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Partner: Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)

Fisherman pulling up sugar kelp. Seaweed cultivation may be one avenue for marine carbon dioxide removal and mitigating ocean acidification. Credit: GreenWave/Ron Gautreau.
Carbon capture and ocean acidification mitigation potential by seaweed farms in tropical and subtropical coastal environments
  • PI(s): Andreas Andersson
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023, 2024, 2025
  • Grant Award # NA23OAR0170512
This project will explore the carbon capture capacity and ocean acidification mitigation in three operational seaweed farms in Florida and Okinawa, Japan...
Project Summary >
Breaking wave in sunlight. Credit: NOAA Ocean Service
Electrolysis-driven weathering of basic minerals for long-term ocean buffering and CO2 reduction
  • PI(s): Burke Hales
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
  • Grant Award # NA23OAR0170506
This project aims to demonstrate proof-of-concept that alkalinity addition and wave power systems could be used in tandem. The work will also informs a regulatory roadmap to highlight existing research..
Project Summary >
Breaking wave in sunlight. Credit: NOAA Ocean Service
Assessing the chemical and biological implications of alkalinity enhancement using carbonate salts from captured carbon dioxide to mitigate ocean acidification and enable mCDR
  • PI(s): Andrew Dickson
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023, 2024, 2025
  • Grant Award # NA23OAR0170516
This work builds and tests a pilot-scale system for carbon dioxide removal from a gas stream and investigates how the chemicals produced can be used to enable marine carbon dioxide..
Project Summary >
Pteropod shell
Biotic calcification impacts on marine carbon dioxide removal additionality
  • PI(s): Kelly Kearney
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
  • Grant Award # NA23OAR0170515
This project may inform carbon markets and carbon prices/discounts for ocean carbon dioxide removal projects...
Project Summary >
Air-Sea Interaction Spar buoy. Credit: Lt. Elizabeth Crapo, NOAA Corps
Data requirements for quantifying natural variability and the background ocean carbon sink in mCDR models
  • PI(s): Galen McKinley
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023
This project will better quantify the air-sea carbon dioxide exchange on a regional scale...
Project Summary >
Surveying the state of ocean acidification along the U.S. West Coast
  • PI(s): Richard Feely
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2021
PMEL Sustained Ocean Acidification Biogeochemical and Ecological Survey Observations Why we care
U.S. West coast-wide hydrographic surveys have been conducted intermittently from 2007 to 2017, providing evidence for the..
Project Summary >
The Coast Guard Cutter Munro from Kodiak, Alaska, sails toward the sunset during an unusually calm evening on the Bering Sea. Credit: USCG
Assessing Ocean Acidification in Alaska Fishery Zones
  • PI(s): Jessica Cross
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2022
Sustained Observations of Ocean Acidification in Alaska Coastal Seas Why we care
Coastal regions around Alaska experience some of the most rapid and extensive progressions of ocean acidification (OA)..
Project Summary >
Sustained ocean acidification monitoring on ships of opportunity in the Pacific
  • PI(s): Simone Alin
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2022
PMEL Sustained Investment Coastal Underway Ocean Acidification Observations (PUO) Why we care
Underway ship measurements of ocean acidification (OA) data on ships of opportunity (SOOP) have proven to be..
Project Summary >
NOAA ship in background during the West Coast Ocean Acidification research cruise with a mooring measuring ocean chemistry in the foreground. Credit: NOAA
Predicting the risk of ocean acidification to fisheries in the Pacific Northwest
  • PI(s): Samantha Siedlecki
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2020, 2021, 2022
This sustained investment continues to develop and produce seasonal forecasts of ocean acidification variability on the West Coast to inform fisheries management...
Project Summary >
Surfers walk on Second Beach in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Credit; Matt McIntosh, ONMS/NOAA
The Olympic Coast as a Sentinel: An Integrated Social-Ecological Regional Vulnerability Assessment to Ocean Acidification
  • PI(s): Jan Newton
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2017, 2018, 2019
  • Grant Award # NA17OAR0170166
This project merges new social science, sharing of cultural knowledge and a synthesis of scientific information to prepare Olympic Coast Tribes for ocean acidification vulnerabilities...
Project Summary >

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