Ocean Acidification & Harmful Algal Blooms: Defining a Research Agenda

A virtual workshop August 11-13th, 2020

Hosted by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Ocean Acidification Program

During June and July a webinar series set the foundation for the workshop - a recording of all of the presentations can be found below!

Contact erica.h.ombres@noaa.go with any questions about the workshop or webinars!

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This workshop aimed to determine a few tractable OA-HAB research priorities for potential  inclusion in an upcoming RFP during our time together by identifying:  

  • gaps in OA-HAB research; and
  • potential useful research products that incorporate OA-HAB interactions


    • view AGENDA 

    WEBINAR SCHEDULE: 

    When

    June 17th                          2pmET

                               June 24th  1:30pmET     

    June 26th    1:00pmET

     

    June 29th  1:00pmET

     

      July 8th           1:00pmET

                                            July 10th   1::30pmET

                                    July 13th    2:00pmET

      July 15th    2:00pmET

    Who

    Chris Gobler, Stonybrook University

    Raphe Kudela, University of California Santa Cruz

    Hans Paerl, University of North Carolina

    Clarissa Anderson, University of California San Diego; Samantha Siedlecki, University of Connecticut; Jan Newton University of Washington

    Beth Stauffer, University of Louisiana

    Regan Errera, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

    Melissa McCutcheon, Texas A&M Corpus Christi\

    Kris Holderied, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

    What

    HABs and ocean acidification: Additive, synergistic, antagonistic, or otherwise?

    Synergies Between OAH and HAB Networks: California as a Case Study

    Acidification, eutrophication and HABs in estuarine waters:  What do long-term data tell us?

    Modeling and Forecasting OA and HABs to meet stakeholders needs – Regional Perspectives                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

    A marginal sea of variability in ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico

    Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes                                                                  

                                                                                                 Effects of Ocean Acidification on HABs: A review of what we do and don't know

    Alaska Acidification and HABs: Networking and coastal variability


    WEBINAR ARCHIVES

    Alaska Ocean Acidification and HABs: Networking and coastal variability

    Wednesday, July 15, 2020

    Alaska Ocean Acidification and HABs: Networking and coastal variability

    Dr. Kris Holderied, NOAA Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, Coastal discusses how marine species, fisheries, subsistence harvests and mariculture operations in Alaska have long been adversely affected by harmful algal blooms (HABs), especially paralytic shellfish poisoning events, with events increasing during recent marine heat waves. Alaska shellfish and fish species, and the marine industries that depend on them, also face potential near-term threats from ocean acidification (OA), due both to the presence of “cold and old” ocean waters with low pH and low aragonite saturation on the shelf, as well as biological and physical processes that change acidification conditions spatially in estuary and coastal waters, as well as on daily to seasonal to interannual time scales. Scientists, resource managers, public health officials, oyster farmers, fishermen, Alaska Native tribes, and other stakeholders have come together in statewide collaborations to address HAB and OA threats in Alaska through improved communication, monitoring, research and event response.

    View the recording and complete this questionnaire after viewing.

    Effects of Ocean Acidification on HABs: A review of what we do and don’t know

    Monday, July 13, 2020

    Effects of Ocean Acidification on HABs: A review of what we do and don’t know

    Melissa McCutcheon of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, discusses the current understanding of the response of several common HAB species to elevated CO 2 concentrations. While certain environmental conditions—such as nutrient pollution and warming waters—have been closely tied to the proliferation of some HAB species, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding the impact of OA on HABs. Several studies have found conflicting evidence about species’ responses to OA, likely due to strain-specific responses and the interaction of OA with a suite of other environmental parameters. This webinar will discuss the current understanding of the response of several common HAB species to elevated CO2 concentrations. 

    View the recording and complete this questionnaire after viewing.

    Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes

    Friday, July 10, 2020

    Acidification and Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes

    Dr. Reagan Errera, of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory presents a general overview of the current state of knowledge and provide an update on current acidification research activities at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Currently, little research has been conducted on inorganic carbon availability, acidification, and their role in phytoplankton dynamics within the Great Lakes ecosystemDue to the multi-faceted nature of the carbonate system, impacts or potential shifts to phytoplankton species composition and abundance are unknown, however, individual phytoplankton assemblages will likely have unique responses.  .  

    View the recording and complete this questionnaire after viewing.

    A marginal sea of variability in ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico

    Wednesday, July 8, 2020

    A marginal sea of variability in ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico

    Dr. Beth Stauffer, University of Lousiana at Lafayette, discusses how ocean acidification (OA) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is driven by different physical and biogeochemical factors across the region, with most data available on the eastern and northern regions and very little information from the western or southern parts of the GOM. OA conditions in the GOM are highly variable on an interannual basis due to physical factors such as wind, temperature, precipitation, and water mass distributions. Across the same scales, the occurrence and impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) are also highly variable. This talk highlights the state of knowledge on the OA-HAB intersection in the GOM while also challenging our community to consider what such fundamental changes in community structure and HAB success mean for ecosystem function in the region. 

    View the recording and complete this questionnaire after viewing.
    Modeling and Forecasting OA and HABs to meet stakeholders needs – Regional Perspectives

    Monday, June 29, 2020

    Modeling and Forecasting OA and HABs to meet stakeholders needs – Regional Perspectives

    Drs. Samantha Siedlecki, Clarissa Anderson, Jan Newton and Barb Kirkpatrick discuss  how corrosive, hypoxic, and harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in coastal waters are of increasing concern to local fisheries and managers. Many important species around the country in coastal waters are currently experiencing or are expected to feel effects of ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms, both of which have the potential to affect not only marine species health
    but also human health. HAB and ocean acidification (OA) and hypoxia distributions are often patchy in both space and time, such that one area might experience a bloom or low dissolved oxygen while a nearby area does not, and these conditions can change over the course of a day at a single site. Rapid, timely, and spatially extensive detection and monitoring of HABs is vital for public health and safety. Similarly, monitoring and forecasts of corrosive conditions are valuable for advising shellfish growers.

    View the recording and complete this questionnaire after viewing.

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