An overview of GOA-ON’s genesis, current efforts, challenges, and visions for the coming decade, has been published in a new paper entitled "An Enhanced Ocean Acidification Observing Network: From People to Technology to Data Synthesis and Information Exchange", in Frontiers in Marine Science. This article was written as a community white paper in the context of the OceanObs decadal conference, aimed at highlighting and improving ocean observations on the regional and global scales.
Report Released from North America Hub Inaugural Meeting
The first workshop of the North America regional hub was held 17-18 October 2018 at the Hakai Institute in Victoria, Canada and was attended by 38 hub members from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The report from this workshop highlights the goals of the regional hub, current ocean acidification research efforts in the region, and near- and long-term priorities. The meeting report includes a strong focus on incorporating biological responses to ocean acidification in research efforts, and ways to best utilize the GOA-ON data portal. A follow up meeting is currently being discussed for late 2019.
Join the Community of Ocean Action on Ocean Acidification
The Communities of Ocean Action (COA) were launched by UN DESA to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. One of the nine established COAs focuses on ocean acidification and is jointly led by GOA-ON co-chair Dr. Bronte Tilbrook and IAEA Environment Laboratories Director David Osborn. There are presently 260 Voluntary Commitments pledged globally to address ocean acidification. GOA-ON has registered a Voluntary Commitment titled "Enhancing global ocean acidification monitoring and research". If you are involved in ocean acidification projects, please consider submitting a Voluntary Commitment on the COA website.
5th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World
Save the date: The SOLAS-IMBeR Working Group on Ocean Acidification has announced that the 5th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World will be held in Lima, Peru during 7-10 September 2020. The lead organizers are from the Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University and Institute of the Sea of Peru (IMARPE). The previous symposia in this series were held in Paris in 2004, Monaco in 2008, Monterey in 2012, and Hobart in 2016, each proving to be essential for the international, multidisciplinary community of researchers studying ocean acidification. The same is expected for this 5th symposium, the first to be held in South America.
The 4th GOA-ON International Workshop was held in Hangzhou, China on 14-17 April 2019, where over 250 scientists from more than 60 countries participated. The workshop included plenary talks, break-out presentations and discussions, and poster sessions. The main themes of the workshop were focused on monitoring OA in multi-stressor environments, studying biological responses, advancing OA modeling, and ways to meet the needs of stakeholders. The first day of the workshop included two special events, one of which was focused on using satellite remote sensing software (SATCO2), and another one aimed at creating a dialogue between scientist and the aquaculture industry.
The GOA-ON Implementation Strategy was officially launched at the 4th GOA-ON International Workshop, held in Hangzhou, China, April 2019. This document outlines how to implement the GOA-ON Requirements and Governance Plan, including expanding ocean acidification observations, closing human and technology capacity gaps, and informing about the impacts of ocean acidification. The Implementation Strategy also offers practical information prompting members to approach GOA-ON’s goals. Community feedback is welcome until 1 July 2019, and can be sent directly to Jan Newton (janewton@uw.edu) and the GOA-ON Secretariat (secretariat@goa-on.org).
The first workshop of the North East Atlantic Regional Hub in London was held on 12-13 March 2019, organised by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and supported by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). This inaugural meeting brought together ocean acidification researchers from France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The hub members discussed how to share information on ocean acidification monitoring activities in the region, including experimental and modelling outputs, collaborations within the hub, cooperation with stakeholders and existing regional observing networks, and capacity development. The hub invites researchers from the North East Atlantic, North Sea, and Baltic Sea regions to join by sending an email.
Members of the OA-Africa network participated in the Blue Oceans Conference held in Monrovia, Liberia on 18-21 March 2019. The conference brought together stakeholders in various maritime sectors to discuss the main environmental threats facing African coastal countries, including climate change, pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices. OA-Africa, a regional hub of GOA-ON, hosted a side event at the conference to raise awareness and showcase the ocean acidification research being done throughout Africa. Following the conference, the OA-Africa Steering Committee met to discuss upcoming opportunities, needs, and priorities to advance ocean acidification science in Africa.
WIOMSA Ocean Acidification Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya
GOA-ON was involved in organizing a coordination workshop for six newly funded projects in the Western Indian Ocean related to establishing observations and investigating biological responses to ocean acidification in the region. This workshop was held on 12-14 February 2019 at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in Mombasa, Kenya with support from the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), GOA-ON, and IOC-UNESCO. These ocean acidification projects will be funded by WIOMSA and include participants from institutes in Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, and Tanzania.
Commonwealth OA Action Group Workshop in New Zealand
A new initiative to build an OA action plan is being led by New Zealand as part of the Commonwealth Blue Charter. The first meeting for the action plan was held 17-19 February 2019 in Dunedin, New Zealand, and was attended by 45 scientists and government representatives of 17 Commonwealth countries. GOA-ON was represented at the meeting along with key partners to provide information on the existing effort to monitor OA, impacts and associated policy responses. The preliminary meeting was used to assess existing efforts in OA monitoring, capacity building requirements and potential to join the action plan.
The Methodology for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.3.1 Indicator, which calls for the "Average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations", along with the associated data and metadata files, are now available on the newly remodelled GOA-ON Resources webpage. The Methodology provides the necessary guidance on how to conduct ocean acidification observations, what to measure and how, providing standard operating procedures and methods approved by the ocean acidification community. It further provides support on what kinds of data to collect, and how to submit, towards the SDG 14.3.1 Indicator to enable the collection and comparison of ocean acidification data worldwide.
Regional OA Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean
The recently published Regional Action Plan on Ocean Acidification for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is available in four languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, English), sets out the priorities needed to address ocean acidification in the region. The Action Plan acknowledges key needs, including mobilizing resources to build and support the necessary scientific and technical capacity, broadening the scope of discussions and considerations under the Green Climate Fund to address ocean acidification, and utilizing the expertise of scientists in the regional ocean acidification network, LAOCA. The Action Plan is the result of the first regional meeting of the Ocean Acidification international Reference User Group (OAiRUG) held in March 2018 in Colombia, with support from the OA-ICC, and in collaboration IUCN and the LAOCA regional hub.
Building Capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Ocean Foundation hosted an ocean acidification symposium and advanced training course for the Latin American and Caribbean region with support from GOA-ON, IOC-UNESCO, OA-ICC, and other partners. The symposium was held at the Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (INVEMAR) in Santa Marta, Colombia from 21-24 January and included 80 participants from 15 countries. The event brought together scientists, policy-makers, and industry professionals from the region to collaborate and identify strategies for building resilience to ocean acidification. Following the symposium, the advanced training course was held from 28 January - 1 February, where 14 participants from 5 countries received training on the GOA-ON in a Box monitoring kit, as well as using the SDG 14.3.1 Indicator Methodology and the associated data and metadata files.
GOA-ON represented at Asia-Pacific Day for the Ocean
As part of the UN ESCAP Asia-Pacific Day for the Ocean held in Bangkok, Thailand on 20 November 2018, GOA-ON participated in a session titled "Ocean acidification, promoting scientific knowledge and accelerating action". GOA-ON Executive Council member Somkiat Khokiattiwong, representing IOC-WESTPAC's ocean acidification initiatives, gave a talk about developing research capacity and the transfer of marine technology in the Western Pacific through collaborations with GOA-ON and other partners. This session also included discussions on the various ocean acidification activities taking place in the Asia Pacific, particularly in the framework of SDG 14 and the upcoming UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
SDG Indicator 14.3.1 Ocean Acidification Data Survey
GOA-ON and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO invite you to take part in a survey on ocean acidification research and observation data. Under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, "Life below water", the Target 3 on ocean acidification calls to "minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels". IOC-UNESCO is the custodian agency for the Indicator 14.3.1, which is used to measure the progress made to achieve the target, and developed the Methodology with support from GOA-ON and other experts on ocean acidification. Your answers to this survey will help trace where ocean acidification data is being collected, and where it is stored and served, to facilitate reporting towards the SDG Indicator. Please share this survey widely and submit your answers by December 20, 2018.
WESTPAC Hosts Ocean Acidification Symposium and Workshop
As a GOA-ON regional hub, the UNESCO-IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) has developed and strengthened a sustained research and monitoring network for ocean acidification in the Western Pacific and its adjacent waters. WESTPAC held an Ocean Acidification Symposium followed by the 5th WESTPAC Workshop on Research and Monitoring of the Ecological Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reef Ecosystems, 5-7 November 2018, in Xiamen, China. Both meetings were hosted and generously supported by the Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration of China. Seventy-six researchers from thirteen countries participated.
GOA-ON North American Hub Holds First In-Person Meeting
Ocean acidification researchers from Canada, the United States, and Mexico came together for the first in-person meeting of the GOA-ON North American Hub on 17-18 October 2018 at the Hakai Institute in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Members of the new network hub discussed existing work in the three countries and opportunities for collaboration on research, data management, training workshops, and data synthesis products. Participants also discussed community "best practices" in data collection and quality control and agreed upon lists of objectives and priorities for the hub’s activities.
GOA-ON and OA-ICC Host Advanced Data Workshop in Monaco
GOA-ON and the IAEA Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) held a technical meeting on the management, analysis, and quality control of ocean acidification data on 22-26 October 2018 at the IAEA Environment Laboratories in Monaco. The advanced workshop included participation from 15 scientists representing 15 different countries from various regions around the world, many of whom have participated in past GOA-ON and OA-ICC capacity building workshops and have been involved in the GOA-ON Pier2Peer program. The workshop brought together both chemical oceanographers and biologists and took an interdisciplinary approach to discuss ocean acidification data analysis. Lectures were given on quality assurance and quality control techniques used in monitoring and experimental research, such as estimating uncertainties, identifying outliers and flagging data.
Great success for the ocean acidification community: The Sustainable Development Goal Target Indicator 14.3.1 was upgraded from Tier III to Tier II by the IAEG-SDG of the United Nations Statistical Commission following a presentation by IOC UNESCO, the custodian agency for the Indicator. Tier II classification means that the “Indicator is conceptually clear, has an internationally established methodology and standards are available, but data are not regularly produced by countries.” The SDG Indicator 14.3.1 calls for "average marine acidity (pH) measured at an agreed suite of representative sampling stations". The Indicator Methodology, which provides guidance to scientists and countries about how to carry out measurements and how to report them, was developed with the support of experts in the ocean acidification community, including members of GOA-ON.
The newly established North East Atlantic Regional Hub of GOA-ON will be holding its inaugural workshop on the 12-13th March 2019 in London, UK. The objectives of the meeting are to share information about ongoing European ocean acidification research, including monitoring, experimental and modelling activities, to provide integration across the region, to foster possible collaboration opportunities and to promote community best practices for ocean acidification research to enable the efficient collection of comparable and geographically distributed data. To attend, please contact the organisers by 1st December 2018. For more information and updates visit the North East Atlantic hub website.
4th GOA-ON International Workshop in Hangzhou, China
GOA-ON is delighted to announce that it will be holding its 4th International Workshop in Hangzhou, China, on 14-17 April 2019, to be hosted by the State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics (SOED) and the Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration. This workshop will bring together scientists from around the world to discuss emerging aspects from the coupled effects of ocean acidification with multi-stressors, review global ocean acidification status and forecast capabilities, and explore opportunities for capacity development. The deadline for abstracts is 31 January 2019. We look forward to seeing you there!
International experts on ocean acidification, including members of the GOA-ON Executive Council, met at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO in Paris from October 17-19 to discuss the SDG Indicator 14.3.1 Methodology. The SDG Target Indicator 14.3.1 calls for "average marine acidity measured at an agreed suite of representative sampling stations" and the Methodology provides guidance to scientists and countries on how to carry out measurements and report the findings following the established best practices. The workshop participants discussed the data reporting, quality control and visualisation mechanisms for the Indicator as well as ways to disseminate the Methodology.
OA Symposium and Training for Latin America and the Caribbean
The Latin American and Caribbean Regional Symposium on Ocean Acidification will be held on 21-24 January 2019 at the Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras (INVEMAR) in Santa Marta, Colombia. One of the objectives of the symposium is for attendees to leave with an understanding of what implications ocean acidification has for their work. The Advanced Ocean Acidification Training Workshop will be held at INVEMAR following the symposium, on 28 January – 1 February 2019, and will focus on the use of the GOA-ON in a Box monitoring kit. These two events will be organized by The Ocean Foundation and its partners, including GOA-ON, LAOCA and the OA-ICC. The training is funded by the U.S. Department of State and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
The 2018 Galapagos Ocean Acidification School was held between 19-28 August 2018. This advanced training course served as an opportunity to train twelve participants from seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico) on both theoretical and practical techniques, using a natural CO2 vent system in the Galapagos Islands as the study site. Participants gained expertise in measuring carbonate chemistry in the lab, collecting seawater and biological samples in the field for isotopic analyses, as well as managing and analysing data. Several GOA-ON partners supported this course, including LAOCA, OA-ICC, IOC-UNESCO, and others. Support was also provided by the Galapagos Marine Research and Exploration Program, the Millennium Institute of Oceanography, the Galapagos National Park, INOCAR, and SCOR.
GOA-ON has recently launched its own Facebook and Twitter pages, which includes updates on GOA-ON's various activities, new and updated data sources to the GOA-ON data portal, and other relevant information from the global OA community. Follow these pages by clicking on the links below.
The Pacific Islands Advanced OA Monitoring Workshop was held at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa from 13-17 August 2018, organized by The Ocean Foundation, GOA-ON, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Acidification Program, and funded by the US Department of State and the Swedish International Development Agency. Scientists from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa and NOAA led eleven participants from seven Pacific Island States in a week of hands-on training with the equipment they received in the past year as part of the "GOA-ON in a Box" program. The program grants a set of laboratory and field equipment to chosen applicants, with the long-term goal of expanding carbonate chemistry monitoring and increasing capacity of scientists in developing countries to measure ocean chemistry.
GOA-ON's global collaboration efforts were highlighted in a Nature article by Bates et al., published 15 August 2018. The paper emphasizes the need for ecologists to "understand how marine life responds to changing local conditions, rather than overall global temperature rise". The authors stress the need to measure and model local variability at smaller scales of space and time, the 'ocean weather', which is highly dynamic and very relevant to marine organisms. The article addresses the importance of collaboration, mentioning that "there are some models for [global collaboration]. The Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON), for instance, is an international effort to provide highly resolved biogeochemical data on the scale of metres, to enable researchers to optimize models of ocean acidification".
IOC-UNESCO Executive Council Welcomes SDG Indicator 14.3.1 Methodology
During its 51st Executive Council Meeting from 3-6 July 2018, the Member States of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO welcomed the Methodology for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target Indicator 14.3.1 and recommended to the IOC secretary as the custodian agency for this indicator to propose its upgrade from Tier III to Tier II. The SDG Target Indicator 14.3.1 calls for "average marine acidity measured at an agreed suite of representative sampling stations". The Methodology provides guidance to scientists and countries about how to carry out measurements following the best practices established by experts in the ocean acidification community, including GOA-ON members, and explains how to report the collected information.
The IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) has announced their 5th Workshop on Research and Monitoring of the Ecological Impacts of Ocean Acidification on Coral Reef Ecosystems, scheduled for 6-7 November 2018 in Xiamen, China. Additionally, a WESTPAC Ocean Acidification Symposium will be held on 5 November preceding the workshop to highlight recent ocean acidification research. The workshop and the science symposium will be hosted by the Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration of China. As a regional hub of GOA-ON, WESTPAC contributes to monitoring ocean acidification and its impacts particularly in coral reef environments, while building capacity in the Western Pacific and its adjacent regions.
The 4th Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans, held on 4-8 June 2018 in Washington DC, USA, included a session entitled "Carbon uptake, ocean acidification, and ecosystems and human impacts." This session included presentations on GOA-ON's efforts, given by several Executive Council members. Ocean acidification research and monitoring was featured prominently at this session and throughout the conference by GOA-ON members. GOA-ON partners helped in supporting the symposium, including the IOC-UNESCO, OA-ICC and NOAA.
GOA-ON Executive Council Holds Annual Meeting in Sopot, Poland
Supported by IOC UNESCO, the GOA-ON Executive Council held its 5th Annual Meeting, 28-30 May 2018 at the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) in Sopot, Poland. During the meeting, the methodology for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target indicator 14.3.1 "average marine acidity measured at an agreed suite of representative sampling stations" was reviewed. Additionally, the GOA-ON Executive Council reported on GOA-ON international capacity building activities, received updates from the regional hubs, and welcomed the new GOA-ON Secretariat, among other exciting updates.
Invitation to join the Ocean Acidification Information Exchange
The Ocean Acidification Information Exchange is an interactive website catalyzing response to ocean acidification through collaboration. We invite you to join this online conversation! Current members are using the site’s tools to share resources, engage in online discussions, and interact with people in other disciplines and regions to build a well-informed community working to respond and adapt to ocean acidification. Anyone working on or with an interest in ocean acidification can join the OA Information Exchange. The US Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification conceived and funds the OA Information Exchange, which is operated by the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems.
The Galapagos Islands are a unique natural laboratory where different currents converge, giving origin to an exceptional marine biodiversity. Roca Redonda is an active submarine volcano where CO2 is released through cold vents, simulating the conditions of ocean acidification. The 2018 Galapagos Ocean Acidification School will be held 19-28 August at the Charles Darwin Research Station, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos. Using natural CO2 seeps as experimental units, participants from Latin-American and Caribbean countries will gain knowledge in aspects of ocean acidification research including in-situ sample collection in a CO2 vent, analytical chemistry techniques for carbon system parameters, and the study of benthic community structure under the influence of high CO2 conditions. Applications are due by 4 June 2018.
The next decadal OceanObs conference will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, on 16-20 September 2019. The themes of this conference encompass advances in ocean acidification observing, and applications to user groups at the global and regional level. The organizers solicit participation in OceanObs’19 especially from underrepresented nations and end-users. GOA-ON will be submitting an abstract on behalf of our network for white paper development; other abstracts are encouraged. Abstract submissions will remain open until 15 March 2018.
GOA-ON Contributes to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
In January 2018, multiple GOA-ON members met at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO in Paris, France, to develop the indicator methodology for the 2030 Agenda SDG target 14.3 "average marine acidity measured at an agreed suite of representative sampling stations". The methodology, similar to a recipe, provides guidance to scientists and countries in terms of what measurements are needed and how often, as well as how to report the collected information.
Several GOA-ON members, including Carol Turley, Plymouth Marine Lab (PML), Phil Williamson, University of East Anglia, and Jan Newton, University of Washington, participated in the UNFCCC COP23 in Bonn, Germany, over 8-14 November 2017. GOA-ON was represented at several panels, including the Ocean Action Day, EU Ocean Day, World Climate Research Program (WCRP) event, and International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification event, among others.
The Ocean Conference: 5-9 June 2017 at the United Nations
The UN hosted a conference this June in New York focused on implementing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which is centered on marine sustainability. Of particular interest to the ocean acidification community is the SDG target 14.3: "Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels." In preparation for this conference an online discussion was held on 31 March, moderated by several members of the GOA-ON Executive Council. As a result of strong international participation in that discussion, a number of important issues were raised, including the need for additional research, education, outreach, and capacity building.
Pier2Peer is a scientific mentorship program that matches senior researchers with early career scientists to facilitate an exchange of expertise and to provide a platform for international collaborations. Pier2Peer employs an adaptive and self-driven approach to capacity development with guiding principles to focus on user needs at the local, regional, national, and international level and to foster inter-regional and global collaboration. The program officially launched during the 3rd GOA-ON Science Workshop in Hobart, Australia in May 2016.
The OA-Africa network led an African "Ocean Acidification Day" on World Oceans Day (June 8, 2017), encouraging scientists from all over Africa and around the world to join forces to measure pH at the same time, following the indicator of SDG 14.3: "Average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations."
Buneos Aires, 24-26 October 2017. The symposium will convoke researchers, students, government and industries representatives from Latin America, and is open to the global community interested in acquiring a regional and global knowledge about the impacts of ocean acidification on marine resources and ecosystems in Latin-America. This 1st symposium will be an opportunity for participants to share their research results and to explore new opportunities of collaborative research in the region.
