Motivation
In an era of changing climate, increased carbon cycling has two direct effects: climate change and ocean acidification. Ocean acidification happens when atmospheric carbon comes dissolves in water, releasing hydrogen ions. This change in pH often co-occurs with low dissolved oxygen concentrations, known as hypoxia. Together, ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) disrupt specific species, whole ecosystems, and economies, especially in hotspots. Hotspots are areas and timeframes where there is more acdification and more hypoxia than is typical. The West Coast is especially vulnerable to OAH due to large scale oceanographic processes. Marine Protected Areas can be critical to preserving fisheries and biodiversity, but along the West Coast, where OAH is especially problematic, it is unclear how these MPA's will interact with OAH hotspots. This project aims evaluate OAH threats on the West Coast based on spatial overlap of MPAs and hotspots and develop possible management strategies to address this conflict.
In an era of changing climate, increased carbon cycling has two direct effects: climate change and ocean acidification. Ocean acidification happens when atmospheric carbon comes dissolves in water, releasing hydrogen ions. This change in pH often co-occurs with low dissolved oxygen concentrations, known as hypoxia. Together, ocean acidification and hypoxia (OAH) disrupt specific species, whole ecosystems, and economies, especially in hotspots. Hotspots are areas and timeframes where there is more acdification and more hypoxia than is typical. The West Coast is especially vulnerable to OAH due to large scale oceanographic processes. Marine Protected Areas can be critical to preserving fisheries and biodiversity, but along the West Coast, where OAH is especially problematic, it is unclear how these MPA's will interact with OAH hotspots. This project aims evaluate OAH threats on the West Coast based on spatial overlap of MPAs and hotspots and develop possible management strategies to address this conflict.
Objectives
- Analyze gaps in OAH monitoring efforts using the recent West Coast inventory (joint project of the Pacific Coast Collaborative and the Interagency Working Group on OA)
- Assess the spatial resolution of OAH hotspotting, and evaluate the spatial relationship between OAH hotspots and MPAs
- Summarize strategies for effective spatial management of coastal and marine ecosystems to enhance ecosystem resilience to OAH.
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