Unmasking Ocean Acidification: Global Scientific Community invited to help map its biological effects
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) is a charity, undertaking pioneering marine research for the benefit of us all
Scientists worldwide are being called upon to contribute to a major global research initiative aimed at understanding the impacts of ocean acidification on marine species and ecosystems.
Launched with support from the VELUX FONDEN foundation through the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO , the project, “Ocean Acidification – Proof of Concept for New Research Strategies,” aims to create an unprecedented global resource comprising biological and oceanographic research data.
As atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise, the world’s oceans are experiencing profound chemical changes. Ocean acidification – the ongoing decrease in ocean pH caused by the absorption of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions – poses a critical threat to marine biodiversity, challenging the survival, reproduction, and developmental processes of a variety of species.
By aggregating diverse datasets, the project team hopes to identify subtle yet significant biological indicators that reveal the complex ways marine organisms are adapting, struggling, or failing to respond to ocean acidification.
Coupling these biological indicators with environmental observations such as carbonate chemistry, will allow the rate and severity of biological change in response to ocean acidification to be better observed and compared.
“We know that ocean acidification is already having potentially devastating effects on marine life yet we need a stronger evidence base to really galvanise much-needed and long overdue global action.” says PML’s Director of Science and Co-Chair of GOA-ON (the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network) Professor Steve Widdicombe.
“Every dataset helps us piece together the full picture of ecological change. To achieve this, we need to build a data resource that will contain a wide variety of different long-term biological time series from across the world. If these come with corresponding oceanographic data, primarily pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), or pCO?, so much the better.”
The initiative is requesting time series data on biological parameters including taxonomic composition, biomass, and abundance, and oceanographic records such as salinity, pH and dissolved inorganic carbon.
Through this collaborative approach it is hoped that individual research efforts can be harnessed into a powerful, global scientific resource that can inform conservation strategies, predict ecological shifts, and potentially develop mitigation strategies.
“We’re not just collecting data; we’re building a global early warning system for marine ecosystems,” emphasizes Professor Widdicombe. “ By pooling our collective scientific resources, we can create a global narrative that reveals the true impact of ocean acidification on marine life.”
?
领英推荐
Key Project Partners
?
Get Involved
Interested researchers are invited to contact:
?
Requirements