. Two-day visit at the ENEA Laboratory will be organized for showing to the students the experimental activities are conducted on taxa from the area under controlled conditions.

Seminars will focus on  the effects of climate changes on Mediterranean bioconstructors, with an introduction on Mediterranean marine chemistry, overview about the effects of acidification on Mediterranean biota and a special focus will be given coralline algae and bryozoans as model organisms in climate change studies.

Continue reading ‘Training course “Effects of Ocean Acidification and Global Warming on Mediterranean Marine Organisms: in situ and laboratory experiment on selected calcifying taxa”, September 2015, Italy’

SECOORA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Acidification Program facilitated the formation of the Southeast Ocean and Coastal Acidification Network (SOCAN) to support and encourage discussions on ocean and coastal acidification in the Southeast region. In line with this initiative, SOCAN is hosting a state-of-the-science webinar series on ocean acidification.

The first webinar took place on Tuesday March 10, 12pm ET. It was titled “A far-field view of ocean acidification in the South Atlantic Bight” and it was presented by Rik Wanninkhof, NOAA/AOML, Miami.

Continue reading ‘Webinar: “A far-field view of ocean acidification in the South Atlantic Bight” (video)’

The IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) aims to establish regional research and monitoring network on ocean acidification in the Western Pacific and its adjacent regions, and develop a regional program, as one regional component of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), to monitor the impacts of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems, mainly through a series of regional trainings & workshops, selection of pilot areas, and transfer of knowledge and technology among experts, institutions within and outside the region. To this end, upon the generous support of the National Commission of Thailand for UNESCO, the first regional training workshop was scheduled for 19-21 January 2015 with the host of the Phuket Marine Biological Center.

The workshop brought together 25 participants from 10 countries of the West Pacific region, with expertise in marine biology (with focus on coral reefs and coastal ecosystems) and marine chemistry (with a specialization in carbonate chemistry).

The first regional training workshop aimed to improve the understanding, and develop regional capability of research and monitoring on ocean acidification in the Western Pacific and its adjacent regions. It also sought to establish an ocean acidification monitoring and research network among scientists, institutions, and agencies in the region and share existing and proposed monitoring and research approaches, methods, and techniques, while identifying existing gaps.

Continue reading ‘WESTPAC Training Workshop on Research and Monitoring of the Ecological Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reef Ecosystems, Phuket, Thailand, 19-21 January 2015’

July 20 – August 22, 2015, Friday Harbor Laboratories, University Washington, USA

Review of applications begins February 1, 2015 (late applications may be accepted if places are available).

Enrollment limited to 15 students.

Objectives

The focus of teaching will be on interactive workshops and discussions of key issues, rather than traditional lectures (although there will be several of those too). Workshops and discussions will focus on critiques of key papers in the literature, which will be selected to present different viewpoints on key topics and engender debate. (As part of the course, you’ll be given guidance on the generic, and essential, skill of critically evaluating a scientific paper, and summarizing its content). In comparison to traditional lectures, this framework provides increased opportunity to anchor basic understanding and analysis methods, provides more flexibility to address key issues in the recent literature, allows us to tailor the content to material that is of relevance to your research, and is quite simply more fun.

Continue reading ‘Graduate student course: Research Methods in Ocean Acidification, July – August 2015, University of Washington’

The Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) and the Millennium Institute of Oceanography and the Center for the Study of Multiple-Drivers on Marine Socio-Ecological Systems (MUSELS) at the Universidad de Concepción sponsored and coordinated an ocean acidification workshop on 9-16 November 2014 at the Universidad de Concepción Field Station, Dichato, Chile. Nineteen students, with a breakdown of 7 male to 12 female, from 7 Latin American countries (Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Mexico and Columbia) participated. Students ranged from those who were in the process of obtaining their Masters or PhD degrees, postdoctoral students, and researchers/faculty. Students represented multiple sub-disciplines of biology and chemistry in oceanography.

Continue reading ‘Latin-American Workshop on Ocean Acidification (LAOCA), 9-16 November 2014, Dichato, Chile’

Wednesday, September 24, 7a-8am Alaska Time

Sponsor: SOARCE webinar series, NOAA NMS and OAP

Speaker: Alexis Bunten, The FrameWorks Institute

Abstract: Did you ever wonder just what is in peoples’ heads that causes them to reach the wrong conclusions (despite the provision of accurate information) about the environmental issues that affect our lives? This webinar shares the latest findings from cognitive research conducted by the FrameWorks Institute about how to communicate the issue of ocean acidification to the public. In this webinar, you will learn the widely shared cultural schemas that shape Americans’ preconceived biases around the issue of ocean acidification. These pervasive patterns of thought, called “cultural models,” prevent Americans from understanding of the cause and solution to ocean acidification. Researchers at the FrameWorks Institute tested ways to best communicate ocean acidification to the public using explanation and metaphor. The results of FrameWorks rigorous descriptive and experimental research process will be presented along with opportunities to practice and ask questions. Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/525163738. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Continue reading ‘Webinar: “How to frame the issue of ocean acidification”, 24 September 2014’

Deadline for registration: 30 September 2014!

Location: Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences – Kristineberg, Sweden

Organisers: Sam Dupont, CeMEB & Piero Calosi, Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), Canada

The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary (CeMEB) invites PhD students and postdocs from all over the world to gather for one week in a stimulating environment to discuss how climate change (including global warming, ocean acidification, hypoxia) affects evolutionary rules that shape ocean ecosystem.

What determines species-sensitivity to future environmental stressors and how does it relates to species recent evolutionary history? What life-history strategies will be selected in future ocean? How can we assess a species adaptation potential? What is the role of phenotypic plasticity in species resilience? What will be evolutionary rules in future oceans? What is the role of ecological interactions in future ecosystem changes?

Your applications should include a short description of your research interest and why you would like to participate, max one A4 page, and CV with publication list.

Send your application to: eva.marie.rodstrom@gu.se . You will be notified about results of selection by 10th October.

Continue reading ‘CeMEB Advanced Courses 2014: “Marine evolution under climate change”, 30 November – 7 December 2014, Sweden’

Scientists and Teachers in Education Partnerships (STEPs) is back with another free summer workshop to introduce educators to current research underway on the science and impacts of climate change and ocean acidification in the College of Earth, Oceanographic, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. Join researchers Andreas Schmittner, Burke Hales, George Waldbusser, Brian Haley, Kathie Dello, Gwen Bury, Susan Capalbo for talks, tours, and hands-on activities.

WHEN: August 11 & August 12
WHO: 6-12th grade educators
WHERE: Oregon State University
COST: FREE

Continue reading ‘Climate change and ocean acidification: a free workshop for Oregon educators Monday, August 11 – Tuesday, August 12, 2014’

The Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), the Center for the Study of Multiple-Drivers on Marine Socio-Ecological Systems (MUSELS) at the University of Concepcion, Chile, in collaboration with the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are pleased to annouce the “Latin American Workshop on Ocean Acidification – LAOCA”.

LAOCA 2014 will be held on 9-16 November 2014 at the Marine Biological Station of the University of Concepcion in Dichato, Chile.

Deadline for submission of applications  is August 31, 2014. Applications must be sent to monica.sorondo(at)oceanografia.udec.cl.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TRAINING IS RESTRICTED TO LATIN AMERICAN STUDENTS.

Continue reading ‘Latin American Workshop on Ocean Acidification – LAOCA, Chile, 9-16 November 2014’

Event Link: http://metcalfinstitute.org/lectures/als14/
Event Date: June 3, 2014 – 3:30pm

Gretchen Hofmann, University of California at Santa Barbara, will discuss the latest research on ocean acidification and the potential for marine organisms to adapt to a dramatically altered environment, now and in the future.

The lecture will be held in the Coastal Institute Auditorium at the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, 218 South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Venue: Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Dates: August 4-8, 2014

Hosts: Todd Martz, Andrew Dickson, Gretchen Hofmann

The University of California and the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program (OCB) are pleased to announce a 1-week training workshop on best practices for measuring pH in seawater. The workshop is intended for scientists at all levels who seek to measure pH using autonomous sensors as a component of their research. The intensive 5 day workshop will involve hands-on training that aims to teach scientists how to operate and deploy autonomous instruments for pH, collect and analyze validation samples during a deployment, and merge the resulting time series to generate a final data set.

Continue reading ‘2014 summer workshop on pH sensor best practices’