WORKING WITH OTHERS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING

The OAP provides educational and public outreach opportunities to improve understanding of ocean acidification to students, educators, and the broader public.

The goal of NOAA's OAP is to effectively communicate the changes our ocean faces along with the science behind and efforts to adapt to and mitigate these changes.  Partnering with other NOAA programs, we work to develop strategies and tools to effectively communicate the impacts of ocean acidification and potential solutions.  We host a variety of workshops and online webinars to share these strategies to those communicating about our changing ocean around the globe.

Communicating effectively

How can we most effectively talk about ocean acidification science to various audiences?

There is a growing body of knowledge on what resonates when introducing the concept of ocean acidification and what inspires those listening to take action. A toolkit has been developed to succinctly communicate about acidification and encourage community based solutions. Distilling the complexity of ocean acidification to develop curriculum has also been explored. One common misconception the community is working to clarify is the difference between climate change and ocean acidification, because although carbon dioxide is the source behind both of these changes, they are distinct. Climate change drives changes in our atmosphere that can then cause changes in our ocean such as warming temperatures while ocean acidification is directly caused by an increase in carbon dioxide in our atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels to power our homes and cars.

This animation is featured as part of the NOAA Data in the Classroom Ocean and Coastal Acidification Module and is integrated directly into the online Story Map activities. To find it, go to Level 3 of the Story Map. The animation, and a choices game, can be accessed from the Teacher Guide tab and is available for teachers to use as an extension activity.

https://dataintheclassroom.noaa.gov/content/ocean-acidification

Communicating Coastal Acidification

Coastal acidification represents a significant environmental change associated with nutrient runoff from land, or eutrophication

This coastal acidification animation is intended to support teachers who are educating students about the causes and effects of ocean acidification and want to shift their students’ learning from a global problem to a coastal water quality issue. Coastal acidification represents a significant environmental change associated with nutrient runoff from land, or eutrophication. Coastal regions are likely to be disproportionately affected by compounding carbon input sources such as runoff from agriculture, industry, and urban populations. The science of coastal acidification is continuing to develop and will require action at multiple levels and on several spatial scales. The animation synthesizes a very complex topic in hopes it will open the door to conversations about the role humans play and the much needed solutions to prevent and address issues like coastal acidification. This topic can be taught in conjunction with lessons about food webs and ecosystems, the environmental impacts of climate change and CO2 emissions, and chemistry lessons concerning real-life applications.