As carbon dioxide increases in our atmosphere, it also increases in our seas. The resulting ocean acidification could seriously impact many of the world’s marine species and the people who depend upon marine resources. Current scientific research shows coral reefs and marine mollusks – both important for coastal communities worldwide — as particularly susceptible to the acidification.
Research to date has rapidly advanced our understanding of the chemistry and biology of OA, but it has not determined which human communities are most at risk from OA or which local measures could help offset its impacts. Our project has developed a conceptual framework and is using it to locate where people are at risk from ocean acidification.
The Human Impacts of Ocean Acidification study is one of the initial projects of the National Science Foundation’s new National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). This project is a joint collaboration of scientists and policy professionals from around the world, led by Natural Resources Defense Council, Duke University, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
