What are some key research goals to better understand ocean acidification?
We know that ocean acidification is happening from direct measurements of the concentration of CO2 in the ocean. Scientists are still trying to find ways to project how organisms, food webs, and biogeochemical cycles may respond to ocean acidification. More research is needed to understand what the impacts may be on fish and shellfish harvested commercially. Most research has focused on individual organism’s response to CO2 in the lab environment. It is vital to understand the complex relationships in marine ecosystems, and to identify tolerance and thresholds to changes. Deploying a mooring system in Alaska that can monitor the changing ocean chemistry and the rate of ocean acidification will help answer many research questions. Most sensors currently deployed lack the precision required to take these measurements. What can we do to stop ocean acidification? Most scientists believe that the main way to slow or stop ocean acidification is to reduce fossil fuel emissions. As consumers a
