About

The Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 (FOARAM Act; 33 U.S.C. Chapter 50, Sec. 3701-3708) directed the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) to create an Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification (IWG-OA). The IWG-OA was chartered by SOST in October 2009 and includes representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of State (DOS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Parks Service (NPS), Smithsonian Institution (SI), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Navy, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy. NOAA chairs the group, with vice-chairs from NSF and NASA. The agencies represented on the IWG-OA have mandates for research and/or management of resources and ecosystems likely to be impacted by ocean acidification. The group meets regularly to coordinate ocean acidification activities across the Federal government to fulfill the goals of the FOARAM Act.