A news stream provided by the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC)
Lauren Bell is a PhD student at University of California Santa Cruz, studying algal communities’ responses to ocean acidification and warming. Originally from Homer, she completed her Masters degree in Sitka through UAF and has served as a research biologist at the Sitka Sound Science Center.
Continue reading ‘Alaska Ocean Acidification Network- Scientist interview: Lauren Bell’
The Kroeker et al. 2013 paper “Impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms: quantifying sensitivities and interaction with warming” is the most downloaded and 4th most cited Global Change Biology article in 2017.
Coral reefs are threatened by ocean warming and acidification. Researchers at the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco study the effects of ocean acidification and other environmental stressors on marine organisms. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
Scientists, policy-makers and representatives from the aquaculture sector came together last week in the first regional Latin American meeting of the Ocean Acidification international Reference User Group (OAiRUG) to develop an action plan to better understand and address ocean acidification.
Co-organised by the IAEA through the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC), the high-level meeting at Invemar in Santa Marta, Colombia from 19-21 March 2018, included an official address by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Researchers used benthic chambers (pictured) to test how different levels of seawater acidity affect reef sediments. Steve Dalton/Southern Cross University
Carbonate sands on coral reefs will start dissolving within about 30 years, on average, as oceans become more acidic, new research published today in Science shows.
Carbonate sands, which accumulate over thousands of years from the breakdown of coral and other reef organisms, are the building material for the frameworks of coral reefs and shallow reef environments like lagoons, reef flats and coral sand cays.
But these sands are sensitive to the chemical make-up of sea water. As oceans absorb carbon dioxide, they acidify – and at a certain point, carbonate sands simply start to dissolve.
The world’s oceans have absorbed around one-third of human-emitted carbon dioxide.
Continue reading ‘Our acid oceans will dissolve coral reef sands within decades’
Credit: SOpHIE
Every single day over 20 terabytes (that’s 20 million megabytes!) of ocean data are collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—not to mention all the other organizations collecting data about the ocean. These bytes help us understand currents, water quality, fish populations and coral reefs. But despite being publically available, barely anyone accesses the government and academic data repositories. So, is it available? Technically yes. But is it easily accessible in a useful way? No, not really. These ocean data are valuable, and the fact that it’s collecting dust is a market failure. From shipping, to fishing, tourism, and recreation, the U.S. “blue economy” produces $352 billion in goods and services, and employs more than 3 million people. How might we unlock this wealth of data and put it to use for business, conservation and recreation?
To answer that question, the XPRIZE Ocean Initiative launched the Big Ocean Button Challenge on Herox—a global mobile app development competition to turn ocean data into needed ocean services. This competition was designed to encourage app developers and data scientists to work toward a future where the world’s ocean data is available at our fingertips, visualized in a user-friendly and meaningful way.
Catalyzing response to ocean acidification through collaboration and information sharing
The Ocean Acidification Information Exchange and its members advance understanding of ocean acidification through collaboration and information sharing to better prepare communities to respond and adapt to acidification.
Join the conversation with interested individuals who are addressing ocean acidification from a variety of perspectives.
Continue reading ‘New platform for ocean acidification information exchange’
Ocean acidification is Puget Sound’s silent killer for marine organisms – acidifying seawater cannot be readily seen, yet its effects are pervasive and detrimental to the Sound’s ecology and renowned shellfish industry. Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which creates a foundational change in seawater chemistry – carbon dioxide reacts with water to create carbonate and bicarbonate ions. As a result, seawater becomes more acidic.
Continue reading ‘Sound chemistry: ocean acidification’s effects on Puget Sound’
