A large body of evidence is documenting the impact of ocean acidification on marine species and ecosystems. While there is enough evidence to support global actions toward CO2 mitigation, local data are needed to develop and implement adaptation solutions. These data are often lacking, especially in developing countries. This article summarises the work done over the last 11 years by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre, in close collaboration with SOLAS and Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBER), to promote best practices for ocean acidification research adapted to local needs and existing capacity, with a strong focus on the global south. It describes a goal-oriented and evidence-based capacity building strategy that can be used by intergovernmental organisations, nongovernmental organisations, and other institutions engaged in capacity development.
Reference: Dupont S., Edworthy C., Sanchez-Noguera C., Metian M., Friedrich J., Flickinger S., Banterman A., Galdino C., Graba F., Anghelici O. & Hansson L., 2024. The IAEA ocean acidification international coordination centre capacity building program: empowering member states to address and minimize the impacts of ocean acidification. Oceanography 38(1): 26-0. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2025.102
Leticia Barbero, Ph.D., a principal investigator with the Ocean Carbon Cycle group at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and a scientist with the University of Miami’s Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS), traversed the Arctic aboard the ship Le Commandant Charcot. An icebreaking cruise ship, Le Comandant Charcot departed from Nome, Alaska heading to the magnetic North Pole and finally to Svalbard, Norway with a group of 20 scientists from eight countries and over 200 passengers.
While others investigated microplastics, ice cores, and environmental DNA, Leticia collected data as part of the International Ships of Opportunity Program to monitor the global ocean’s uptake of carbon – and ultimately rising acidification in one of the world’s most remote regions.
Carbon dioxide, like all gasses, diffuses between the atmosphere and the ocean. With rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the ocean accumulates more carbon through air-sea gas exchanges as part of its natural cycle. However, rising levels of carbon in the ocean has consequences – and one of them is ocean acidification.
Through partnerships with the Compagnie du Ponant and other cruiseliners, cargo vessels, sailboats, and moorings across private industries, the Ships of Opportunity Program, led in large part by scientists at AOML, enables researchers to track this exchange on a global scale.
An effort supported by NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing program (GOMO), the vast swaths of data collected, quality-controlled and published in the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) since these measurements started in the 1960s means researchers across institutions can examine how the ocean’s accumulation of carbon varies regionally, globally, and over years and decades.
Leticia Barbero, Ph.D. collecting seawater samples through the ice
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In the Charcot’s Wetlab, filters, gas selection valves, and weather sensors merge into a system reading the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in the ambient air and surface waters as the ship and its passengers cruised towards the North Pole. Barbero spent the three weeks onboard running the pCO2 underway system with assistance from the ship’s science support crew as the data was transmitted daily via a satellite modem. The system, installed in April 2022 by scientists at AOML measures the surface ocean’s carbon dioxide concentration continuously as seawater is pumped through it – that is, as long as the pumping system can be kept free of ice, something that is hard to do when the ship is in motion.
To further validate the system’s readings and investigate the Arctic Ocean’s chemistry, Barbero and the team of researchers deployed both CTD and handheld Niskin bottles at predetermined stations along the cruise track, collecting seawater samples at multiple depths from the surface to 900 meters below. And when the ship sat idle, they ventured onto the ice.
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By analyzing these samples back at AOML’s Carbon Lab, the team can measure the pH, alkalinity, and dissolved inorganic carbon as an indicator of ocean acidification, quantify nutrient concentrations that may be encouraging harmful algal blooms in the Arctic, salinity and other key parameters.
Adding to the global array of ships and moorings equipped with pCO2 sensors under the Ships of Opportunity Program, this data builds on an expanding network known as the Surface Ocean CO2 Reference Observing Network (SOCONET) that quantifies the fluctuation of carbon between surface waters and the lowest layer of the atmosphere, the marine boundary layer.
Ultimately a part of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the expansion of SOCONET allows scientists to monitor the ocean’s sequestration of carbon by more holistically capturing the air-sea gas exchange across time and space – a key factor in determining the annual Global Carbon Budget.
Imagine savoring a seafood feast on a perfect Maine summer day—maybe a basket of fried clams, oysters on the half-shell, or a fresh lobster roll. Now imagine a future where these delicious food traditions are at risk because Maine’s shellfish struggle to survive in acidifying waters. This is the challenge a group of Maine scientists are working to tackle: ocean acidification.
On December 10, the Maine Ocean Climate Collaborative (MOCC) hosted a Symposium on Ocean Acidification in Rockland. More than 50 scientists and policy experts from organizations such as Bigelow Laboratory, Island Institute, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Maine Department of Marine Resources, shared strategies to address ocean acidification. Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca, a coordinating member of MOCC, was heavily involved in organizing this important gathering of experts from across the state.
What’s acidification? Why is it a problem?
The ocean acts like a giant sponge, soaking up 30% of global carbon emissions. While this reduces the load on the climate, it triggers chemical reactions that increase ocean acidity and reduce calcium carbonate—a critical building block for shellfish. “The more acidic it gets, the more some species are going to struggle,” explains Staff Scientist Mike Doan.
Shellfish like clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, and lobsters, depend on calcium carbonate to grow their shells. Without it, they struggle to mature and fight off disease. According to a June 2024 Maine Climate Council report, by 2050, Gulf of Maine waters could be too acidic for shellfish to thrive. That’s not just bad news for the clams—that’s bad news for Maine’s $600 billion+ fishing industry.
A Data Dilemma
Most ocean acidification data comes from offshore waters, far from Maine’s clam flats and oyster farms. However, offshore data doesn’t capture the dynamic conditions of nearshore waters, where tides and runoff create a constantly shifting environment. Land-based carbon and nitrogen sources can further exacerbate nearshore acidity. Maine needs consistent, accurate data to understand and address these localized challenges.
Collecting such data, however, has long been a challenge. High-quality monitoring tools are often prohibitively expensive and require significant upkeep, putting them out of reach for many coastal conservation groups and agencies. Cheaper alternatives, while less costly, are less accurate and limited to surface-level measurements. This is where the Sensor Squad of the MOCC—a team of researchers formed in 2023—stepped in.
The Sensor Squad Seeks Affordable Solutions
At the Symposium, the three-member Sensor Squad—Mike Doan, Jeremy Miller of Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Dr. Chris Hunt of the University of New Hampshire—shared the results of their two-year study to identify affordable and reliable tools for monitoring nearshore ocean acidification.
The Sensor Squad honed in on glass-electrode tools as a middle ground for reliability and affordability. After testing various models in the lab and field, they developed best practices for using data sondes—versatile instruments with probes that can measure water health at different depths. These tools are relatively easy to calibrate and maintain. Data sondes empower organizations such as Friends of Casco Bay to monitor local waters more effectively.
Staff Scientist Mike Doan lowers a data sonde to measure the health of the waters in Cundy’s Harbor, Harpswell.
To deepen their analysis, the team combined sonde measurements of pH with bottle samples analyzed for total alkalinity. Together, these data points provide a clearer picture of acidification’s effects. The Sensor Squad’s findings represent a big step forward, but they emphasized that continued research and collaboration are needed to help shellfish farms, wild harvesters, and aquaculture businesses adapt to changing conditions.
Seaweed: A Kelp-ful Solution
While the Symposium revealed the challenges of ocean acidification, it also showcased innovative solutions. One promising approach involves seaweed aquaculture. Dr. Nichole Price of Bigelow Laboratory presented her research on growing kelp alongside mussels in Casco Bay. Kelp absorbs carbon dioxide, creating “halos” of improved water conditions that reduce acidity and boost oxygen levels. This method not only supports marine life but also provides new opportunities for aquaculture farmers.
Collaboration Is Key to Tackling Acidification
The Symposium highlighted the power of collaboration in addressing ocean acidification. MOCC members emphasized the need for monitoring efforts to inform actionable policies that protect Maine’s coastal ecosystems.
Mike Doan’s work designing Friends of Casco Bay’s Continuous Monitoring Stations has helped our organization better understand ocean acidification within the broader context of water quality changes affecting our coastal waters. This science-driven approach, combined with collaboration across the state, helps us continue to protect Maine’s shellfish and the coastal communities that depend on them.
Together, we’re working toward a future where enjoying a seafood feast—from Maine’s iconic working waterfront—remains a cherished tradition for generations to come.
Sea-Bird Scientific has introduced the Deep SeapHOx™ V2. Designed for long-term deployments in diverse environments, from shallow regions to the deep ocean, this state-of-the-art multiparameter moored system integrates the Deep SeaFET™ V2 pH sensor with the tried-and-true SBE 37 SMP-ODO MicroCAT CTD+DO sensor. The result? A powerful tool for monitoring ocean acidification and other critical physical and biological processes.
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Applications and Case Studies
The Deep SeapHOx V2 is designed to support a wide range of oceanographic research and monitoring applications:
Carbon cycle analysis – track the movement and storage of carbon in the ocean to better understand the global carbon cycle.
Climate science – collect data on ocean temperature and salinity to contribute to climate models and predict future climate change scenarios.
Coral reef monitoring – investigate the conditions that support deep-sea coral ecosystems and assess their vulnerability to environmental changes.
Deoxygenation and hypoxia monitoring – measure dissolved oxygen levels to identify and study hypoxic zones, which can have significant impacts on marine life.
Fisheries and aquaculture – early warning and monitoring for critical marine resources that are sensitive to changing pH.
Shellfish are a good source of nutrition, and many people enjoy harvesting and eating them. Oysters, razor clams, and mussels have long been food sources for Washingtonians. They’re an integral part of local traditions and livelihoods. Many shellfish are also filter-feeders, which means they help keep water clean.
But these animals are in trouble. Carbon pollution from human activities is turning their home — the ocean — into a hostile environment because of ocean acidification. To help communities adapt, we created an ocean acidification indicator to visualize changing marine water conditions in Washington state. An “indicator” is a simply presented data reference tool used by scientists to communicate complex information.
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Tracking ocean acidification
Our long-term ocean acidification monitoring program, established in 2019, tracks how carbon pollution affects marine waters. We measure water conditions monthly at 28 locations in Puget Sound and along the coast. For each location, we sample water at the surface and at 100 feet, which tells us how acidification conditions change with depth.
Our measurements let us estimate a water property called aragonite saturation state. Aragonite is a form of calcium carbonate that many marine organisms produce to build their skeletons and shells. The lower the saturation state, the more difficult it is for shellfish and salmon to build and maintain their protective skeletons and shells. This effect will worsen as ocean acidification shifts the ocean’s chemistry.
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Making an invisible problem visible
Using over four years of monitoring data, we created the Ocean Acidification Indicator to visualize annual ocean acidification conditions and to track the long-term effects of carbon pollution in greater Puget Sound. The indicator represents the number of days in each year when water conditions are favorable for sensitive marine animals. Think of it as a window of opportunity for oysters, crabs, and young salmon to grow and thrive.
Our research helps us pinpoint two annual timeframes:
The range of days when water conditions are favorable, which is the ocean acidification indicator
The range of days when water conditions are corrosive, making it more difficult for shellfish and salmon to thrive
Ocean chemistry is shifting because of carbon emissions. Our data show seasonal changes in greater Puget Sound. Water conditions are favorable for shellfish and salmon from spring to summer, and unfavorable from fall to winter. Favorable conditions have declined since the early 1800s.
What have we learned by tracking and studying ocean acidification in Washington? Puget Sound and the coastal environment are changing rapidly because of carbon pollution.
There are seasonal changes in Puget Sound when favorable conditions for shellfish and salmon begin in spring and continue through most of the summer.
Water in deep parts of Puget Sound and the coast is more corrosive than water in shallow areas, increasing stress for organisms near the seafloor like Dungeness crabs and oysters.
Some regions of Puget Sound are more at risk because ocean acidification is worsening naturally occurring corrosive conditions.
The more we learn, the more we can share with our partners to help them adapt and adjust management practices. We’re sharing our data with Tribes, shellfish farmers, resource managers, policymakers, and scientists throughout the state and the west coast.
Shellfish farmers can use the indicator to track months when water conditions are better for growing shellfish. Resource managers and policymakers can evaluate whether they need to adjust management practices. Scientists and research partners can build on our data to develop new tools or studies to better understand ocean acidification and forecast future conditions.
We strive to support thriving shellfish communities and healthy ocean habitats by sharing this information and coordinating with our partners.
Dungeness crabs collected for ocean acidification research | Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries
NOAA and its Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) are seeking seafood sector representatives to join the newly established Ocean Acidification Advisory Board.
The 25-member advisory board was created to advise the U.S. government’s Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA). The board will review and provide recommendations on the working group’s reports and strategic research plan while advising it on best practices for data management. The board is also charged with maintaining mechanisms for engagement with Tribal governments.
The establishment of the board was required by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, legislation passed by U.S. Congress that designated NOAA as the lead agency responsible for coordinating the federal government’s response to ocean acidification. The law also requires NOAA to support and steward access to ocean acidification data.
The CHIPS and Science Act also authorized billions of dollars in government spending on ocean acidification research. The legislation provided NOAA Fisheries with USD 21 million (EUR 20 million) for FY 2023, USD 22 million (EUR 21 million) for FY 2024, USD 24 million (EUR 23 million) for FY 2025, USD 26 million (EUR 25 million) for FY 2026, and USD 28 million (EUR 27 million) for FY 2027. The law also authorized USD 20 billion (EUR 19 billion) for the National Science.
NOAA and its Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) are seeking seafood sector representatives to join the newly established Ocean Acidification Advisory Board.
The 25-member advisory board was created to advise the U.S. government’s Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA). The board will review and provide recommendations on the working group’s reports and strategic research plan while advising it on best practices for data management. The board is also charged with maintaining mechanisms for engagement with Tribal governments.
The establishment of the board was required by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, legislation passed by U.S. Congress that designated NOAA as the lead agency responsible for coordinating the federal government’s response to ocean acidification. The law also requires NOAA to support and steward access to ocean acidification data.
The CHIPS and Science Act also authorized billions of dollars in government spending on ocean acidification research. The legislation provided NOAA Fisheries with USD 21 million (EUR 20 million) for FY 2023, USD 22 million (EUR 21 million) for FY 2024, USD 24 million (EUR 23 million) for FY 2025, USD 26 million (EUR 25 million) for FY 2026, and USD 28 million (EUR 27 million) for FY 2027. The law also authorized USD 20 billion (EUR 19 billion) for the National Science Foundation’s ocean acidification research activities from fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
NOAA and the subcommittee are now looking to fill the board, which is required by law to include representatives from the U.S. seafood sector. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act requires two representatives from either the shellfish, lobster, or crab industry, one representative from the finfish industry, and one representative from the seafood-processing industry. Other members of the board will be filled by representatives from academia, ocean acidification groups, and other stakeholders.
Nominations to the board are due 18 March 2025, but NOAA will continue to accept applications past the deadline in case of vacancies. Members will serve five-year terms.
Ocean acidification affects ocean sea life, especially commercially valuable shellfish such as oysters and clams, as it makes building and maintaining shells difficult for these animals, according to NOAA.
“Ocean acidification is a global threat to the world’s oceans, estuaries, and waterways. It is often called ‘climate change’s evil twin’ and is projected to grow as carbon dioxide continues to be emitted into the atmosphere at record-high levels,” NOAA said. “Ocean acidification is literally causing a sea change that is threatening the fundamental chemical balance of ocean and coastal waters from pole to pole. Ocean acidification can create conditions that eat away at the minerals used by oysters, clams, lobsters, shrimp, coral reefs, and other marine life to build their shells and skeletons. Human health is also a concern.”
Two Northeast Fisheries Science Center scientists visited their Canadian counterparts to measure oxygen consumption in baby sea scallops exposed to ocean temperatures and pH levels expected in the future.
Dr. Gurney-Smith (back) picking scallop larvae under the microscope while Katyanne Shoemaker (front) loads larvae into the respiration chamber plate. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Shannon Meseck
In September 2024, my colleague Shannon Meseck and I took a road trip up north to Canada, to visit a research lab in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The St. Andrews Biological Station is a part of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Canadian equivalent to NOAA Fisheries. Though the oldest of Canada’s Atlantic research facilities, the lab features state-of-the-art seawater systems with capacity to do climate and aquatic research.
This project was a transboundary collaboration with climate scientist Helen Gurney-Smith to study climate change stressors on Atlantic sea scallop larvae. It was funded by the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program. The larval period, typically the first 3 weeks of a sea scallop’s life, is particularly challenging for bivalve shellfish because they are planktonic, or free-floating in the water column. During this period, larvae are subject to heavy predation and are transported through ocean currents. The water they are exposed to is constantly changing with environmental conditions, and pulses of warm and/or low pH water are becoming more common with climate change.
Two-week-old sea scallop larvae. The width of each of these planktonic shellfish larvae is about the width of a human hair. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Katyanne Shoemaker
One way we can test how larvae respond to changes in environmental conditions is by measuring their respiration rate. As with all animals, sea scallops breathe oxygen and release carbon dioxide. The oxygen they breathe is dissolved in seawater, and we can measure the drop in the oxygen concentration of that water over time with specialized equipment known as respiration chambers. Changes in respiration rate indicate physiological stress. We hypothesized that respiration rate may change when sea scallop larvae are exposed to non-ideal seawater conditions.
While in Canada, we performed three experiments to answer three questions:
How do larvae raised in current conditions respond to sudden changes in pH?
How do larvae raised in current conditions respond to sudden changes in temperature?
How do larvae acclimated to different pH water respond to heat wave conditions
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The next steps of this collaboration are to analyze the data and see how the scallop larvae responded to the different treatments. The temperatures and pH levels we chose for this experiment represent ocean conditions expected in the near and distant future. The results will also serve as a snapshot of how larval sea scallops may respond to sudden changes that are becoming more and more frequent, including marine heatwaves that create a pulse of warm water to which the animals must adjust.
As a part of this international collaboration, some of Dr. Gurney-Smith’s team will visit us at the Milford Lab next year to help with our ongoing surfclam ocean acidification work. They will introduce us to technologies they use in the Canadian lab that we can apply to larval Atlantic surfclams here in Milford.
Scientists argue that despite its ‘critical threat’ to ocean ecosystems, awareness around the severity of ocean acidification and its role in worsening the catastrophic levels of biodiversity loss is ‘woefully low’.
World leaders gathered to discuss the current biodiversity crisis at COP16 in Colombia this week are being urged to turn greater attention to one of the largest – yet so far, particularly neglected – contributors to the eventual collapse of the marine environment: ocean acidification.
Scientists have argued that despite its ‘critical threat’ to ocean ecosystems, awareness around the severity of ocean acidification and the role it’s played (and continues to play) in worsening the catastrophic levels of biodiversity loss witnessed in the last century, remains ‘woefully low’.
Appealing to leaders of nations from around the world, scientists have highlighted that to date, only 13 out of 195 countries have developed national ocean acidification plans, suggesting that the “clock is now ticking” to curb a phenomenon that is “already unraveling marine life, food chains, and entire economies.”
Ocean acidification occurs when excess carbon dioxide dissolves into seawater, lowering its pH. Research has indicated that this subtle shift in ocean chemistry disrupts the ‘delicate balance’ that marine species depend on.
“With rising acidity, these once vibrant ecosystems are now slowly disintegrating,” said Professor Steve Widdicombe, director of science at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and contributor to the report.
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Global biodiversity is in an accelerated state of decline. An estimated 28% of the world’s animal and plant species are currently under threat of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It’s a figure. The Union suggests, that has increased steadily each year since the mid-1990s.
The main causes of biodiversity loss today are linked to human activity, including the expansion of agriculture and deforestation on land and over-fishing and pollution in coastal water and open ocean. A common driver both on land and in water is climate change caused by the unrelenting growth of CO2 emissions since the Industrial Age.
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Ocean acidification is included under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, under Goal 14 and its Target 3 – a call on countries to ‘minimise and address its impacts’ through enhanced scientific cooperation ‘at all levels’. It’s also part of the new Global Biodiversity Framework and the Convention of Biological Diversity, under Target 8.
However, the capacity to monitor and study the effects of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity is largely insufficient in many parts of the world.
“Governments in Cali must commit to advancing research that will substantiate the link between ocean acidification and biodiversity decline, accelerating the process of creating actionable plans,” said Professor Widdicombe.
Among those to be leading developments in ocean acidification action is the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories, hosted by the Principality of Monaco, which has this month partnered with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation on ocean acidification and ocean-based solutions to climate change.
Under the new partnership, the IAEA and the Foundation will co-organise training courses and expert meetings to empower countries to study and act on ocean acidification. The partnership will also organise events to raise awareness and raise the profile of new research on ocean acidification among policymakers and other stakeholders at key ocean gatherings, including the United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025.
“Ocean acidification is a global problem, but how the effects play out depend on local factors,” said Olivier Wenden, CEO and vice president of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. “Ocean acidification will hit harder in many regions of the world which do not necessarily have the capacity to monitor and to adapt. We are thrilled to be teaming up with the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories to help bring knowledge and capacity to study ocean acidification to scientists across the globe.”
The partnership echoes the sentiments issued by Plymouth Marine Lab’s Professor Widdicombe, who said: “Research isn’t just about gathering data – it’s about creating a sense of urgency. Clear evidence of the damage ocean acidification is causing will force governments to make it an integral part of national biodiversity legislation.
“There’s no more time to waste. Our oceans are in crisis and without intervention we may soon pass the point of no return.”
Olivier Wenden, DDG Najat Mokhtar and Director Florence Descroix Comanducci, Lina Hansson, Jean-Pierre Cayol, Noura El-Haj on the steps of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, 3 October 2024, Monaco (Photo:Ludovic Arneodo/FPA2)
A new partnership has been signed which formalizes a long standing collaboration between the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories, hosted by the Principality of Monaco, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation on ocean acidification and ocean-based solutions to climate change. The new Partnership falls under the framework of the IAEA’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre and the Foundation’s initiative Ocean Acidification and other Ocean Change – Impacts and Solutions and was signed by the Foundation’s Vice President and CEO, Olivier Wenden, and IAEA Deputy Director General Najat Mokhtar.
Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere by human activities. The ocean absorbs about 25 per cent of human-caused CO2 emissions, leading to a series of changes in seawater chemistry, including an increase in acidity. Ocean acidification impacts marine life, particularly organisms with calcium-based shells or skeletons, such as corals and molluscs. Along with ocean warming and oxygen depletion, these changes create complex and unpredictable challenges for marine ecosystems.
Created in 2006, the Prince Albert II of Monaco, Foundation (PA2F) aims to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. Ocean acidification and ocean change has been a key focus of the PA2F since 2013 when the Ocean Change – Impacts and Solutions (OACIS) Initiative was launched.
“Ocean acidification is a global problem, but how the effects play out depend on local factors,” said Wenden. “Ocean acidification will hit harder in many regions of the world which do not necessarily have the resources or the capacity to monitor and to adapt. We are thrilled to be teaming up with the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories to help bring knowledge and capacity to study ocean acidification to scientists across the globe”.
OACIS brings together the main organizations working on ocean acidification based in the Principality of Monaco (PA2F, the Monaco Government, the Oceanographic Museum, the Centre Scientifique de Monaco and the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories), as well as the Villefranche Oceanographic Laboratory (French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) /Sorbonne Universités), IDDRI and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Mokhtar said: “The IAEA is delighted and proud to formalize its long-lasting collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, a key player in marine conservation both in Monaco and internationally, with whom we share the same values and interests. We are excited to continue to work together to make sure that the scientific data and information needed to take action on ocean acidification is available, and to amplify our impact together, enabling lasting progress for IAEA Member States”.
Ocean acidification is included under the Sustainable Development Goals under Goal 14, and its Target 3, which calls on countries to “minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels”. Addressing ocean acidification is also part of the new Global Biodiversity Framework of the Convention of Biological Diversity, under Target 8. Yet, the capacity to monitor and study the effects of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity is largely insufficient in many parts of the world.
The IAEA’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) promotes international collaboration on ocean acidification. The Centre organizes training courses for countries, provides access to data and resources and develops standardized methodologies and best practices. The OA-ICC also works to raise awareness among various stakeholders about the role that nuclear and isotopic techniques can play in assessing ocean acidification’s impacts. Scientists at the IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco use these techniques to investigate the impacts of ocean acidification and its interaction with other environmental stressors.
Under the new partnership, the IAEA and the Foundation will co-organize training courses and expert meetings to empower countries to study and act on ocean acidification and ensure that research in this field is inclusive and participatory. They also plan to organize joint events to raise awareness about the latest research on ocean acidification and ocean-based solutions among policymakers, resource managers and other stakeholders at key ocean gatherings, such as the annual Monaco Ocean Week and the United Nations Ocean Conference and related events to be held in Nice and Monaco in June 2025.
Additionally, the partnership will also explore joint activities related to plastic pollution, another critical area where both the IAEA, through its flagship initiative on plastic pollution (NUTEC Plastics), and the PA2F are actively engaged.
As part of their joint upcoming activities, the two partners are organizing an international Winter School on Ocean Acidification and Multiple Stressors for researchers new to the field, which will take place at the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco from 18-29 November 2024.
Eelgrass and oysters are ecosystem building species that both have economic, ecological, and cultural importance in Maine. Eelgrass populates much of the soft-sediment coastal subtidal in the Northern Hemisphere, which is also where most of the world’s oysters are farmed. Eelgrass and oysters can co-occur in Casco Bay, for example.
When grown in co-culture, oysters and seagrass have may offset the negative effects of climate related stressors on one another. This phenomenon, known as phytoremediation, has been seen in other parings of mollusks and marine plants as well. This is likely because mollusks need calcium carbonate to build their shells, and marine plants can remove carbon dioxide from the water column. Because large amounts of carbon dioxide can inhibit the production of calcium carbonate, marine plants can, in theory and in practice, increase shell growth in mollusks and other calcifying organisms.
Global ocean change, including rising sea temperatures and decreasing pH, will likely impact the interactions between eelgrass and oysters. As ocean temperatures increase, coastal waters are becoming simultaneously more favorable for raising oysters and less favorable for the health and survival of eelgrass meadows. The effects of the decline of eelgrass meadows and the benefits they provide to oysters and other organisms are currently unknown.
In this study, we sought to explore the impact of ocean change on this interesting relationship.
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The How:
We grew Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) and eelgrass (Zostera marina) together or independently in a manipulated system. We raised our subjects in seawater-filled bucket-based mesocosms. We simulated ocean conditions in coastal Maine in the year 2100 by heating or bubbling CO2 into the seawater. We spent our summer monitoring the mesocosms, cleaning the buckets, and taking weekly pH and temperature measurements. At the end of the summer, we collected various eelgrass and oyster growth metrics including shoot length, shoot density, belowground biomass, and condition index.
Researchers maintaining outdoor seawater experimental tanks, growing seagrass and oysters under different ocean warming and acidification scenarios. Left to Right: David Carlon, Justin Baumann, Eban Charles, and Fiona Ralph. Photo by K. Dubois.
Close up of juvenile oysters growing attached to tiles and embedded within seagrass planted in an experimental bucket. Photo by K. DuBois.
The What:
The facilitative relationship between oysters and eelgrass that exists under ambient (current) conditions became muddled under future conditions (higher temperature and lower pH). We saw that in ambient conditions both partners benefitted from co-culture, but when any future ocean stressor was added, that positive interaction was lost or possibly even reversed.
Under ambient conditions, oyster presence increased eelgrass leaf growth by 35% and clonal reproduction (a way of measuring changes in meadow density) by 38%. Oysters exposed to eelgrass in ambient conditions saw decreases in the Oyster Condition Index: they were devoting more energy to shell growth than tissue growth.
Under future ocean conditions with higher temperatures and lower pH, oysters’ positive impact on eelgrass growth disappeared. In these same conditions, oysters saw an increase in Oyster Condition Index by 36%, meaning they spent more energy building up their tissue.
These findings illustrate how susceptible species interactions are to global environmental change. In many cases such as this one, the impacts of warming and acidification can compound on one another to alter these relationships.
Under the slogan “Colombia 50% Ocean,” the Marine and Coastal Research Institute of Colombia (INVEMAR) operates as a nonprofit civil corporation governed by private law and its internal statutes. Its core mission is to conduct fundamental and applied research on renewable natural resources, the environment, and marine and oceanic ecosystems within Colombia’s territorial waters.
With facilities strategically located in Santa Marta and San Antero, Cordoba, on the Caribbean coast and Buenaventura on the Pacific coast, INVEMAR strives to establish itself as a premier research institution. The institute is dedicated to advancing public policies that safeguard Colombia’s marine biodiversity and coastal ecosystems. To fulfill its mission, INVEMAR operates through four specialized research programs and two coordinating units:
● Valuation and Sustainable Use of Marine and Coastal Resources: This program assesses the biological, economic, and social potential of marine and coastal resources, focusing on their conservation and sustainable use. It also addresses key areas such as the fishery value chain, ecotourism, sustainable fishing practices, and bioprospecting.
● Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystems: This program leads national efforts to inventory marine biodiversity and analyze the structure and function of ecosystems at various biological levels. It manages the Makuriwa Museum, Colombia’s only institution dedicated to the curation of marine specimens.
● Marine Environmental Quality: This program aims to understand the environmental stressors affecting marine and coastal ecosystems, identifying their causes and impacts while proposing preventive and mitigation measures. Research areas include mangrove restoration, marine pollution, plastics and microplastics, and ocean acidification.
● Marine and Coastal Geosciences: Focusing on the physical and oceanographic forces that shape marine ecosystems, this program explores topics such as nature-based solutions, coastal erosion, and oceanography to improve understanding of ecosystem interactions with the marine environment.
INVEMAR’s coordinating units include:
● Coordination of Marine and Coastal Management Research: This unit fosters scientific and technological research projects that contribute to the effective management and planning of marine and coastal areas. It manages data for policy decision-making and collaborates with national and international entities to support marine governance. Additionally, the unit translates scientific findings into accessible formats for social media and web communications.
● Coordination of Scientific Services: INVEMAR offers specialized scientific advisory services to private enterprises, government agencies, and environmental organizations, providing studies, diagnostics, and monitoring of the physicochemical properties of water, sediments, and marine communities to assess and mitigate human impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems.
As Colombia’s designated training center for UNESCO’s Ocean Teacher Global Academy, INVEMAR enhances regional professional capabilities in areas such as ocean acidification, blue carbon, data management, and marine spatial planning. The institute also integrates traditional and scientific knowledge to support local communities.
Through these initiatives, INVEMAR remains at the forefront of scientific and technological research, contributing to the sustainable management and conservation of Colombia’s marine and coastal territories. The institute continues to play a pivotal role in generating information for shaping national and international marine policies to ensure the long-term protection of Colombia’s marine and coastal environment.
The Ocean State Report is an annual publication of the Copernicus Marine Service, implemented by Mercator Ocean International, which provides a global overview on ocean climate and ocean health for scientists, policymakers, the blue business community and the general public. The goal of the Ocean State Report is to provide reliable and scientifically-assured information, drawing on data from the 1970s to the present. The OSR 8 has been established under international scientific collaboration, with contributions from over 120 participants.
The 8th issue of the EU Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR 8) is now available online, published alongside an interactive Summary detailing key aspects of the report for policymakers, members of the blue economy and the general public. This year’s report reveals — among many findings — an ocean facing record-breaking extreme events, including deep and intense marine heatwaves, unexpected phytoplankton blooms, as well as increased ocean warming.
The Ocean State Report 8: a reference for the ocean
The OSR 8 is a flagship report, which provides a comprehensive overview of the current state, ongoing trends and natural variations of the ocean. It is published each year by the Copernicus Marine Service and implemented by Mercator Ocean International. Beyond highlighting major results, the Summary showcases a range of Ocean Monitoring Indicators which monitor trends and variations in the changing ocean. These are updated and scientifically discussed in a new Chapter 1 “The State of the Ocean” in the OSR 8, which provides an overview of the current state of the global ocean. It details extreme events in Europe and around the world, explains key ocean processes and how they interact with the global climate, and highlights several innovations and technologies helping us to monitor the ocean and live in harmony with it.
The Summary is split into three main sections:
The State of The Ocean;
Ocean-Climate Interactions;
and Ocean & Society: Innovations.
Throughout the Summary, coloured icons set the context of the findings for the Blue Ocean (physical state), Green Ocean (biological and biogeochemical state), and White Ocean (sea ice).
State-of-the-art scientific findings
The OSR 8 is the culmination of a significant international scientific endeavour, involving over 120 experts from institutions across Europe and around the world. The findings pass through an independent process of peer review in collaboration with the scientific journal State of the Planet, and are supported by satellite observations, in situ measurements and state-of-the art computer modelling.
The OSR 8 explores the state of the ocean over recent decades, with a specific focus on 2022 and 2023. Among others findings, it reports an ocean characterised by increased warming, melting sea ice, widespread and intensifying marine heatwaves, and an extreme phytoplankton bloom.
The coastal waters around the Balearic Islands reached 29.2ºC in August 2022. This record-breaking temperature was the highest reached in this region for forty years. Other records were broken in the Iberian-Biscay-Ireland region in 2022, where marine heatwaves — temporary, prolonged, and anomalously warm water events — lasted 145 days on average, with temperatures reaching 6°C higher than normal.
As detailed in the OSR 8, heightened temperatures are being seen around the world.
In 2023, 22% of the global ocean surface experienced at least one severe to extreme marine heatwave event.
In 2022, nearly two-thirds of the Baltic Sea suffered marine heatwaves, while in the summer and autumn temperatures were the third warmest since 1997.
In the Mediterranean sea, marine heatwaves in 2022 stretched down through the water column, reaching depths of up to 1,500m below the surface. While marine heatwaves were found to be more frequent at the surface, higher temperatures which lasted for longer appeared below 150m.
The IAEA works with experts around the world to study organically absorbed carbon, known as Blue Carbon, captured and stored especially by coastal ecosystems, such as seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and tidal marshes. (Illustration: A. Huescar Barber/IAEA)
Carbon absorption by coastal vegetation
Blue Carbon refers to organic carbon captured and stored by the ocean in vegetated coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, saltmarshes or seagrass meadows. In these Blue Carbon ecosystems, organic carbon accumulates in sediment where it is stored. These ocean habitats are spread along our coasts, can be found on every continent except Antarctica and cover approximately 50 million hectares — a territory almost double the size of the United Kingdom.
Blue Carbon ecosystems have the potential to help people and coastal environments mitigate and adapt to climate change.
This is not only because coastal ecosystems can sequester large amounts of carbon, they also play an important role in protecting coastlines from erosion and reducing the impacts of storm surges and rising sea-levels. Vegetation growing in coastal areas can help improve water quality by filtering pollutants; support biodiversity by providing habitat for a variety of species; and serve as nurseries for fish and shellfish. These factors show how vegetated coastal ecosystems help make people and communities more resilient in the face of climate change and related severe weather events, both by protecting coastal areas from climate change-related weather events and by helping protect marine life.
Organic carbon (C) is captured by coastal ecosystems organisms’ roots, stems, and leaves of plants. (Infographic: A. Huescar Barber/IAEA)
Blue Carbon ecosystems help sustain the environment by mitigating climate change. Conversely, destroying and eroding coastal areas storing Blue Carbon could lead to the release of large quantities of sequestered carbon back to the atmosphere over a short period of time.
Scientists agree that the capacity of Blue Carbon ecosystems to sequester carbon has been drastically reduced over the past 70 years as a result of unsustainable coastal development, deforestation, environmental pollution and other destructive activities. In the last 50 years, the area covered by vegetated coastal habitat has shrunk between 25 and 50 per cent.
The ocean carbon cycle
How do coastal ecosystems act as a carbon sink?
Billions of tonnes of carbon are constantly moving through the atmosphere, land and oceans. The ocean carbon cycle is a set of vital processes that helps regulate the Earth’s climate and support sustainable marine life.
Carbon sequestration occurs when carbon is removed from the carbon cycle and stored in marine sediment for long periods of time.
What can nuclear science do?
Sediment that accumulates in the seagrasses, mangroves and marshes can be analysed to help indicate changes in the environment over periods of time, ranging from the past few years to millions of years ago. The capacity of vegetated coastal ecosystems to sequester and store carbon in their sediments can be measured by nuclear and isotopic techniques.
The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco use these elements to determine the rates at which organic carbon accumulates in marine sediments using sediment core samples from vegetated coastal ecosystems. Sediment cores are collected by using long plastic tubes that during sampling are able to preserve the layers of sediment accumulated over time.
The naturally occurring radioactive isotope lead-210 (210Pb), in combination with some artificial radionuclides such as caesium-137 (137Cs) are used to determine the sedimentation rates in the sediments at timescales of decades – up to around 100 years, a period during which human induced impacts on the environment have dramatically increased.
These techniques encompass radiochemical separation and measurements by alpha and gamma spectrometry adapted to each isotope. This is then combined with the measurement of organic carbon contents and its isotopes along the sedimentary record by mass spectrometry methods to assess the organic carbon stocks and burial rates.
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How can Blue Carbon be used as a nature-based climate solution?
Blue Carbon can help to fight climate change by removing excess carbon from the atmosphere and storing it for hundreds or thousands of years. However, this very capacity to sequester carbon makes it imperative that these ecosystems are protected and preserved. When we damage these coastal habitats, the carbon previously stored is released, leading to further negative impacts.
Investing in Blue Carbon is investing in a future where nature helps to slow the impacts of climate change and policymakers use evidence-based data to support the sustainable management of the ocean and coastal vegetated ecosystems. Protecting these areas means healthier coasts, healthier ecosystems and a healthier planet.
What is the role of the IAEA?
The IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratories apply nuclear and isotopic techniques to better understand the carbon cycle and evaluate the potential capacity of vegetated coastal ecosystems to store carbon.
The Laboratories focus on researching marine and coastal ecosystems, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification and accumulation of trace elements and other pollutants in marine ecosystems.
The Agency is involved in projects to assess the rates of carbon sequestration in vegetated coastal areas and to aid in data collection in more than 40 countries.
The Agency helps its Member States to evaluate potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of changes in ecosystems and implications for sustainable food security.
Guide to inform community decision-makers, workers, educators and students
Students learn first hand about ocean acidification as part of a NOAA Climate Stewards Program in 2016. (Image credit: Dieuwertje Kast/ University of Southern California Joint Educational Project)
“The climate literacy guide is a major investment in education and workforce development that will help build America’s climate-ready workforce and communities,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The rising threats of climate change are accelerating, and we need a new generation of climate-literate and specially skilled workers who can help communities address a wide range of climate impacts – from sea level rise, flooding, and water quality issues – so that we can tackle the climate crisis.”
“The climate literacy guide is a rich educational resource drawing from the latest scientific consensus on a broad spectrum of topics in climate science,” said NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad, Ph.D. “It will help bring climate literacy to every community in America and around the world.”
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This resource arrives as the U.S. suffers more frequent, intense, climate-driven extreme events that impact public health, the economy and historical and cultural resources. This summer was Earth’s warmest on record, with August global temperatures extending the streak of record-high monthly global temperatures to 15 successive months.
“The updated guide is a useful entry point for anyone who wants to understand why climate change is happening, how it affects us and our communities and what we can do about it,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Climate and Environment, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
While the first edition of the guide provided a physical and natural science definition of climate literacy tailored for all forms of education, this new edition expands this standard to embrace physical science as well as local and Indigenous Knowledge, social sciences, climate solutions and climate justice. The skills and knowledge in this guide can help everyone build resilience to climate change.
According to the guide, a climate-literate person:
Understands the essential principles of Earth’s climate system and the options to address human-caused climate change. (These principles and options are summarized in the guide).
Recognizes credible information about climate change and knows where to find it.
Communicates about climate change in accurate and effective ways.
Is able to make informed decisions related to climate change.
Research in the journal Ambiooffsite link shows a climate-literate society is better able to develop and implement climate solutions that benefit all.Incorporating scientific concepts as well as Indigenous and local knowledge in communication and education can improve climate literacy and make climate actions more effective.
The guide is available in interactive web and downloadable PDF formats that will connect with learners from all walks of life. It contains photos, artwork and other compelling visuals to facilitate learning.
Industrial civilisation is close to breaching a seventh planetary boundary, and may already have crossed it, according to scientists who have compiled the latest report on the state of the world’s life-support systems. They say ocean acidification is close to critical threshold, posing a threat to marine ecosystems and global liveability. Ian Sample speaks to Prof Helen Findlay, a biological oceanographer at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, to find out why the oceans have reached this state, and whether there is anything we can do to reverse the damage.
The number of studies investigating the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms and communities increases every year. Results are not easily comparable since the carbonate chemistry and ancillary data are not always reported in similar units and scales and are not calculated using similar sets of constants. To facilitate data comparison, a data compilation hosted by the PANGAEA Data Publisher was initiated by the European Network of Excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis (EUR-OCEANS) and the first large-scale European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) in 2008. It has been maintained within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) project Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) in collaboration with Xiamen University and the Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV), France, since 2013. By November 2023, a total of 1501 datasets (over 25 million data points) from 1554 papers had been archived. To easily filter and access relevant biological response data from this compilation, a user-friendly portal (https://oa-icc.ipsl.fr) was launched in 2018.
Reference: Yang, Y., Brockmann, P., Galdino, C., et al. (2024). An update of data compilation on the biological response to ocean acidification and overview of the OA-ICC data portal. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3771–3780. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3771-2024
List of categories and their associated keywords added to the datasets included in the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) compilation.
Funded by a $10 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the new Allen Discovery Center for Neurobiology in Changing Environments aims to understand how climate change may impact the nervous systems and behavior of marine animals.
Baltimore, MD—Carnegie Science’s Phillip Cleves is a key collaborator on a new initiative that aims to understand how climate change may impact the nervous systems and behavior of marine animals. Led by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Allen Discovery Center for Neurobiology in Changing Environments was launched with a $10 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
The new center’s researchers will work to uncover fundamental mechanisms of marine animals’ nervous systems and how they have evolved to function in naturally changing environments. The team’s findings could help predict how marine organisms will respond to climate change and guide conservation efforts for vulnerable species.
Climate change is fundamentally altering the marine environment by cranking up the heat, both making the ocean more acidic and lowering seawater’s oxygen content, because warmer water cannot hold as much oxygen. The speed and scope of these changes can be literally mind bending for ocean creatures. Shifts in temperature and ocean chemistry can alter brain development in early life, change the speed of neural signals, tweak neurotransmitter function or distort the senses of marine organisms.
“The question is how the nervous systems of marine animals deal with natural environmental variability and whether they can adapt to the swiftly changing conditions brought about by anthropogenic climate change,” said Martin Tresguerres, who will lead the new center. “Some species or populations may be more resilient or more vulnerable than others, and we want to identify them and try to understand the mechanisms behind this resiliency or vulnerability.”
At Carnegie Science, Cleves’ lab has been a global leader in deploying biomedical research techniques to reveal the cellular, molecular, and genomic underpinnings of coral symbiosis and coral reef architecture construction. He pioneered the use of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools in coral and anemones and his group’s work continues to inform conservation and rehabilitation strategies in the face of coral bleaching and structural deterioration caused by ocean acidification.
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The center’s cross-disciplinary research team will study four exemplar marine species: staghorn coral, the slipper snail, the painted sea urchin and the three-spined stickleback fish. They chose the creatures because they represent a diversity of evolutionary lineages that each play important ecological roles.
Other key collaborators include Todd Martz of Scripps and Richard Daneman of UC San Diego School of Medicine, Falko Kuester of the Jacobs School of Engineering and Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego, Carly Kenkel of the University of Southern California, Tracy Larson of the University of Virginia and Trevor Hamilton of MacEwan University.
The researchers will investigate how warming oceans, decreased oxygen levels, and ongoing ocean acidification impact these animals’ nervous systems and behaviors by combining cutting-edge genetic approaches with experiments in the lab and the field. The initiative is being supported through the Paul G Allen Frontiers Group, which enables cutting-edge bioscience around the world.
A newly published study also provides ocean acidification maps. Credit: doi:10.1038/s41597-024-03530-7
Researchers from NOAA have produced a new online dashboard on the National Marine Ecosystem Status website that shows how ocean acidification is impacting eleven different marine ecosystems in the U.S.
These graphs, charts and mapped products, which were also described in a recent paper for Nature Scientific Data, provide a resource to fisheries and natural resource managers and deliver simple snapshots of ecosystem status with respect to ocean acidification.
“The dashboard provides regional context for anyone who wants to know how ocean acidification is progressing in U.S. coastal ecosystems,” said Dr. Jon Sharp, who led the work.
A delayed start, good coverage of planned stations in the northern survey area, dropped stations in the south.
Teacher-at-sea Tonya Prentice (foreground) and Knauss Fellow Karen Beatty (background) washing down plankton sampling nets after a deployment. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Chris Melrose.
Our ecosystem monitoring cruises help researchers understand and predict changes in the Northeast shelf ecosystem and its fisheries throughout the year. Our core sampling provides data that help us understand ocean acidification as well as changes in:
Distribution and abundance of zooplankton and larval fish
Temperature
Salinity
Researchers also record observations of seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles.
We sampled 111 of 162 planned stations from August 12 to 23 aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow. Sailing was delayed from the originally scheduled departure on August 9 so the vessel could replace an essential crew member on short notice. We completed 68.5 percent of our planned research activities. We dropped stations from New Jersey to North Carolina owing to delayed sailing, and focused on stations in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England.
Chart showing location of planned and completed stations by type and completion rates by area for the Summer 2024 Ecosystem Monitoring Survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Immersive environmental ‘Sketches of Sensorium’ are being screened at the AlloSphere at UCSB
I’m coasting along the ripples on the surface of the ocean and dive below, swimming through coral reefs and passing schools of fish. When I look up I can see the sun reflecting on the surface of the water, below me the sandy ocean floor and behind me the reef surrounds me.
But…I’m bone dry – because I’m doing all this…on dry land!
This is the AlloSphere. It’s a three-story metal sphere in an echo-free chamber. Think the Las Vegas Sphere but on a smaller scale.
Inside, screens fill my vision all around, as I am led on this immersive deep-sea dive by JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, the AlloSphere’s Director and a Professor of Media Arts and Technology.
“It’s where you can have a group of researchers, a group of people come in and actually experience virtual reality in a new and different way as a group user experience instead of putting a helmet on your head. You’re actually here in the space and we can bring in any space that you’d like to be in,” said Kuchera-Morin.
The AlloSphere will host a series of public screenings of Sketches of Sensorium – immersive films which seek to answer a question.
“What are the implications of what’s happening with climate change and ocean health?” said Kuchera-Morin. “And so what Sketches does is in the beginning you were looking at the earth and we were out from afar. And we have actually NASA’s science data on that earth that will show you temperature change, show you ocean acidification, and then we’ll zoom in to certain places in the ocean to show the ramifications of what’s happening.”
As well as the awe inspiring visuals, the immersive sounds of ship engine noises and other ocean sounds takes your senses to the environment it seeks to protect.
“Think about how we live on the planet. We use all of our senses in order to navigate through complex systems. All of our senses vibrate in frequency relationships. So we have an infrasound across between feeling and hearing,” said Kuchera-Morin.
There’s a sweet spot where art and science meet. And that’s right here, says Kuchera-Morin, in this innovative space which started as an educational tool and is now challenging visitors into new thinking, insight and action.
“We do research with our scientists, but it’s education among us, but it’s also education that anyone can start to understand. And that’s the whole idea of the AlloSphere, where if we can bring data up to human scale and we can work with that data and we can understand it in a way that you’re not going to get from reading a science paper or a textbook,” said Kuchera-Morin.
“We may find a different way to educate. These are the classrooms of the future, the immersive cinemas of the future, the interactive situations of the future. And as media artist, it’s all to be able to do the most important things that we believe are really important in this world. That’s compassion, that’s understanding one another, that’s equity, and that’s climate justice,” she said.
The Sketches of Sensorium at the Allosphere at UC Santa Barbara is open to the public on six Thursdays and Saturdays starting Thursday 12 September, and you need tosign up online in advance.
