Purpose:

To Develop an Ocean Acidification Observing Network of Ship Surveys, Moorings, Floats and Gliders

Introduction and Background

In order to coordinate international efforts to document the status and progress of ocean acidification in open-ocean and coastal environments, and to understand its drivers and impacts on marine ecosystems, it will be necessary to develop a coordinated multidisciplinary multinational approach for observations and modeling that will be fundamental to establishing a successful research strategy for ocean acidification. This will facilitate the development of our capability to predict present-day and future responses of marine biota, ecosystem processes, biogeochemistry, and climate change feedbacks. Required research elements include regional and global networks of observations collected in concert with process studies, manipulative experiments, field studies, and modeling. Global and regional observation networks will provide the necessary data required to firmly establish impacts attributable to ocean acidification. With support from the NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project, the Global Ocean Observing System, the Integrated Ocean Observing System, and the University of Washington, this international workshop will propose an integrated global observing network for both carbon and ocean acidification that addresses the requirements of nations affected by this emerging environmental problem in response to societal needs.

Visit the GOA-ON website for detailed information about the International Workshop: www.goa-on.org