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ocean acidification

Pacific Islands Graduate Fellowship: Ocean acidification research and resilience

adaptation strategies, Featured, Federal Funding, OAP Opportunities, ocean acidification / By

The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) is supporting a competitive graduate fellowship that will support students conducting research, in pursuit of a Masters degree, related to ocean acidification (OA) in the Pacific Islands region to help fill a critical gap in capacity for OA research and monitoring in the region. OAP is seeking to fund students who would contribute to the body of knowledge on regional vulnerabilities to OA and potential solutions to build greater resilience against the impacts of OA. Successful applicants will conduct research that addresses physical/chemical oceanographic, biological, and/or socioeconomic questions and concepts. This funding call is part of a broader initiative, which involves multiple international scientific networks and capacity building organizations.

The goals of this fellowship are to (A) support early-career scientists who will provide the Pacific Islands region with ocean acidification research expertise, and (B) provide Pacific Island countries and communities with additional knowledge, information, and resources, which can be used to build greater resilience against acidification and its impacts. Please see Section III. Eligibility Information for a list of the prioritized Pacific Island countries.​ Subject to the availability of funding, OAP anticipates up to $300,000 USD total will be available to support approximately 3-6 graduate fellows, with each fellow funded at the approximate level of $20,000 – $32,000 USD per year for 2 years. Each award is intended to fund the fellow’s tuition, stipend, research budget, and/or other costs associated with completing a 2-year Masters degree program.
Informational webinar recording, presentation slides, and answers to FAQs are here. The full opportunity can be found here.  Letters of Intent due Dec. 14th, 2021. 
Example Letter of Intent: Word document, Adobe pdf
Template for Letters of Intent: Word document, Adobe pdf

Pacific Islands Graduate Fellowship: Ocean acidification research and resilience Read More »

British Columbia to southern California: making headway with ocean change

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On June 13, scientists aboard the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown set out on the West Coast Ocean Acidification Research Cruise to characterize conditions along the West Coast of North America and continue to build a unique time-series of carbon and hydrographic measurements in areas expected to be highly impacted by ocean acidification. 

British Columbia to southern California: making headway with ocean change Read More »

Libby Jewett, Director of NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program, holds two lobsters with the title of the story superimposed.

10 years in the making: An inside look at NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program with Director Libby Jewett

adaptation strategies, OA News, OAP Original News Stories, ocean acidification / By

Libby Jewett, Ph.D., Director of the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, provides insight into ocean acidification. Jewett highlights how she became involved in ocean acidification work, how NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) started, and how we all can personally contribute to combatting this threat to our ocean.

10 years in the making: An inside look at NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program with Director Libby Jewett Read More »

Scientists, scallop industry team up to study ocean acidification impacts

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Guided by input from fishers, a team of scientists will bring together computer modeling and experiments to inform management policies for Northeast scallop fisheries facing the threat of ocean acidification.
Researchers from the University of Connecticut, NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation (CFRF), and Rutgers University will work together to study this economically and culturally significant resource for coastal communities in New England, with support from NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program. Worth more than $500 million per year, scallops are the second most valuable fishery in the Northeast and are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification.

Scientists, scallop industry team up to study ocean acidification impacts Read More »

Assessing Vulnerability to a Changing Ocean: Investigating impact and option for adaptation

adaptation strategies, Featured, OAP Original News Stories, ocean acidification, socio-economic impacts / By

In certain areas of the US, marine resources and the communities that depend on them are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of ocean and coastal acidification along with other ocean changes. The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program recently awarded funding for three regional vulnerability assessment projects in the Chesapeake Bay, Northeast US and US West Coast. The projects bring together oceanographic, fisheries and aquaculture data and social science to assess vulnerability of dependent communities and industries, anticipate challenges they may face, and explore adaptations options.

Assessing Vulnerability to a Changing Ocean: Investigating impact and option for adaptation Read More »

Thursday, January 30, 12-1pm EST

Coastal Acidification, OAP Happenings, ocean acidification, Webinars / By

This virtual seminar will focus coupled a comprehensive measurement program to retrospective and future model simulations to quantify controls on estuarine acidification in Chesapeake Bay,a large estuarine complex with strong gradients of salinity, oxygen, metabolicrates, and bathymetry. Researched found that estuarine acidification may be even more complex (and interesting!) than originally posited, owing to self-buffering processes within macrophyte communities, connections of acidification rates to watershed management aimed at oxygen improvements, and a varying buffering of acidification through altered carbonate chemistry within freshwater sources. This new understanding presents both challenges and opportunities to managing future acidification along the coast.

Thursday, January 30, 12-1pm EST Read More »

Ocean Acidification: Building on a Foundation at the Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary

Featured, OA monitoring, OAP Original News Stories, ocean acidification / By

Looking up at high-rise buildings, towering cathedrals, or the great pyramids at Giza; the feats of man seem unimaginable. The key to these massive architectural achievements is laying a quality foundation. Dr. Xinping Hu, an associate professor at Texas A&M Corpus Christi University, knows that a solid foundation is very important in science as well. Together with his co-investigators at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Lab (AOML), Texas A&M University, and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Dr. Hu will be building upon a foundation of data collected both at and near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico to better characterize the changes in ocean chemistry over space and time in these waters.
There are many facets to a strong structure, architectural or scientific. Having the right tools and site to build, along with a skilled team of craftsmen, and an insightful foreman are all integral to conduct impactful science.

Ocean Acidification: Building on a Foundation at the Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary Read More »

Strengthening the net: Ocean acidification observations in California

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A foggy morning on the central California coastline is a picturesque scene of rolling waves, screeching gulls, and fishermen hauling hefty nets teeming with fish. If you look closely at the net you observe that it is a framework of lines working together to capture a greater amount of fish than a single fishing line could capture alone. In the same way, ocean observing systems can be thought of as a net to capture what is happening with our ocean’s chemistry. But a net with gaps or holes is not very efficient, whether it be in fishing or in observing. A newly funded project by Dr. Chris Edwards, a Professor at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), along with collaborators at UCSC and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) is taking a look at where ‘holes’ in our observing system are. The team will identify ways to fill those gaps in order to capture changing ocean chemistry along the California coast.

Strengthening the net: Ocean acidification observations in California Read More »

Optimizing Acidification Observations In A Changing Ocean

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There are hundreds if not thousands of eyes on our changing ocean at any moment: Buoys, gliders, saildrones and ships measure carbonate chemistry and new ocean observing technologies are continually being created to monitor ocean acidification. As science and technology progress it is important to ensure that the most up to date knowledge is applied to the task at hand. NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) is teaming up with the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) to fund four projects aimed at improving the observing system design for characterizing ocean acidification. This work will evaluate the capability of existing observations to characterize the magnitude and extent of acidification and explore alternative regional ocean acidification observing approaches. Ultimately this work will minimize errors in measurements, better integrate existing observations, and minimize costs of monitoring ocean acidification.
Learn more about this exciting work here!

Optimizing Acidification Observations In A Changing Ocean Read More »

Collaborating with community science groups for coastal acidification monitoring

Coastal Acidification, education & outreach, OA monitoring, ocean acidification, SOARCE Archive / By

In this webinar, Beth Turner of NOAA National Ocean Service, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, shares priorities and capacities of citizen science groups for acidification measurements in the Northeast US, reactions to the provided training, lessons gained and how we might engage in future coordinated monitoring efforts.

Collaborating with community science groups for coastal acidification monitoring Read More »

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ADAPTING TO OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) works to prepare society to adapt to the consequences of ocean acidification and conserve marine ecosystems as acidification occurs. Learn more about the human connections and adaptation strategies from these efforts.

Adaptation approaches fostered by the OAP include:

FORECASTING

Using models and research to understand the sensitivity of organisms and ecosystems to ocean acidification to make predictions about the future, allowing communities and industries to prepare

MANAGEMENT

Using these models and predictions as tools to facilitate management strategies that will protect marine resources and communities from future changes

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Developing innovative tools to help monitor ocean acidification and mitigate changing ocean chemistry locally

REDUCING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

50 more ways to reduce your carbon footprint >

On the Road

Drive fuel-efficient vehicles or choose public transportation. Choose your bike or walk! Don't sit idle for more than 30 seconds. Keep your tires properly inflated.

With your Food Choices

Eat local- this helps cut down on production and transport! Reduce your meat and dairy. Compost to avoid food waste ending up in the landfill

With your Food Choices

Make energy-efficient choices for your appliances and lighting. Heat and cool efficiently! Change your air filters and program your thermostat, seal and insulate your home, and support clean energy sources

By Reducing Coastal Acidification

Reduce your use of fertilizers, Improve sewage treatment and run off, and Protect and restore coastal habitats

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TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

You've taken the first step to learn more about ocean acidification - why not spread this knowledge to your community?

Every community has their unique culture, economy and ecology and what’s at stake from ocean acidification may be different depending on where you live.  As a community member, you can take a larger role in educating the public about ocean acidification. Creating awareness is the first step to taking action.  As communities gain traction, neighboring regions that share marine resources can build larger coalitions to address ocean acidification.  Here are some ideas to get started:

  1. Work with informal educators, such as aquarium outreach programs and local non-profits, to teach the public about ocean acidification. Visit our Education & Outreach page to find the newest tools!
  2. Participate in habitat restoration efforts to restore habitats that help mitigate the effects of coastal acidification
  3. Facilitate conversations with local businesses that might be affected by ocean acidification, building a plan for the future.
  4. Partner with local community efforts to mitigate the driver behind ocean acidification  – excess CO2 – such as community supported agriculture, bike & car shares and other public transportation options.
  5. Contact your regional Coastal Acidification Network (CAN) to learn how OA is affecting your region and more ideas about how you can get involved in your community
       More for Taking Community Action