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NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program Research Region

Region: West Coast

Related Posts

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Quantifying the Atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> Forcing Effect on Surface Ocean <em>p</em>CO<sub>2</sub> in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in the Past Two Decades

Despite the well-recognized importance in understanding the long term impact of anthropogenic release of atmospheric CO2 (its partial pressure named as pCO2air) on surface seawater pCO2 (pCO2sw), it has been difficult to quantify the trends or changing rates of pCO2sw driven by increasing atmospheric CO2 forcing (pCO2swatm_forced) due to its combination with the natural variability of pCO2sw (pCO2swnat_forced) and the requirement of

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June 21, 2024

Seasonality and Life History Complexity Determine Vulnerability of Dungeness Crab to Multiple Climate Stressors

Scaling climate change impacts from individual responses to population-level vulnerability is a pressing challenge for scientists and society. We assessed vulnerability of the most valuable fished species in the Northwest U.S.—Dungeness crab—to climate stressors using a novel combination of ocean, population, and larval transport models with stage-specific consequences of ocean acidification, hypoxia, and warming. Integration

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June 21, 2024

Severe biological effects under present-day estuarine acidification in the seasonally variable Salish Sea

Estuaries are recognized as one of the habitats most vulnerable to coastal ocean acidification due to seasonal extremes and prolonged duration of acidified conditions. This is combined with co-occurring environmental stressors such as increased temperature and low dissolved oxygen. Despite this, evidence of biological impacts of ocean acidification in estuarine habitats is largely lacking. By

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June 21, 2024

Ecosystem Status Report of the California Current for 2020-21: A Summary of Ecosystem Indicators Compiled by the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment Team (CCIEA)

This document is a companion to the ecosystem status report (ESR) provided by the California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment team (CCIEA team) to the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) in March of 2021 (Harvey et al. 2021). The CCIEA team provides ESRs annually to PFMC, as one component of the overall CCIEA goal of providing

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June 21, 2024

The Combined Effects of Ocean Acidification and Respiration on Habitat Suitability for Marine Calcifiers Along the West Coast of North America

The combined effect of ocean acidification and respiration in the California Current Ecosystem is to reduce water column pH and aragonite saturation state, resulting in a compression of the overall size of suitable habitat for marine calcifiers. The addition of excess anthropogenic CO2 also makes it more likely that critical biological thresholds are crossed and shell

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April 15, 2024

Evaluating environmental controls on the exoskeleton density of larval Dungeness crab <em>via</em> micro computed tomography

Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) have significant socioeconomic value, but are threatened by ocean acidification (OA) and other environmental stressors that are driven by climate change. Despite evidence that adult harvests are sensitive to the abundance of larval populations, relatively little is known about how Dungeness megalopae will respond to these stressors. Here we evaluate the

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April 10, 2024

Related Projects

See our funded projects for this Focus Area

Calm sea with mountains on horizon and expansive sky in Ketchikan, Alaska. Credit: Phil Price, Flickr
Building Capacity for Alaskan Tribes
  • PI(s): Spencer Weinstein
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023

Why we care:Alaskan Native communities rely on healthy marine ecosystems for work, sustenance and their way of life. Ocean acidification has documented impacts to marine life and these communities. An..

Project Summary >
Spruce Island in the Kodiak region of Alaska. Bull kelp at water's surface with island in the background. Ocean acidification monitoring in this region helps prepare Kodiak Tribes for the impacts of ocean change. Credit: NOAA
Supporting Tribal Ocean Acidification Monitoring Programs
  • PI(s): Jake Cohen
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023

Why we care:Alaskan Native communities rely on healthy marine ecosystems for work, sustenance and their way of life. Ocean acidification has documented impacts to marine life and these communities. Community..

Project Summary >
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

Award amount: $1,451,575Duration: 3 yearsFunding agency: NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (OAP), National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Why we care Growing seaweed in the ocean could be one way to alleviate some..

Project Summary >
Plankton bloom seen from space. Credit: NASA
Multiscale observing system simulation experiments for iron fertilization in the Southern Ocean, Equatorial Pacific, and Northeast Pacific
  • PI(s): Dennis McGillicuddy
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023

Why we care Iron is a critical limiting nutrient for phytoplankton in the ocean. Iron fertilization adds this limiting nutrient to promote phytoplankton blooms as a way to take up..

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

Why we care Ocean alkalinity enhancement has the potential to capture carbon and mitigate ocean acidification. While ocean alkalinity enhancement is a promising approach for removing carbon from the atmosphere,..

Project Summary >
Terrestrial liming at golf courses serve as testbeds for this method for carbon capture and mitigating acidification. Credit: Your Golf Travel (Creative Commons)
An opportunity to study Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement, carbon dioxide removal, and ecosystem impacts through coastal liming
  • PI(s): Jaime Palter
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023

Why we care Terrestrial liming, or the addition of a basic (alkaline) material like calcium carbonate to crops and lawns is a common agricultural soil treatment. When applied on land..

Project Summary >

Related Publications

See publications produced by our funded projects for this Focus Area

Climatological distribution of ocean acidification variables along the North American ocean margins
  • Li-Qing Jiang, Tim P. Boyer, Christopher R. Paver, Hyelim Yoo, James R. Reagan, Simone R. Alin, Leticia Barbero, Brendan R. Carter, Richard A. Feely, and Rik Wanninkhof
  • Earth System Science Data
  • July 24, 2024
Citation: Jiang, L.-Q., Boyer, T. P., Paver, C. R., Yoo, H., Reagan, J. R., Alin, S. R., Barbero, L., Carter, B. R., Feely, R. A., and Wanninkhof, R.: Climatological distribution of ocean acidification variables along the North American ocean margins, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3383–3390, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3383-2024, 2024.
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Fish or not fish—fisheries participation and harvest diversification under economic and ecological change
  • Tobias Schwoerer a 1, Kevin Berry b 2, Darcy G. Dugan c, David C. Finnoff d 3, Molly Mayo, Jan Ohlberger, Eric J. Ward
  • Marine Policy
  • June 3, 2024
Citation: Tobias Schwoerer, Kevin Berry, Darcy G. Dugan, David C. Finnoff, Molly Mayo, Jan Ohlberger, Eric J. Ward, Fish or not fish—fisheries participation and harvest diversification under economic and ecological change, Marine Policy, Volume 157, 2023, 105833, ISSN 0308-597X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105833.
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A mapped dataset of surface ocean acidification indicators in large marine ecosystems of the United States
  • Jonathan D. Sharp, Li-Qing Jiang, Brendan R. Carter, Paige D. Lavin, Hyelim Yoo & Scott L. Cross
  • Scientific Data
  • July 2, 2024
Citation: Sharp, J.D., Jiang, LQ., Carter, B.R. et al. A mapped dataset of surface ocean acidification indicators in large marine ecosystems of the United States. Sci Data 11, 715 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03530-7
Read Summary >
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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