U.S. Ocean Chemistry Coastal Community Vulnerability Assessment

The Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification has published the first national ocean acidification vulnerability assessment in response to the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020. The plan contains seven regional sections that describe social vulnerability to ocean acidification. Social vulnerability is considered based on a community’s exposure (i.e., reliance on affected marine resources), sensitivity (i.e., the socioeconomic value provided by those resources), and adaptive capacity (i.e., their ability to prepare for and adjust to the impacts from OA). The report describes the communities and industries in each region that are reliant on marine species expected to be impacted by ocean acidification, as well as organizations that may support them in adapting to acidification. The report also points to monitoring and research gaps that need to be addressed for communities to better understand how acidification varies in their region and how species of interest will be impacted.