Ocean acidification has been identified in the Planetary Boundary Framework as a planetary process approaching a boundary that could lead to unacceptable environmental change. Using revised estimates of pre-industrial aragonite saturation state, state-of-the-art data-model products, including uncertainties and assessing impact on ecological indicators, we improve upon the ocean acidification planetary boundary assessment and demonstrate that by 2020, the average global ocean conditions had already crossed into the uncertainty range of the ocean acidification boundary. This analysis was further extended to the subsurface ocean, revealing that up to 60% of the global subsurface ocean (down to 200 m) had crossed that boundary, compared to over 40% of the global surface ocean. These changes result in significant declines in suitable habitats for important calcifying species, including 43% reduction in habitat for tropical and subtropical coral reefs, up to 61% for polar pteropods, and 13% for coastal bivalves. By including these additional considerations, we suggest a revised boundary of 10% reduction from pre-industrial conditions more adequately prevents risk to marine ecosystems and their services; a benchmark which was surpassed by year 2000 across the entire surface ocean.
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification: another planetary boundary crossed’Posts Tagged 'socio-economy'
Ocean acidification: another planetary boundary crossed
Published 20 June 2025 Science ClosedTags: policy, socio-economy
Navigating ocean acidification in shellfish aquaculture: stakeholder perspectives of developing strategies in the U.S. Pacific region
Published 23 May 2025 Science ClosedTags: fisheries, mitigation, North Pacific, socio-economy
Highlights
- Aquaculture ocean acidification threat perceptions declined over the last decade.
- Shellfish industry interviews can guide adaptive strategy co-production.
- Native species portfolio diversification met more skepticism than parental priming.
- Enhanced environmental monitoring is a high research priority across respondents
Abstract
The marine shellfish aquaculture industry across the U.S. Pacific region faces escalating ocean acidification and its associated challenges. This study examines industry participant perceptions and experiences regarding ocean acidification, additional threats, and future research needs, finding a notable decrease in perceived concern regarding ocean acidification over the past decade. Through structured interviews, broad industry perspectives are explored regarding current practices and two specific ocean acidification adaptation strategies under development: parental priming and native species portfolio expansion. While parental priming garnered cautious support contingent on scientific validation, perceptions of native species expansion were polarized, driven by skepticism about regulatory barriers, economic viability, and scalability. Enhanced environmental monitoring emerged as the most widely supported adaptation measure, underscoring its importance in addressing multiple stressors in addition to ocean acidification. By considering industry and operation characteristics while examining potential decision-making biases, this study provides unique insights for co-producing relevant adaptation strategies. Additionally, the critical role of collaboration between stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers in fostering resilience is emphasized.
Continue reading ‘Navigating ocean acidification in shellfish aquaculture: stakeholder perspectives of developing strategies in the U.S. Pacific region’Comprehensive model of environmental degradation assessment
Published 17 March 2025 Science ClosedTags: modeling, socio-economy
This study explores the development of a comprehensive techno-economic model of environmental degradation based on the ReCiPe2016 approach named Financial Developed ReCiPe (FDR). The FDR considers cause-and-effect pathways of environmental degradation by ocean acidification, floods, acid rain, malnutrition, forest destruction, and waste more than the ReCiPe2016 in the midpoint and the environmental properties in the endpoint by considering tourism potential and intergenerational benefits. This model quantifies environmental degradation by the functions of fate factors (FF), effect factors (EF), exposure factors (XF), and economic impacts. These functions are developed for added cause-and-effect pathways, and the results were verified based on real studies. The uncertainties are considered by Individualist, Hierarchist, and Egalitarian perspectives, and the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method is used to estimate the uncertainty level of variables. The results indicate the acceptability of the findings for the 20–1000-year infinite time horizon is about 13–38% variation. The FDR reveals significant deviations in the Hierarchist perspective compared to the ReCiPe2016; non-cancer diseases due to stratospheric ozone depletion and malnutrition by global warming are increased by approximately 17% and 13%, respectively. Each hectare of forest destruction’s impact on global warming, tourism, and timber resources equates to annual emission of 86 tons of CO2, 426 tons of PM2.5, and 1540 tons of crude oil, respectively. The ocean acidification effects from CO2 emissions compared to SO2 and terrestrial acidification, contributing about 0.03% in the Hierarchist perspective. Finally, the FDR model bridges the existing gap in lifecycle impact assessment (LCIA) in energy-intensive industries such as petrochemical industries.
Continue reading ‘Comprehensive model of environmental degradation assessment’Navigating ocean acidification in shellfish aquaculture: stakeholder perspectives of developing strategies in the U.S. Pacific region
Published 12 December 2024 Science ClosedTags: fisheries, mitigation, North Pacific, socio-economy
The marine shellfish aquaculture industry across the U.S. Pacific region faces escalating ocean acidification and its associated challenges. This study examines industry participant perceptions and experiences regarding ocean acidification, additional threats, and future research needs, finding a notable decrease in perceived concern regarding ocean acidification over the past decade. Through structured interviews, broad industry perspectives are explored regarding current practices and two specific ocean acidification adaptation strategies under development: parental priming and native species portfolio expansion. While parental priming garnered cautious support contingent on scientific validation, perceptions of native species expansion were polarized, driven by skepticism about regulatory barriers, economic viability, and scalability. Enhanced environmental monitoring emerged as the most widely supported adaptation measure, underscoring its importance in addressing multiple stressors in addition to ocean acidification. By considering industry and operation characteristics while examining potential decision-making biases, this study provides unique insights for co-producing relevant adaptation strategies. Additionally, the critical role of collaboration between stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers in fostering resilience is emphasized.
Continue reading ‘Navigating ocean acidification in shellfish aquaculture: stakeholder perspectives of developing strategies in the U.S. Pacific region’Climate resilience and profitability thresholds in chesapeake bay oyster aquaculture
Published 5 December 2024 Science ClosedTags: fisheries, mitigation, mollusks, North Atlantic, socio-economy
Highlights
- Climate change brings offsetting factors for oyster aquaculture.
- By 2068 we project slight profit declines for most locations.
- Optimized profits were driven more by site-to-site differences than future changes.
- Industry growth will be supported by making high quality areas available for leasing.
- Targeted mitigation strategies can boost profits even at high costs.
Abstract
Shellfish aquaculture producers in coastal systems are facing uncertain future growing conditions as climate change alters weather patterns and raises sea level. We examined expected mid-century (2059–2068) changes in aquaculture profitability from recent conditions by integrating models of climate change, estuarine hydrodynamics and biogeochemistry, oyster growth, oyster mortality, and economics, using the Chesapeake Bay, USA as a case study. We developed an economic stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) approach that generates optimal grower behavior to maximize profits under uncertainty by dynamically choosing planting density, replanting and mitigation use, in response to changing oyster stock status and water quality conditions. Separate models were developed for bottom culture largely serving the cannery market, and container culture largely serving the half-shell market, to reflect different production costs, market prices, and oyster growth and survival. The coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical and oyster ecology models projected high spatial variability in oyster growth and mortality with the most favorable growing conditions in the lower north and upper mid bay, where mortality is lowest, and the upper south bay, where growth is highest. Climate change by late mid-century generated modest water quality changes and virtually no mortality rate changes. Nonetheless, our modeling revealed that even if growers made optimal management choices under uncertainty, the majority of modeled sites would see a decline in profitability under climate change, primarily due to potential reductions in food availability. Bottom culture was more resilient to the future climate at most sites, being less sensitive to small changes in growth than container culture. Information on how aquaculture conditions currently vary in space was more important for profitability than future climate forecasts. Our stochastic dynamic programming approach tailored grower behavior to each site and unfolding annual conditions, including highly targeted and cost-effective mitigation adjustments to boost oyster survival or growth.
Continue reading ‘Climate resilience and profitability thresholds in chesapeake bay oyster aquaculture’Effects of ocean acidification on abalone (Haliotis spp.) reproduction, early development, and growth: a review
Published 5 December 2024 Science ClosedTags: biological response, calcification, mollusks, morphology, mortality, physiology, reproduction, review, socio-economy
Abalone (Haliotis spp.) is a highly valuable and economically relevant marine commodity worldwide, with its production and value showing significant growth over the past two decades. Additionally, abalone hold essential ecological value by serving as a grazer and providing a microhabitat for various benthic organisms. Currently, seawater is experiencing a decrease in pH due to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. It is projected that by 2100, the pH of seawater will decrease by approximately 0.3–0.4 units, with this trend continuing to 0.7–0.8 units by 2300. Abalone is particularly susceptible to ocean acidification due to its limited ability to maintain acid-base balance. Moreover, even if the effects on abalone are not lethal, world production values and ecosystem balance are likely to be impacted. This review examines the economic and ecological significance of abalone, as well as the morphological and physiological effects of ocean acidification on abalone during its early development, juvenile, and adult stages based on previous studies. In summary, the adverse effects of ocean acidification on abalone depend on several aspects, including the species, developmental stage, size, and duration of exposure.
Continue reading ‘Effects of ocean acidification on abalone (Haliotis spp.) reproduction, early development, and growth: a review’Challenges and opportunities towards meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals from coral and seaweed ecosystems in an era of climate change
Published 22 November 2024 Science ClosedTags: algae, biological response, corals, mitigation, policy, review, socio-economy
Global climate change scenarios due to anthropogenic responses jeopardize ecosystem sustainability and hinder progress toward achieving the United nations (UN-SDGs). Achieving “natural carbon solutions” from terrestrial ecosystems is challenging due to decreasing arable land and increasing marginal land. Marine ecosystems representing a wider “natural carbon solutions” have also been severely impacted by climate change. Among marine ecosystems, coral reefs and seaweed communities are the key ecosystem engineers that support a wide range of marine life, facilitate nutrient cycling, and provide essential ecosystem services with a pivotal role in sustaining coastal economies and livelihoods. Notably, these communities compete for space within the reef ecosystem and suffer from loss of diversity and richness due to climate change. Therefore, assessing the climate change resilience of both the corals and seaweeds is essential to evaluate and design long-term adaptation strategies, ecological innovations, and science-informed policies to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage economic services. This review article aims to highlight (1) the physiological response and resilience of corals and seaweeds to environmental changes, (2) the impact of climate change on their ecosystems and economic services, (3) their potential contributions towards the United Nations’ sustainable goals, (4) progressive efforts applied for their restoration, and (5) the potential complementary value of large-scale seaweed aquaculture as a carbon sink.
Continue reading ‘Challenges and opportunities towards meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals from coral and seaweed ecosystems in an era of climate change’Shellfisheries’ adaptation to ocean acidification in OR and CA: linking strategies to strategic policy action
Published 18 November 2024 Science ClosedTags: methods, policy, socio-economy
Highlights
- Policies are currently in place to support adaptive capacity of shellfish growers in California and Oregon.
- Both specific and broad policies pertaining to OA, and shellfish aquaculture, offer multiple places to develop greater adaptive capacity.
- Reducing institutional barriers to daily operations will help shellfish growers’ adaptation as more efforts can be directed to adaptive strategies.
- Continued and expanded communication between agencies, scientists and shellfish growers provide pathways to explore adaptation to OA.
Abstract
As ocean pH levels continue to decline due to increased absorption of atmospheric CO2, a process known as ocean acidification (OA), industries dependent on ocean resources must adapt to mitigate negative impacts of OA. Utilizing adaptive strategies identified by shellfish growers in prior, related research, we seek to explore and identify existing U.S. State and Federal policies that pertain to OA, how they might impact the ability for shellfish growers in California (CA) and Oregon (OR) adapt to OA, and where there are opportunities for policy expansion to improve their capacity to adapt to OA. Potential pathways linking adaptation needs with policy processes is discussed.
Continue reading ‘Shellfisheries’ adaptation to ocean acidification in OR and CA: linking strategies to strategic policy action’Exploring the impact of ocean acidification information on consumers’preference for seafood
Published 15 November 2024 Science ClosedTags: socio-economy
We conducted a discrete choice experiment to explore whether providing information about a lesser-known issue related to climate change, as it is ocean acidification (OA), affects consumers’ preferences for seafood products in a middle-income country in the southern hemisphere. Our objective was to determine whether OA information affects consumer preferences for seafood using stated preference (SP) techniques. Seafood attributes include shell size and appearance, meat color, texture, taste, nutritional composition, product assortments, and price. We applied a split-sample approach to test for information effects, with one sample receiving information about OA while the other did not. We analyze the differences between samples using visual instruments and statistical tests. The results demonstrate that although the statistical test does not identify a difference between models, we did find that OA information increases the precision of ’consumers’ responses. Moreover, using visual instruments, we found differences in specific parameters – not detected in the statistical analysis – which can lead to substantial differences in the willingness to pay for seafood attributes. The article is relevant as understanding these matters is essential when generating more effective communicational strategies regarding the impacts of climate change.
Continue reading ‘Exploring the impact of ocean acidification information on consumers’preference for seafood’Ocean and coastal acidification monitoring priorities for the Northeast US and Eastern Canada
Published 14 November 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, socio-economy
The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification monitoring Prioritization Plan 2024 calls for Coastal Acidification Networks to identify the ocean and coastal acidification (OCA) monitoring needs most important for their regions. The Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) organized a webinar series to study regional needs, which culminated with a workshop in November 2023.
This workshop led to the identification of six priority new Monitoring Needs in addition to the maintenance of current monitoring efforts:
- Improve spatial and temporal scale of monitoring co-located OCA variables and biological measurements to better resolve variability of acidification dynamics in concert with biological processes
- Increase subsurface monitoring to understand how conditions vary at depth
- Increase the number of high-frequency monitoring assets that measure at least two of four carbon parameters
- Increase near-real-time and rapid response observing capacity to capture episodic events
- Determine fluxes and rates that would help parameterize and constrain regional modeling efforts to understand past conditions and project future trends
- Increase spatial coverage of “climate”-quality observations
This report presents monitoring needs and opportunities for consideration by coastal managers, decision makers, researchers, and monitoring groups. It offers options to apply new capacity or funding to the expansion of OCA monitoring in the NECAN region.
Writing the report led to the identification of a number of cross-cutting actions which will lead to the implementation of these Monitoring Needs:
- Expand monitoring beyond carbonate chemistry to provide a complete assessment of OCA, its effects, and future trends.
- Enhance or leverage existing monitoring platforms for a cost-effective and collaborative approach to creating a more complete OCA monitoring system in the NECAN region.
- Expand the NECAN membership to include protected area experts, terrestrial biogeochemists and hydrologists, fisheries experts, social scientists, Tribal liaisons, project leads from large assessments, and other important stakeholders, rights holders and decision makers.
- Increase funding in the Northeast to both sustain currently-stretched efforts and grow a more robust ocean acidification monitoring program.
- Pursue immediate implementation of proxy approaches or interim strategies for measurements with technological or capacity limitations, while new technologies are being developed.
- Synthesize monitoring information to advance the collective understanding of OCA in the NECAN region.
- Deploy monitoring assets strategically, with end-user needs in mind, ensuring that the collected data is accessible, relevant, and useful for decision-making.
- Share NECAN’s experience in developing these recommendations with other regional CANs.
Sustainable seaweed aquaculture and climate change in the North Atlantic: challenges and opportunities
Published 4 November 2024 Science ClosedTags: algae, modeling, North Atlantic, socio-economy
Seaweed aquaculture is gaining traction globally as a solution to many climate issues. However, seaweeds themselves are also under threat of anthropogenically driven climate change. Here, we summarize climate-related challenges to the seaweed aquaculture industry, with a focus on the developing trade in the North Atlantic. Specifically, we summarize three main challenges: i) abiotic change; ii) extreme events; and iii) disease & herbivory. Abiotic change includes negative effects of ocean warming and acidification, as well as altered seasonality due to ocean warming. This can lower biomass yield and change biochemical composition of the seaweeds. Extreme events can cause considerable damage and loss to seaweed farms, particularly due to marine heatwaves, storms and freshwater inputs. Seaweed diseases have a higher chance of proliferating under environmentally stressful conditions such as ocean warming and decreased salinity. Herbivory causes loss of biomass but is not well researched in relation to seaweed aquaculture in the North Atlantic. Despite challenges, opportunities exist to improve resilience to climate change, summarized in three sections: i) future proof site selection; ii) advances in breeding and microbiome manipulation; and iii) restorative aquaculture. We present a case study where we use predictive modelling to illustrate suitable habitat for seaweed cultivation in the North Atlantic under future ocean warming. Notably, there was a large loss of suitable habitat for cultivating Alaria esculenta and Laminaria digitata. We show how selection and priming and microbe inoculates may be a cost-effective and scalable solution to improve disease- and thermal tolerance. Co-cultivation of seaweeds may increase both yield and biodiversity co-benefits. Finally, we show that aquaculture and restoration can benefit from collaborating on nursery techniques and push for improved legislation.
Continue reading ‘Sustainable seaweed aquaculture and climate change in the North Atlantic: challenges and opportunities’Carbonate system and acidification of the Adriatic Sea
Published 17 October 2024 Science ClosedTags: chemistry, fisheries, Mediterranean, review, socio-economy
Although the marginal seas represent only 7 % of the total area of the ocean, CO2 fluxes are important for the carbon budget, exposing them to the intense process of anthropogenic ocean acidification. The Adriatic Sea is currently a CO2 sink (−0.5 to −1 mol C m−2 y−1) with an annual flux comparable to the net sink rates in the NW Mediterranean. Based on a comparison of two winter cruises carried out in the 25-years interval between 1983 and 2008, an acidification rate of 0.003 pHT units y−1 was estimated in the northern Adriatic which is similar to the Mediterranean open waters (with recent estimations of −0.0028 ± 0.0003 pHT units y−1) and the surface coastal waters (−0.003 ± 0.001 and − 0.0044 ± 0.00006 pHT units y−1). The computed Revelle factor for the Adriatic Sea (approximately 10) indicates that the buffer capacity is rather high and that the waters do not appear to be particularly exposed to acidification. Total alkalinity (TA) in the Adriatic (2.6–2.7 mmol kg−1) is in the upper range of TA measured in the Mediterranean Sea. This is primarily due to the riverine inputs which transport carbonates dissolved from the Alpine dolomites and karstic watersheds. The Adriatic Sea is the second sub-basin (319 Gmol y−1), following the Aegean Sea (which receives the TA contribution from the Black Sea), that contribute to the riverine TA discharges into the Mediterranean Sea. About 60 % of the TA inflow into the Adriatic Sea is attributed to discharge from the Po River with a TA of ~3 mmol kg−1 and TA decreases with increasing salinity. The north Adriatic dense water spreading and cascading is an efficient mechanism for exporting TA and DIC at depth, from the northern Adriatic towards the bottom of the South Adriatic Pit and possibly to the eastern Mediterranean. Saturation states indicate that the waters of the Adriatic are supersaturated throughout the year with respect to aragonite (ΩAr). However, the saturation state is considerably lower in the bottom water layers, due to the prevalence of the bottom layer and benthic remineralisation in the stratification period. Effects on calcifying organisms and phytoplankton are expected in the future.
Continue reading ‘Carbonate system and acidification of the Adriatic Sea’Ecophysiology and ocean acidification in marine mollusks: from molecule to behavior
Published 17 October 2024 Science ClosedTags: biological response, education, growth, mollusks, morphology, performance, physiology, reproduction, review, socio-economy
Ecophysiology and Ocean Acidification in Marine Mollusks: From Molecule to Behavior provides an extensive overview of the latest research on the various ecophysiological effects of ocean acidification on marine mollusks. This book synthesizes historical information and recent findings on the effects of environmental change, ocean warming, and acidification on key mollusks and their life-history. It also discusses the underlying mechanisms underpinning the effects of ocean warming and acidification. Written by internationally recognized experts in the field of marine biology, this book systematically examines the effects of ocean acidification on the reproduction, growth and development, physiological metabolism, immunity, and behavior of marine mollusks.
The book concludes by discussing the implications of current research, acknowledging data limitations in the field, and proposing future research directions, providing a better understanding of the potential impacts of ocean acidification on mollusks and the global aquaculture industry and inspiring new thinking for future research practices. It will be an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners, undergraduate and graduate students, conservationists, and aquaculturists alike who are interested in marine environmental change, ecology, physiology, and marine biology.
Continue reading ‘Ecophysiology and ocean acidification in marine mollusks: from molecule to behavior’Ocean acidification and biodiversity loss: connecting the dots with data
Published 16 October 2024 Newsletters and reports , Science ClosedTags: chemistry, policy, socio-economy
About the report
Ocean acidification and biodiversity loss: Connecting the dots with data is a report written by Economist Impact for Back to Blue, an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation. The purpose of this report is to highlight the need for ocean scientists to prove causal links between ocean acidification (OA) and damage to marine species, and the challenges involved in doing so.
Summary
The world is living through a biodiversity crisis. The rapid pace at which animal and plant species have declined in recent decades has led some experts to declare that another mass extinction is under way. What distinguishes this from previous periods of accelerated biodiversity loss are its causes. Whereas naturally occurring events—some sudden and cataclysmic, others more gradual—were the triggers in pre-historic times, human actions are the root cause of species decline today. They include over-hunting, over-fishing and over-farming, but potentially the most devastating in the long term is climate change brought about by our unrelenting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
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The impacts of emissions-induced climate change are readily evident in the world’s oceans, perhaps most vividly in the decline of warm water coral reefs caused by warming. Excess CO2 emissions—more than the oceans can safely absorb—are putting many other marine species under direct threat, such as several forms of plankton and shellfish. Those excess emissions also cause ocean acidification (OA), which changes seawater chemistry in ways that make it difficult for many organisms to survive or thrive.
Scientists understand the malign connection between OA and changes to ocean chemistry and biological processes. Many have highlighted the biodiversity loss that will result from OA, and the follow-on harm it will cause to marine ecosystems and the communities that rely on them for food and livelihoods. Policymakers and international organisations are generally aware of the threat that OA poses. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has mandated member countries to actively combat it, and many are putting action plans in place for that purpose. At national, regional and local levels, however, where action is most vital, competing priorities too often deprive those plans of resources and impetus.
Ocean experts advocating for action against OA worry that their efforts are not creating sufficient urgency among policymakers. OA’s effects are not easy to see, unlike other manifestations of climate change. Therefore, scientists are seeking to provide incontrovertible evidence by demonstrating causality between OA and species decline. Doing so will perform another service: making it easier to determine whether OA is or is not the major stressor on marine life in specific environments, reducing the chances that remedial actions are misdirected and cause unintended harm.
Proving causality cannot be done through laboratory research alone. It requires extensive data gathering in the field, where OA’s impact on organisms can be observed in real (not simulated) environments. It also demands much closer co-ordination between researchers monitoring ocean chemistry and those monitoring biological processes— activities that thus far have been unconnected. Although decades of data gathering may be needed before some correlations are proven, the ocean experts pressing for a new approach to research believe many correlations will become manifest in the next few years.
This report discusses how current ocean research approaches can be adapted to yield such correlations. And while decades may be required for some findings to be confirmed, the report also highlights opportunities to demonstrate causality today—environments where the impacts on biodiversity can be viewed in isolation from other stressors. When it comes to prodding policymakers into action, such results could bear fruit sooner rather than later.
Key takeaways
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Back to Blue Initiative, September 2024. Report.
Handbook of climate change mitigation and adaptation
Published 24 September 2024 Science ClosedTags: education, mitigation, policy, socio-economy
Overview
- Features new chapters on emerging technologies for climate change mitigation, including non-CO2-GHGs
- Comprehensively covers the impact of climate change
- Provides clear scientific rationale for the reality of climate change
About this book
Now in its 4th, extended edition, this completely revised and significantly expanded handbook addresses important new research findings and the global need for action related to climate change in its two most relevant aspects: mitigation and adaptation.
There is a growing consensus that anthropogenic activities have been driving global climate change, and the consequence will be catastrophic for civilization. Reducing the 37.1 billion metric tons of CO2 produced annually (2017 global emissions) along with other greenhouse gases, particularly methane, has become a leading grand challenge and the pursuit of sustainable energy, environments, and economies is a complex issue affecting the daily life of every citizen.
In this 4th edition, readers will find new chapters covering the causes and impacts of global warming, the climate change impacts on health, biodiversity, and the economy, and emerging technologies for climate change mitigation. Particular attention is given to topics such as wildfire threats, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, sea level rise, and permafrost thaw. The latest research on sustainable aviation fuels, carbon mineralization, and smart cities is also covered in this new edition, as well as topics like sustainable building design, climate-resistant building materials, and sustainable agriculture.
The Handbook of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation collates information in this multi-disciplinary area, providing readers with a comprehensive overview of the scientific background and current and emerging technologies. Intended for an interdisciplinary, global audience of researchers and decision-makers at universities and in industry, it covers climate change models; established, mature, and promising future technologies and ideas; the impact of climate change; strategies for dealing with global warming; the related political frameworks; and climate education.
Continue reading ‘Handbook of climate change mitigation and adaptation’Acute hypercapnia at South African abalone farms and its physiological and commercial consequences
Published 19 September 2024 Science ClosedTags: biological response, fisheries, laboratory, mitigation, mollusks, physiology, socio-economy
Abalone Haliotis midae are distributed from the cold, hypercapnic waters of the dynamic Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem to the relatively warm, normocapnic waters of the Agulhas Current. The species supports an important fishery as well as a thriving aquaculture industry. Due to the relatively low capacity to regulate their acid–base balance and their need to calcify shell and radula, abalone are especially vulnerable to increasing ocean acidification. Exposure to acidified seawater, i.e., hypercapnia, also occurs during the farming operation and can originate from (a) changes in influent seawater, (b) pH decrease by accumulation of waste products, and (c) intentional hypercapnia for anaesthesia using CO2-saturated seawater for size grading. Currently, these are acute exposures to hypercapnia, but increasing ocean acidification can cause chronic exposure, if not mitigated. Wild South African abalone are already exposed to periodic hypercapnia during ocean upwelling events and will be more so in the future due to progressive ocean acidification. This study investigated the acute pH effects in isolation as an initial step in studying the acute physiological response of H. midae to provide a mechanistic basis for the design of complex multifactorial studies, imitating more closely what occurs on farms and in the natural habitat. The major findings relevant to the above conditions are as follows: 1. Acute exposure to hypercapnia induces a reversible, unbuffered respiratory acidosis. 2. The impact of acute hypercapnia is size-dependent and potentially fatal. 3. Exposure to extreme, short hypercapnia during anaesthesia causes a rapid imbalance in the acid–base state but a rapid subsequent recovery. LC50 for small, medium and large abalone range from pH 6.27 to 6.03, respectively, and sub-lethal levels from pH 6.8 to 6.2. These results can be used by abalone aquaculture farms to mitigate/avoid the impact of acute (and chronic) hypercapnia but also to standardise their anaesthesia method. They are also a proxy to estimate the effects on wild populations.
Continue reading ‘Acute hypercapnia at South African abalone farms and its physiological and commercial consequences’Interactive impact of residual pyrethroid compounds used in the Chilean salmon farming industry and coastal acidification conditions on the feeding performance of farmed mussels in northern Patagonia
Published 3 September 2024 Science ClosedTags: biological response, fisheries, laboratory, mollusks, multiple factors, performance, physiology, reproduction, socio-economy, temperature
Highlights
- We examine the interaction of natural environmental regimes of temperature and pH conditions, with pyrethroids concentration used by salmon farming industry in Chilean Patagonia, and its potential impact of mussel feeding (clearance and ingestion rate of newly-hatched larvae and juveniles).
- We combined approaches, including oceanographic monitoring in a salmon and mussel farming area in Chilean Patagonia, with experiments aiming estimate the effects of two pyrethroids (deltamethrin and cypermethrin) on the clearance and ingestion rate of mussel larvae.
- We also exposed to mussel spats to both pyrethroids, but at contrasting temperature and pH conditions mimicking winter and summer conditions.
Abstract
The use of pyrethroids in aquaculture has been an important component of achieving a thriving salmon farming industry in Chile. While the residual presence of such substances is known to depend on environmental conditions, most ecotoxicological studies to date have not considered environmental context. Here, we conducted oceanographic monitoring combined with experiments aiming to estimate the effects of two pyrethroids on the feeding rates of larvae of farmed mussels, Mytilus chilensis. In additional experiments, mussel spats were exposed to both pyrethroids, but under contrasting temperature/pH so as to mimic winter and summer conditions. Experiments mimicking spring conditions revealed that both pyrethroid substances affected the feeding of mussel larvae as a function of concentration. Conversely, significant impact of pyrethroids on adults were not observed with regard to temperature and pH, but a significant impact of low temperature/low pH condition on ingestion rates was confirmed. Given the current status of increasing ocean acidification, the results of this study are expected to provide useful information with regard to achieving sustainable mussel aquaculture, especially considering both activities occur in similar geographic areas, and the expansion of salmon farming areas is ongoing in Chile.
Continue reading ‘Interactive impact of residual pyrethroid compounds used in the Chilean salmon farming industry and coastal acidification conditions on the feeding performance of farmed mussels in northern Patagonia’Impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and mitigation strategies
Published 30 August 2024 Science ClosedTags: biological response, fish, mitigation, mollusks, review, socio-economy
This study explores the mechanisms of adaptation in aquatic species, including phenotypic plasticity, genetic evolution, and molecular mechanisms. Aquatic species exhibit significant phenotypic plasticity, allowing them to respond rapidly to environmental changes. Changes in gene expression related to osmoregulation and metabolic processes demonstrate how species adjust their physiological states to cope with varying conditions. Genetic evolution plays a crucial role in long-term adaptation, driven by processes such as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift. Research shows that specific genes in marine mammals and freshwater prawns are crucial for their adaptation to aquatic environments. Molecular adaptations involve gene regulation, genomic changes, and epigenetic modifications. Studies on fireflies and marine diatoms provide insights into the genetic basis of adaptation to different environmental conditions.
Continue reading ‘Impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems and mitigation strategies ‘Small island risks: research reflections for disaster anthropologists and climate ethnographers
Published 19 August 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, socio-economy
Disasters and climate-related events, including tropical storms, droughts, coastal erosion, and ocean acidification, threaten small island nations. Given the urgency of reducing disaster risks and the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, this reflection essay pursues three objectives. First, it highlights the role of anthropology, ethnography, and multi-sited research in exploring disaster impacts, climate crises, and public policy in island communities. It then highlights national planning and inter-regional activities to build awareness of various risk reduction efforts by island nations and multi-governmental organizations. This article concludes with discussion prompts to engage researchers, scholars, students, and practitioners studying and working in small island nations. Due to the growing interest in climate equity and justice, this paper argues that anthropologists can offer valuable methodologies and approaches to develop transdisciplinary and nuanced insights into researching disaster risk reduction efforts and climate policy networks in and across island nations.
Continue reading ‘Small island risks: research reflections for disaster anthropologists and climate ethnographers’Exploring coral reef benefits: a systematic SEEA-driven review
Published 19 August 2024 Science ClosedTags: corals, review, socio-economy
Highlights
- Understand the value and assessment of coral reef ecosystem services using the SEEA framework
- Identify features of the SEEA in coral reef ecosystem services accounting studies.
- Explore the characteristics of extent, condition, physical and monetary values associated with implementing ecosystem services accounting in coral reef ecosystems.
Abstract
Coral reefs are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on the planet, providing numerous benefits to human societies, including fisheries, coastal protection, and biodiversity conservation. In order to effectively manage and conserve coral reefs, it is essential to understand the value of the ecosystem services they provide. The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework offers a comprehensive approach for accounting for ecosystem services, which can be useful for assessing the value of natural environments. While the validity of SEEA for many marine ecosystems is increasingly acknowledged, there remains a scarcity of studies that have investigated SEEA in the context of coral reef ecosystems. To bridge this gap, this study offers extensive examination and investigates the evolution of coral reef ecosystem service research under the SEEA framework in over nearly three decades, providing a rich dataset for understanding trends and gaps. The research findings reveal interdisciplinary methodological integration in coral reef ecosystem research, incorporating remote sensing, environmental science, ecology, environmental economics, ecological economics, computer science, and citizen science. Across different time periods, within the shared focus of coral reef health and sustainability, there has been a transition from concerns about the impacts of human activities to a concentration on climate change, supported by empirical evidence and case studies. These research results contribute to our better understanding of the value of coral reef ecosystems.
Continue reading ‘Exploring coral reef benefits: a systematic SEEA-driven review’
