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Research Regions

New England

The New England Region waters are highly productive with a long history of extensive commercial fishing. Ocean acidification research in the area aims to determine how the major changes in regional ocean chemistry and conditions affect economically important species to better inform and prepare local industries and communities.

Understanding OA impacts for prediction and management

The New England Region geographically includes the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Scotian Shelf. Temperature changes, which are three times greater than the global average, and regional ocean circulation patterns of various water masses drive ocean acidification in this region. Precipitation during winter and spring that freshwater influx from riverine sources and contributes to eutrophication also influence corrosive conditions. Understanding how physical drivers influence ocean acidification in the surface and bottom waters is critical due to the commercial and recreational use of the water column and benthos. Economically important species such as the Atlantic scallop and American lobster are impacted by regional changes in ocean chemistry and pose a threat to the fishing and aquaculture industries and the economy of the region. Fisheries landings in the New England Region totaled $1.2 billion in 2015 with Atlantic sea scallops and American lobsters accounting for 73% of the total landings making the fishing and marine aquaculture industry particularly vulnerable to changes in ocean chemistry.

View FULL Research Plan (PDF)

Tracking progress of ocean acidification research in New England

The New England Region geographically includes the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank and Scotian Shelf

The research goals in the New England Region are to:

  • Improve regional biogeochemical characterization and understanding of trends and dynamics of ocean pH, particularly in response to temperature and riverine influence, to develop dynamic regional forecasts of ocean acidification (OA)
  • Understand the response of critical marine species under multi-stressor (low pH, high temperature, low oxygen) conditions and assess adaptive capacity to OA to inform ecosystem management
  • Use new knowledge to assess OA impacts to communities and economies to include OA into regional management plans and evaluate the costs and benefits of various mitigation and adaptation strategies.

The following charts represent the mid-point progress in implementing research actions that focus on the New England 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 New England 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 11 environmental change actions: five have made good overall progress and six have made some progress.

Biological Sensisitivity

There are eight biological sensitivity actions: five have good overall progress, two have made some progress and one has no known progress.

Human Dimensions

There are eight human dimension actions: five have made some progress and three have no known progress.

Featured Research Projects

Environmental Change
Ocean Chemistry Monitoring in the Gulf of Maine
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Biological Sensitivity
Breeding OA and Disease Resistant Oysters ​
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Human Dimensions
Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)​
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Partners in Understanding Ocean Acidification in New England

The Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) serves as a regional organization working to synthesize and disseminate ocean acidification information in an effort to better inform stakeholders of the issue and solicit critical data and information needs which can guide strategic science investments in coming years. The NECAN is a joint agency, scientific, industry partnership established under the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) to review and assess the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to the economically important marine organisms potentially impacted by ocean and coastal acidification within this region. NECAN’s focus encompasses the waters from Long Island Sound, Georges Bank, the Gulf of Maine and Browns Bank, and Sable Island Bank out to the shelf-break. The NECAN region represents some of the most valuable marine resource real-estate in the world providing direct economic benefit to at least five states (NY, CT, MA, NH, and ME).

Get Involved
Northeast Coastal Acidification Network

OAP Funded Projects

Three bottles with labels of certified reference materials used for ocean acidification chemistry research. Credit: Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Building capacity for seawater certified reference materials
  • PI(s): Denis Pierrot, NOAA Atlantic Oceanic and Meteorological Laboratory; Katelyn Schockman, University of Miami/CIMAS
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2024, 2025, 2026
This project will build a reference material (RM) production facility at NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), with the capability to produce RMs for use by NOAA laboratories and..
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, 2024, 2025, 2026
  • Grant Award # NA23OAR0170505
The work aims to address the unknowns associated with the practice of coastal liming as a carbon dioxide removal pathway...
Project Summary >
Coastal marsh at sunrise. Credit: Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Tidal wetlands as a low pH environment for accelerated and scalable olivine dissolution
  • PI(s): Kevin Kroeger
  • Fiscal Year Funded: 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
  • Grant Award # NA23OAR0170518
This project evaluates the safety, efficacy, and potential for large-scale implementation of enhanced weathering in tidal wetlands...
Project Summary >
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Latest Publications

Ocean acidification thresholds for decapods are unresolved
Citation: McElhany, P. a. S. B. (2024). Ocean acidification thresholds for decapods are unresolved. Front. Mar. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1449345
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Simultaneous onboard analysis of seawater dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration and stable isotope ratio (δ13C-DIC)
Citation: Zhentao Sun, X. L., Zhangxian Ouyang, Charles Featherstone, Eliot A. Atekwana, Najid Hussain, Wei-Jun Cai. (2024). Simultaneous onboard analysis of seawater dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration and stable isotope ratio (δ13C-DIC). Limnol Oceanogr: Methods. https://doi.org/doi: 10.1002/lom3.10642
Read Summary >
The source and accumulation of anthropogenic carbon in the U.S. East Coast
  • Xinyu Li, Zelun Wu, Zhangxian Ouyang, Wei-Jun Cai
  • Science Advances
  • August 9, 2024
Citation: Xinyu Li et al. ,The source and accumulation of anthropogenic carbon in the U.S. East Coast.Sci. Adv.10,eadl3169(2024).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adl3169
Read Summary >
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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. 

Get involved

Ocean Chemistry Monitoring in the Gulf of Maine

Gulf of Maine time-series capturing an unprecedented pCO2 drawdown levels in early April 2023.
Gulf of Maine time-series capturing an unprecedented pCO2 drawdown levels in early April 2023.
A buoy moored in the Gulf of Maine monitors changes in the carbonate chemistry. This buoy plays a key role in a regional monitoring portfolio that supports our understanding of local changes to ocean conditions. In 2023, the Gulf of Maine time-series captured an unusual and long-lasting algal bloom event, an event that was first detected in unprecedented pCO2 drawdown levels in early April 2023. More information on the buoy and its data are available here. Researchers at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Carbon Group coordinate the operation and data collection for this buoy. This work is supported by NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program and the Integrated Ocean Observing System.

Breeding OA and Disease Resistant Oysters

Two technicians in an oyster hatchery
Oyster hatchery technicians Hannah Colwell and Isaac Reeves (NOAA Fisheries/AIS) cleaning the flow through, high-density larval system to maintain flow and keep oyster larvae healthy. Industrial Plankton photobioreactors in the background are used to grow large quantities of phytoplankton (algae) to feed larvae and juvenile oysters for the Northeast Oyster Breeding Center. Image Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Kristen Jabanoski

In June 2024, NOAA NEFSC Milford Laboratory, with support from the NOAA Fisheries Office of Aquaculture, partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service to launch a new, state-of-the-art Northeast Oyster Breeding Center. The Center is an investment that will bolster shellfish farming in the Northeast. Scientists will use advanced selective breeding methods to develop better-performing lines of Eastern oysters to boost production. They aim to breed disease-resistant oysters that are resilient in the face of current and changing environmental conditions in the Northeast’s diverse oyster growing areas, including ocean acidification.

Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS)

Sunset at a New England Waterfront
Image credit: NOAA

Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) develops engagement, communication and training programs to increase community and public awareness of ocean acidification research as a scientific frontier from NOAA and affiliate researchers. This effort is coordinated through the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN).

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