Ocean Acidification

The workshop is focused on teachers of grades 3-7.

Saturday, March 1, 2014, 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM (Six clock hours available)

Seattle Aquarium, 1483 Alaska Way, Seattle, WA 98101

Join KCTS 9 QUEST Northwest, Seattle Aquarium and Taylor Shellfish for a free teacher workshop that will explore otters, ecosystems and ocean acidification in Washington waters. The workshop will include keynote speaker Dr. Shawn Larson, Curator of Conservation and Research at Seattle Aquarium, discussing her research of sea otter populations in Washington. The workshop will also introduce classroom activities and resources on ocean acidification and ecosystems of Puget Sound. Light breakfast a nd afternoon snacks will be provided. Parking and clock hours will be reimbursed.
Continue reading ‘Otters, ecosystems and ocean acidification in Washington waters: Free Educator Workshop’

It is still possible to join the World Bank’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on climate change (launched on 27 January 2014). This course presents recent scientific evidence as well as some of the opportunities for urgent action on climate change. It also covers the latest knowledge and information based oncutting-edge research. It includes a session on ocean acidification by Carol Turley (PML).

The MOOC is being offered in two tracks: (1) General Public; and (2) Policy Makers and Practitioners. The course runs for 4 weeks, and is free of charge. You have access to the material for approximately 6 months after the course ends.
Continue reading ‘World Bank’s first “Massive Open Online Course” (MOOC) on climate change now available’

COMPASS invites you to apply for a two-day communication and leadership workshop customized for ocean acidification scientists that will be held February 20-22, 2014 on Oahu, HI just before the 2014 Ocean Sciences Meeting. Based on whatCOMPASS has developed for the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, this workshop will provide the opportunity for you to:

• Hone communication of your own research, including practice via mock interviews with top-notch journalists,
• Share ideas and perspectives across disciplines to better understand the broader context of your work,
• Discuss thorny issues that pose particular communication challenges in ocean acidification science,
• Build new connections and community with your fellow participants.

Continue reading ‘Applications open for 2014 COMPASS Ocean Acidification Communication Workshop’

COMPASS brought together 22 scientific leaders studying ocean acidification (OA) for an intensive communication workshop preceding the Third International Ocean in a HIgh-CO2 World Sympsium in Monterey, CA. Our goals were to help scientists to 1) crystallize their core messages to more effectively communicate their individual research, as well as the state of the science as a whole; 2) better understand each other’s work to catalyze new collaborations and build community; and 3) identify their stories that bring this science to light to answer the tough questions that policy makers and the public want to know: “So what? Why does this matter? And, what should we do about it?”

Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification communication workshop’

International course for PhD students, post docs and master students

Deadline for registration: 30th September 2012

19 – 23 November 2012, Kristineberg

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?

This is an international course for PhD students and postdocs to learn more about how climate change (including global warming, ocean acidification, hypoxia) affects evolutionary rules that shape ocean ecosystem.

Continue reading ‘CeMEB Advanced Course 2012: marine evolution under climate change’

CO2 Toolkit Curriculum Project
June 2011; May 2012
UGA Campus
Athens, GA

CALLING ALL MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATORS in the Athens- Clarke County area!

COSEE SE will be hosting a multi facetted curriculum development opportunity geared at middle and high school educators focusing on carbon dioxide and ocean acidification. This one year project, the CO2 Toolkit Curriculum Project, will consist of web meetings, a 3 day non residential workshop based in Athens, GA from June 28-30, 2011, lab time with UGA professor and scientist, Dr Brian Hopkinson, to test and try out your activities/curriculum, and the opportunity for you to take this curriculum to your students and provide feedback on your experience. Space is limited to 3 educators.   

Participants completing all requirements will receive $500 stipend, monies for activity supplies, and travel in addition to access to resources from UGA and COSEE SE for support in their curriculum development efforts throughout this year long project.  Deadline to apply is May 6th, 2011!

Continue reading ‘“CO2 Toolkit” curriculum project announcement’

Ocean acidification is one of the most serious environmental issues facing the planet (e.g., Doney 2006; Guinotte and Fabry 2009). It is caused by excess carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Human activities such as burning fossil fuels put CO2 and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, which causes the Earth’s average temperature to increase. This increase is commonly referred to as “global warming” or “climate change,” but the problem doesn’t stop there. The two lessons presented here familiarize middle school students with the causes and consequences of ocean acidification. They also provide students with an opportunity to generate hypotheses, collect data through hands-on experimentation, and analyze results. These lessons can be successfully integrated into Earth science, biology, environmental science, marine science, or chemistry curricula.
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification: Hands-on experiments to explore the causes and consequences’

Please note: course is offered under the “umbrella” course Biology 533: Advanced Organismal Biology. Thus transcripts from University of Washington will list the course title ADV ORG BIOL rather than the specific Friday Harbor Laboratories’ course title listed above.

Session A: June 20 – July 22, 2011 (5 weeks)
Monday-Saturday (Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, plus Sat morning 8 am-noon, except final week no Saturday meeting)
Arrive Sunday, June 19 after 3 pm, depart Friday, July 22 after lunch.

Dr. Michael O’Donnell and Dr. Terrie Klinger

As new researchers turn their attention to studying the effects of ocean acidification on a broad range of biological systems they are frequently stymied by the inherent complexities of manipulating and documenting experimental conditions. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the skills to design and conduct experimental manipulations of biological systems that are consistent with the current state of the field.
Continue reading ‘Friday Harbor Laboratories SUMMER 2011 COURSES: Experimental approaches to understanding ocean acidification’

Summary: Students will use a pH indicator solution to detect the presence of carbon dioxide and changes in acidity, and to model ocean-atmosphere interactions.

Source: Adapted by NESTA/Windows to the Universe team members Missy Holzer, Jennifer Bergman, and Roberta Johnson from the Carbon Dioxide Sources and Sinks activity on Windows to the Universe.

Time: This activity requires careful preparation including some set-up the previous day. It is recommended that the directions be read carefully before beginning this activity.

• Materials preparation: 40 minutes
• Class time: 40 minutes
• Discussion and review: 30 minutes

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to explain the concept of ‘sources’ and ‘sinks’ as they relate to carbon dioxide.
• Students will understand the use of an indicator solution (BTB) to reveal the presence of carbon dioxide as well as levels of acidity.
• Students explain the cause and effect relationship between lower pH levels of seawater and carbonate ion availability for shell formation in marine organisms.

Continue reading ‘Changing Planet: Ocean acidification – The chemistry is less than basic!’

Session A: June 20 – July 22, 2011 (5 weeks)
Monday-Saturday (Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, plus Sat morning 8 am-noon, except final week no Saturday meeting)
Arrive Sunday, June 19 after 3 pm, depart Friday, July 22 after lunch.

Dr. Michael O’Donnell and Dr. Terrie Klinger

As new researchers turn their attention to studying the effects of ocean acidification on a broad range of biological systems they are frequently stymied by the inherent complexities of manipulating and documenting experimental conditions. The purpose of this course is to provide students with the skills to design and conduct experimental manipulations of biological systems that are consistent with the current state of the field.
Continue reading ‘Experimental approaches to understanding ocean acidification’

“Understanding Ocean Acidification” Workshop, University of California at Santa Barbara.

Friday, Aug 20 8:00a
at UCSD Skaggs School Of Pharmacy, San Diego, CA

Ocean acidification is a phenomenon related to current global climate changes and is becoming a major threat to marine ecosystems ranging from tropical coral reefs to the chilly waters of the Antarctic. In this lesson, students observe and investigate the mechanisms driving ocean acidification. The lesson and lab make connections to basic chemical principles such as acids/bases and the pH scale. In the first activity, video footage from current oceanographic research is used to assess students’ prior knowledge and develop testable hypotheses from initial observations. In the second and third activities, hypotheses generated by students are tested in student-led experiments conducted in a small group setting. The lesson includes a short lecture and class discussion of ocean acidification at the global scale.

Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification training’