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

Increasing capacity to build resilience

Dr. Valentina Amaral Acosta with Mentor Dr. Cesar Bernal
Two technicians in an oyster hatchery
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Overview
Research and monitoring that serve communities
Tracking our changing ocean
Understanding what's at risk
Increasing capacity to build resilience
Ocean acidification solutions

Building resilience to ocean acidification (OA) requires empowering communities and partners from local to global scales. In FY25, OAP increased capacity through a variety of educational programs, workshops, and international collaborations that support communities, informed practitioners, and built a global network of experts.

OAP hosts first-ever workshop toward regional OA resilience

OAP hosted a first-ever virtual Regional OA Vulnerability and Resilience Assessment Workshop, a pivotal event to empower applicants to the open regional vulnerability assessment (RVA) funding call. Current grantees highlighted their impactful work and provided insights and lessons learned for future efforts. The workshop also brought together 27 registered participants to engage in topical discussions about integrating Indigenous communities, working in data-poor regions, building interdisciplinary teams, and robust frameworks for assessing vulnerability. This event successfully forged crucial connections and networking opportunities between natural and social scientists, accelerating the path forward and ensuring a successful funding call.

More about Regional Vulnerability & Resilience Assessments
Fishing vessels from the Fishermen's Dock Cooperative by the waters of the New York Bight for fluke, hake, squid, and scallops. Credit: Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean
Credit: Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean

OAP announced seven education projects across the U.S.

As part of an effort to reach communities across the nation, OAP announced seven education projects across the nation. These awards fostered new partnerships in regions across the U.S. and territories, extending from the Pacific Islands to Alaska and the West Coast, to rural communities in North Carolina. Projects increased capacity for programs such as Alaska 4-H and schools working with industry partners including oyster growers in Alabama.

Check out the projects:

Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Alabama Oysters Taste Best with Tabasco, Not Ocean Acidification

Islands and land surrounded by water along the Sitka coast taken in 2023 by Mariano Mantel (Creative Commons)

4-H pH: Ocean Acidification Education in Alaska

Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, Oregon (2024). Credit: Kevin Crosby (Creative Commons)

SMILE: Ocean Acidification Education Program

A large coral in American Samoa known as "Big Momma" Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Fatoata: Sami a Taeao (Tomorrow’s Ocean)

Secluded beach with tide pools and algae covered rock formations captured soon after sunrise, Half Moon Bay, California, USA. Credit: Jan Arendtsz (Flickr, CC)

Ocean Acidification Science in Schools (OASIS)

California's Humboldt coast as seen from a high vantage near sunset. Fog lingers above the King Range National Conservation Area. Credit: Guest photographer Bob Wick for CA Bureau of Land Management

Broadening Ocean Acidification Teaching and Learning (BOATL)

North Carolina seen from space from MODIS on NASA's Aqua satellite on June 30, 2022

Discovering Ocean Acidification and Ocean Literacy Principles for Underserved Areas in Rural North Carolina

CariCAN brings regional practitioners together in first workshop

The Caribbean CAN (CariCAN), the newest coastal acidification network, held a first-ever workshop for engagement and to establish regional priorities. Attendees took a pre-workshop survey and identified key topics for discussion. The 25 participants represented coral reef restoration practitioners, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the University of Puerto Rico, Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and students, among others. The report, published in November 2025, identified next steps including developing regional low-cost monitoring kits similar to ‘GOA-ON in a Box‘, outreach materials to increase awareness, and advancing collaborations among regional practitioners established at the workshop.

Review the report

OAP supported Pier2Peer program graduates 20 mentees

Building capacity for ocean acidification tracking and forecasting means going beyond U.S. waters. OAP supports the Pier2Peer program, which pairs people new to ocean acidification with experienced mentors. Twenty mentee graduates, representing 17 countries, joined the global professional community for ocean acidification monitoring and research. After two years of one-on-one mentorship, this cohort successfully completed capacity-building projects with mentor guidance, enhancing their regions’ ability to measure and address ocean acidification. Half of the mentors of this year’s graduating class are U.S. based ocean acidification experts, demonstrating the strong international leadership the United States offers to ocean acidification science.

Full story
More about Partnerships
Mentor Dr. Denis Pierrot with Dr. Luana Pinho
2025 Pier2Pieer scholarship recipient, Dr. Luana Pinho (right) with her mentor, Dr. Denis Pierrot (left). Credit: Luana Pinho
2024 Pier2Peer Scholarship award winner
Dr. Muthusamy Anand holds a gift with Pier2Peer mentor Dr. Aileen Tan Shau Hwai. Credit: Muthusamy Anand
Understanding what's at risk
Ocean acidification solutions

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