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Research to Resilience: OAP’s FY25 Impact on ocean, coasts and Great Lakes Acidification

March 26, 2026
Select Section
Overview
Research and monitoring that serve communities
Tracking our changing ocean
Understanding what's at risk
Increasing capacity to build resilience
Ocean acidification solutions

The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) program drives high-quality research, monitoring and outreach to better prepare our nation for ocean, coastal and Great Lakes acidification. Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) was marked by significant achievements advancing our ability to prepare and adapt to ocean acidification. Key highlights span from advancing research and monitoring for decision-making, tracking ocean chemistry and its ecosystem impacts, to exploring potential solutions. These accomplishments work toward meeting NOAA’s mandates from the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 (FOARAM) and its reauthorization in 2022. 

Explore OAP’s accomplishments for fiscal year 2025 by navigating to the themed tabs.

OAP in your state

View OAP funded projects active in FY25 by clicking on the highlighted state or territory.

States and Territories

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By the Numbers

Peer-Reviewed Publications
20
Capacity Building Partners
40
Research & Development Products
0
Forecasts
0
Data Synthesis Products
0
Decision Support Tools
0

Education and Outreach Metrics

Education Mini-Grants
0
Educators Reached
100
Environmental action activities
60
Curricula & Activities
0
1,347
P-12 Students Engaged
267
Post-Secondary Students Trained
Education & Outreach Products
0
Inaugural OAP Newsletters
0

Mid-decade progress

Cover for the Mid-Decade Check-in

NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program (OAP) leads, coordinates and tracks NOAA’s implementation of the Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan (2020-2029). 2025 marked the plan’s midpoint and OAP assessed progress toward implementation. A new report documented progress five years into this decade-long plan by summarizing major actions OAP and other NOAA programs have taken toward national goals.

Progress is measured as: good progress (4 or more actions), some progress (1–3 actions), or no known progress. Nationally, significant progress has been made toward addressing the plan’s major goals. 

View national and regional summaries on OAP’s Regions.

Find your region

National Goals

Environment: How fast and how much is ocean chemistry changing?
Advance observing systems and technologies to improve understanding and prediction of acidification trends and processes.

Biological Response: What’s at risk?
Understand and predict ecosystem response and adaptive capacity of key species to acidification and co-stressors.

Human Connections: How can we prepare and adapt?
Engage impacted and interested groups, assess needs, and generate products and tools that support management, adaptation, and resilience to acidification.

Good overall progress

Some progress

No known progress

Environmental Change

There are nine environmental change actions: eight have made good progress and one has made some progress.

Biological Sensisitivity

There are seven biological sensitivity actions: all have made good overall progress.

Human Dimensions

There are seven human dimension actions: all have made good overall progress.

There are also unique goals, processes, and impacts for each regional U.S. Large Marine Ecosystem. 
View the progress for your region below.

Open Ocean

Arctic

Alaska

West Coast

Pacific Islands

Southeast Atlantic and Gulf

Florida Keys and Caribbean

Mid-Atlantic Bight

New England

Great Lakes

Recognizing Excellence

Madison Wood
Maddie Wood
Carly LaRoche
Carly LaRoche

OAP welcomed two Sea Grant Knauss Fellows to the team. Maddie Wood led the DOE-NOAA partnership for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). As the International Policy Fellow, Carly LaRoche served as GOA-ON Secretariat and led the Pier2Peer program.

Cover of the Journal of Advances in Earth Modeling Systems March 2023 Edition

Top 10 most cited papers in 2023 for the American Geophysical Union’s Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. Global Surface Ocean Acidification Indicators From 1750 to 2100 awarded in March 2025

View the story

Awards

Dwight Gledhill

Dwight Gledhill

NOAA Silver Sherman Award for excellence in leadership

Erica Ombres

Erica Ombres

2025 Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Employee of the Year for leadership

John Tomczuk

John Tomczuck

2025 National Ocean Service Peer Recognition Rafting Award recipient for coordination excellence

Research and monitoring that serve communities

Bioeconomic modeling to inform Alaska fisheries management

Fishing Dock in Juneau Alaska
Image credit: Allen Shimada, NOAA NMFS

Bioeconomic models are a multidisciplinary tool that use oceanography, fisheries science and social science to assess socioeconomic impacts. Funded by the Ocean Acidification Program, researchers at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center use a bioeconomic model to study the impacts of ocean acidification on Eastern Bering Sea crab, northern rock sole and Alaska cod. The goal is to predict how ocean acidification will affect abundance yields and income generated by the fisheries. This work informs the potential economic impacts of ocean acidification and future decision making and research planning.

More about this work

Effects of ocean acidification and temperature on Alaskan crabs

Red King Crab
Image credit: David Csepp, NMFS AKFSC ABL

Long-term declines of red king crab in Bristol Bay, Alaska may be partially attributed to ocean acidification conditions. These impacts may be partially responsible for the fishery closures during the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 seasons. Researchers found that ocean acidification negatively impacts Alaskan crabs generally by changing physiological processes, decreasing growth, increasing death rates and reducing shell thickness. Funded by the Ocean Acidification Program, scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center continue to investigate the responses of early life history stages and study the potential of various Alaska crabs to acclimate to changing conditions. Results will inform models that will use the parameters studied to predict the effects of future ocean acidification on the populations of red king crab in Bristol Bay as well as on the fisheries that depend on them. Fishery managers will better be able to anticipate and manage stocks if changing ocean chemistry affects stock productivity and thus the maximum sustainable yield.

More about this work

Forecasts for Alaska Fisheries

Crab pots and fishing nets in Alaska's Dutch Harbor
Image credit: Michael Theberge

Understanding seasonal changes in ocean acidification in Alaskan waters and the potential impacts to the multi-billion-dollar fishery sector is a main priority. Through work funded by NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program, the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory developed a model capable of depicting past ocean chemistry conditions for the Bering Sea and is now testing the ability of this model to forecast future conditions. This model is being used to develop an ocean acidification indicator provided to fisheries managers in the annual NOAA Eastern Bering Sea Ecosystem Status Report.

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

Closeup of oysters cupped in someone's hands

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

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