1st Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification Released

Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification outlines multi-disciplinary research on impacts

The Ocean Acidification Strategic Research Plan will guide research and monitoring investments that will improve our understanding of ocean acidification, its potential impacts on marine species and ecosystems, and adaptation and mitigation strategies. The plan was developed by the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification as part of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 (FOARAM Act; 33 U.S.C. Chapter 50, Sec. 3701-3708). 

Some highlights of the plan’s research goals include:

  • Undertake laboratory and field research to examine the physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary adaptive capacities of selected species and complexes of species.
  • Develop comprehensive models to predict changes in the ocean carbon cycle and effects on marine ecosystems and organisms.
  • Develop vulnerability assessments for various CO2 emissions scenarios.
  • Assess the cultural, subsistence, and economic effects of ocean acidification

Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification (pdf)