Alaska
The cold waters of the Alaska region absorb more carbon, resulting in a higher amount of ocean acidification. Studying the effects of ocean acidification in this region will help Alaskan coastal communities develop strategies to protect their livelihoods and cultural resources.
Understanding OA to protect valuable resources in Alaska
Ocean acidification (OA) poses unique economic, nutritional and societal concerns to Alaska communities. With a greater area of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters and a longer coastline than that of the entire contiguous U.S., monitoring ongoing ocean acidification and understanding the ecological and social consequences in Alaska represents a major challenge. Alaska fisheries accounted for more than 60% of total U.S. harvests by weight in 2016, supporting an estimated 36,800 full-time jobs and $5.2 billion in total output for the U.S. economy (2017). Acidification and other ocean change threaten these important economic and cultural resources and the well-being of Alaska communities.
The Alaska Region includes the waters of the Gulf of Alaska, Eastern Bering Sea and surrounding the Aleutian Islands. Since cold water absorbs more carbon, acidification in this region is high. Additionally, regional processes such as seasonal productivity and sea ice melt pulses contribute to acidification in this region. Some major fisheries Alaskan communities rely on are sensitive to changes in ocean chemistry.
Tracking progress of ocean acidification research in Alaska

The research goals in the Alaska Region are to:
- Expand ocean acidification (OA) monitoring with both oceanographic and shore-based based observing networks to characterize seasonal cycles, regional vulnerabilities, and future regional trajectories
- Assess sensitivity and resilience of critically important ecosystems and commercial species and use this knowledge to model and predict ecosystem-wide impacts of acidification
- Evaluate the sensitivity of nutritionally and economically important subsistence and industry species to assess socioeconomic impacts.
The following charts represent the mid-point progress in implementing research actions that focus on the Alaska Region according to the NOAA Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Acidification Research Plan.
NOAA invests in research and activities toward meeting goals that improve our ability to understand and predict environmental change, species and ecosystem to response to changing ocean chemistry, and the human impacts of these changes. The report card below summarizes progress over the past five years toward meeting these goals for the Alaska Region, measured by the number of major actions toward meeting this goal: good progress (4+ actions), some progress (1-3 actions) and no known progress.
Good overall progress
Some progress
No known progress
Environmental Change
There are eight environmental change actions: all eight have good overall progress.
Given Alaska’s expansive territory and intricate variability of carbon within its waters, developing a comprehensive observation system presents a significant challenge. To effectively address this complexity, targeted observational data must be integrated with sophisticated models, projections and forecast studies and must be conducted to monitor changes over time throughout various locations. This is important for products utilized by various groups. This integrated approach will help communities better understand the biological response to changes, aid in economic forecasting and help communities become more resilient to ocean acidification.
Biological Sensisitivity
There are 10 biological sensitivity actions: four have good overall progress, four have made some progress and two have no known progress
While significant advances have been researching the biological response to ocean acidification (OA) in commercially important species in Alaska, many unknowns still exist and hinder the scientific capability of fully predicting its impacts. Researchers study the impacts of OA with multiple environmental stressors, including warming and hypoxia, while also accounting for environmental variability. A comprehensive understanding of the many impacts of OA across various species groups and trophic levels will help fisheries determine adaptation measures to OA.
Human Dimensions
There are seven human dimension actions: two have good overall progress, three have made some progress and two have no known progress.
The seafood industry is a major source of employment in Alaska. The nation’s largest, and most valuable, crab fishery occurs in waters off the coast of Alaska and is potentially susceptible to impacts from ocean acidification (OA). The primary goal of research regarding the socioeconomic impacts of OA in the Alaska region has been to forecast biological and economic effects on commercially important Alaska crab and fish stocks.
Featured Research Projects
Partners in Understanding Ocean Acidification in the Alaska Region
Launched in 2016, the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network aims to expand the understanding of ocean acidification processes and consequences in Alaska, as well as potential adaptation and mitigation actions. The network is the fourth regional ocean acidification network in the U. S. The AOAN connects scientists and stakeholder communities to recommend regional priorities, share data, and determine best practices for monitoring. Among the roles of the network is hosting a comprehensive website with resources for both researchers and the general public.
OAP Funded Projects

- PI(s): Natalie Monacci, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
- Fiscal Year Funded: 2024, 2025, 2026
- Grant Award # NA24OARX017G0014-T1-01
- Partners: University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF)


Latest Publications
- R. C. Barrett, B. R. Carter, A. J. Fassbender, B. Tilbrook, R. J. Woosley, K. Azetsu-Scott, R. A. Feely, C. Goyet, M. Ishii, A. Murata, F. F. Pérez
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles
- March 24, 2025
- Pierre Friedlingstein, Michael O'Sullivan, Matthew W. Jones, Robbie M. Andrew, Judith Hauck, Peter Landschützer, Corinne Le Quéré, Hongmei Li, Ingrid T. Luijkx, Are Olsen, Glen P. Peters, Wouter Peters, Julia Pongratz, Clemens Schwingshackl, Stephen Sitch, Josep G. Canadell, Philippe Ciais, Robert B. Jackson, Simone R. Alin, Almut Arneth, Vivek Arora, Nicholas R. Bates, Meike Becker, Nicolas Bellouin, Carla F. Berghoff, Henry C. Bittig, Laurent Bopp, Patricia Cadule, Katie Campbell, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Naveen Chandra, Frédéric Chevallier, Louise P. Chini, Thomas Colligan, Jeanne Decayeux, Laique M. Djeutchouang, Xinyu Dou, Carolina Duran Rojas, Kazutaka Enyo, Wiley Evans, Amanda R. Fay, Richard A. Feely, Daniel J. Ford, Adrianna Foster, Thomas Gasser, Marion Gehlen, Thanos Gkritzalis, Giacomo Grassi, Luke Gregor, Nicolas Gruber, Özgür Gürses, Ian Harris, Matthew Hefner, Jens Heinke, George C. Hurtt, Yosuke Iida, Tatiana Ilyina, Andrew R. Jacobson, Atul K. Jain, Tereza Jarníková, Annika Jersild, Fei Jiang, Zhe Jin, Etsushi Kato, Ralph F. Keeling, Kees Klein Goldewijk, Jürgen Knauer, Jan Ivar Korsbakken, Xin Lan, Siv K. Lauvset, Nathalie Lefèvre, Zhu Liu, Junjie Liu, Lei Ma, Shamil Maksyutov, Gregg Marland, Nicolas Mayot, Patrick C. McGuire, Nicolas Metzl, Natalie M. Monacci, Eric J. Morgan, Shin-Ichiro Nakaoka, Craig Neill, Yosuke Niwa, Tobias Nützel, Lea Olivier, Tsuneo Ono, Paul I. Palmer, Denis Pierrot, Zhangcai Qin, Laure Resplandy, Alizée Roobaert, Thais M. Rosan, Christian Rödenbeck, Jörg Schwinger, T. Luke Smallman, Stephen M. Smith, Reinel Sospedra-Alfonso, Tobias Steinhoff, Qing Sun, Adrienne J. Sutton, Roland Séférian, Shintaro Takao, Hiroaki Tatebe, Hanqin Tian, Bronte Tilbrook, Olivier Torres, Etienne Tourigny, Hiroyuki Tsujino, Francesco Tubiello, Guido van der Werf, Rik Wanninkhof, Xuhui Wang, Dongxu Yang, Xiaojuan Yang, Zhen Yu, Wenping Yuan, Xu Yue, Sönke Zaehle, Ning Zeng, and Jiye Zeng
- Earth System Science Data
- March 14, 2025
- Michael A. Litzow, W. Christopher Long, Katie J. Palof, Darren J. Pilcher
- Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
- February 7, 2025
Get involved with ocean acidification
The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program exists to meet the ocean acidification research and monitoring needs of the U.S. See how you can get involved to serve your community and participate in cutting-edge research and education and outreach.