39 steps to understanding ocean acidification
24th February 2009
Plymouth marine scientists have joined with international
colleagues to help educate the public about “ocean acidification,”
the scientific details of which are intricate and sometimes
counterintuitive. Twenty-seven scientists from five countries
worked together to produce and distribute a document to provide
accessible and accurate answers to the most commonly asked
questions about this growing problem. Seven of those scientists
engaged in ocean acidification research are from the UK, including
four from Plymouth.
Ocean acidification is caused by ocean uptake
of anthropogenic CO2; it is a global issue and is
happening now, it is measurable, and it will continue as more
CO2 is emitted,” says Dr Carol Turley of Plymouth Marine
Laboratory and the knowledge transfer co-ordinator of the UK Ocean
Acidification Research Programme. “Already ocean acidity has
increased by about 30% and by 2100, if we continue emitting
CO2 at the same rate, ocean acidity would have increased
by about 150%. Such a monumental alteration in basic ocean
chemistry is likely to have wide implications for ocean life,
especially for those organisms that require calcium carbonate to
build shells or skeletons”.
University of Plymouth researcher Dr Jason
Hall-Spencer’s studies have provided a glimpse of what the future
might look like for the marine environment if ocean acidification
continues to increase: “By investigating how life copes around
submarine volcanic vents emitting CO2, we have seen that
sea grass and some seaweed species actually thrive, but over the
longer term the environment is degraded, alien algae move in and
coastal habitats are disrupted. I am very happy to contribute to
the document ‘Frequently asked questions about ocean
acidification’, in the hope that more people will become aware of
this worrying phenomenon.”
Ocean acidification is a relatively new field
of research, with most of the studies having been conducted over
the last decade. While it is gaining some attention among policy
makers and international leaders, the scientists find there is
still a lack of understanding amongst the public. A group of
eminent marine scientists, including some of the Plymouth team, met
at the COP15 climate change talks in Copenhagen just before
Christmas and decided to do something about it through the
production of a FAQ. “We realized the messages citizens were
getting about the science weren’t clear enough,” says Sarah Cooley,
a post-doctoral investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, in the USA, which is home to the Ocean Carbon and
Biochemistry (OCB) programme office. “Everyone we contacted felt
there was a need to do this. We decided to sketch out a list of
questions we’ve all heard or we think might be asked,” Cooley
adds.
Working by email, the group of scientists
agreed on a set of 39 questions and established a process to
develop clear and accurate answers that could be understood by a
lay audience. All the answers were put back out to the scientific
community for open peer-review, revision and approval.
The document ‘Frequently asked questions
about ocean acidification’ has been published on the
OCB’s ocean acidification website as well as the European Project on Ocean
Acidification (EPOCA) website. EPOCA is funded by the European
Union with the goal to facilitate research, promote collaboration,
and to undertake outreach efforts to distribute research
results.
The list will be revised periodically and maintained at
www.whoi.edu/OCB-OA/FAQs and
www.epoca-project.eu/index.php/FAQ.html