OAP Ocean Outlook

As spring rolls into summer, the warmer months bring opportunities for advancing our field research, creative partnership and engagement with communities facing the challenges of ocean and coastal acidification. We first congratulate the team that executed a critical mission in the U.S. Pacific for advancing our understanding of how acidification is unfolding in some of the most remote coral reef environments in the world. The past few months were also a prolific time for publications, garnering media attention and ensuring NOAA remains at the forefront of improving acidification science to better prepare coastal communities to respond to a changing ocean.

Dwight Gledhill, Acting Director

NOAA bestowed OAP Acting Director Dwight Gledhill the Silver Sherman Award, which recognizes NOAA employees who go above and beyond their normal duties to significantly contribute to NOAA's mission. It acknowledges exceptional performance, significant milestones, or leadership in process improvement. The award, initiated in 2016, is presented on an ad hoc basis by members of the NOAA Senior Executive Service. Join us to congratulate Dwight on this great achievement.

There are several ocean acidification sessions at Ocean Sciences Meeting 2026 (OSM25), which will take place on 22-27 February 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland. Join the discussion about these sessions on the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange. 

OAP will co-host a session with GOMO and WHOI: Tools in Harmony: Integrating Observations and Models for Improved Understanding of a Changing Ocean (Session ID 253627). The session will highlight cross-disciplinary studies utilizing both observations and models to address pressing research questions and contemporary challenges in ocean science. Presentations should describe mechanisms of collaboration and data-model integration and share lessons learned from the dual application of models and observations. This session comes on the heels of a NOAA report and publication in Oceanography summarizing a previous workshop with observers and modelers. 

The Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) announced its annual OA Week held 13-17 October. Join the international community for this virtual forum highlighting ocean acidification activities and action around the globe. GOA-ON is currently seeking OA Week Coordinators. Send one paragraph about your interest to secretariat@goa-on.org by August 10. 

Visit this webpage to learn more and view the schedule as it develops.

In addition to a biennial state-of-the-science meeting, MACAN held a technical assistance workshop hosted in partnership with the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) from 15-17 July at the Smithsonian Estuarine Research Center (SERC), in Edgewater, Maryland. Attendees of the workshop included researchers, state water quality practitioners, and industry-adjacent non-profits. The workshop facilitated discussion on regional collaboration to improve standards of practice and validation methods for various types of instruments and coastal and estuarine waters, building capacity to fill spatio-temporal monitoring gaps in carbon cycle monitoring and leveraging existing assets and efforts. 

The technical workshop featured opportunities for participants to:

• Make in situ and discrete carbonate chemistry measurements at the SERC dock and analytical laboratory, with lab demonstrations by Pro-Oceanus and Li-Cor.
• Learn about data management using the Ocean Carbon and Acidification Data System (OCADS). 
• Brainstorm ideas and share resources for increasing capacity for OA monitoring at teaching colleges, state water quality monitoring sites, and citizen science programs.

Discussions also centered around nature-based solutions, responsible implementation and monitoring of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) strategies, and planning tools for state and regional managers to identify risk and opportunity areas. 

Five years into executing the NOAA’s Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Research Plan (2020-2029), we have updated our website with new pages for each region of U.S. Large Marine Ecosystems. Webpages present the status of progress toward research goals for assessing environmental change, biological sensitivity and the human dimensions of acidification as well as case studies of work conducted across NOAA. Check the national summary and links to other regions. 

The Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) is the organization that coordinates the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network. AOOS is facing potential FY26 federal funding cuts that could significantly reduce or eliminate its services. To prepare, we’re asking for your help prioritizing what AOOS programs and resources are most important to you and your community.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Are you also a user of the AOOS Data Portal? If so, please consider taking an additional 5-minute survey focusing on AOOS data. 

Ocean Acidification: Another Planetary Boundary Crossed
Read the webstory

High-Frequency Correlations Between Winds and pCO2 Change the California Coastal Upwelling System From a CO2 Sink to a Source
This study found that monthly-resolution may miss important shorter-term variability that contributes to a net release of CO2 from the ocean rather than acting as a carbon sink.

Open Ocean Versus Upwelling Regimes: Air-Sea CO2 Fluxes and pCO2 Inter-Annual Variability in the Southern California Current System
Long-term monitoring of ocean chemistry inshore and offshore show distinct trends in dissolved inorganic carbon and pCO2 trend that tracks the atmosphere.

Tools in Harmony: Integrating Observations and Models for Improved Understanding of a Changing Ocean
This report summarizes a workshop bringing together observers and modelers to identify challenges and inefficiencies, missed opportunities for synthesis, needs and opportunities to advance our understanding of our changing ocean.

Disentangling the Effects of Global and Regional Drivers on Diverse Long-Term pH Trends in Coastal Waters
Using the Chesapeake Bay as a model coastal system, researchers conducted a 60-year model simulation and scenario analysis of carbonate chemistry between 1951 and 2010. They found that river alkalinization drove increased pH in the upper Bay while ocean acidification underpins pH decline in the lower Bay.

Building ocean acidification research and policy capacity in the wider Caribbean region: a case study for advancing regional resilience
This study provides examples of avenues and challenges to build OA capacity for research and monitoring from the ground up within the wider Caribbean to advance towards global sustainability goals.

Regulation of surface carbon dioxide distributions and air–sea fluxes by temperature, biology, and mixing along the North American Atlantic Coastal Ocean Margin
This study investigates the spatial and seasonal variability of pCO2 and air–sea CO2 fluxes across the North American Atlantic Coastal Ocean Margin and highlights the importance of regional pCO2 products for improving coastal carbon systems projections.

Estimating coral reef carbonate budgets using Structure‑from‑Motion photogrammetry
Researchers demonstrate that Structure-from-Motion improves field efficiency and enhances data acquisition for coral reef ecosystems, but includes significant upfront and annotation costs. 

Biological response of eelgrass epifauna, Taylor's Sea hare (Phyllaplysia taylori) and eelgrass isopod (Idotea resecata), to elevated ocean alkalinity
These experiments assess effects of natural and sustained alkalinity for two important species for eelgrass ecosystems and as salmon prey.

Wastewater alkalinity enhancement for carbon emission reduction and marine CO2 removal
This study presents a modeling framework that combines a modern activated sludge model-based wastewater treatment plants simulator with an integrated model of coastal oceans.

Site selection for ocean alkalinity enhancement informed by passive tracer simulations
Researchers developed a site selection index for tracer dispersal ocean alkalinity enhancement, finding strong seasonality with optimal conditions in summer and less favorable conditions in winter.

Assessment framework to predict sensitivity of marine calcifiers to ocean alkalinity enhancement – identification of biological thresholds and importance of precautionary principle
Researchers developed an assessment framework to predict the sensitivity of marine calcifiers to ocean alkalinity enhancement by using data originating from ocean acidification studies.