European Science Foundation presents ocean acidification report at EU Maritime Day 2010

Ten years ago, ocean acidification was a phenomenon only known to small group of ocean scientists. It's now recognised as the hidden partner of climate change, prompting calls for an urgent, substantial reduction in carbon emissions to reduce future impacts.
The ‘Impacts of Ocean Acidification’ report presented by the European Science Foundation on 20 May for European Maritime Day 2010 gives a comprehensive view of current research. Prepared by leading scientists from Europe and the USA, it highlights the need for a concerted, integrated effort internationally to research and monitor the effects of ocean acidification on marine environments and human communities.

The seas and oceans, which absorb almost a third of the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, are rapidly becoming more acidic due to increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide produces carbonic acid when it dissolves in seawater and up to now, the oceans have buffered the effects of global warming by absorbing almost a third of the carbon dioxide emitted from human fossil fuel use.  Today the oceans are more acidic than they have ever been for at least 20 million years. This chemical change could cause significant consequences to marine ecosystems and the goods and services that they provide.

For example, coastal zones such as in the Mediterranean and North Seas are rich in calcifying organisms such as shell fish that may be particularly sensitive to large changes in carbon chemistry. Molluscs make their shells by extracting dissolved calcium carbonate from seawater and using it to form two minerals, calcite and aragonite. Corals use the same process to make their external skeletons. As water becomes more acidic, the concentration of calcium carbonate falls so that eventually there is so little that shells or skeletons cannot form.

“Ocean acidification is already occurring and will get worse. And it's happening on top of global warming, so we are in double trouble. The combination of the two may be the most critical environmental and economic challenge of the century,” said Professor Jelle Bijma, lead author of the report and a biogeochemist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. “Under a business-as-usual scenario, predictions for the end of the century are that the surface oceans will become 150 per cent more acidic - and this is a hell of a lot.”

Integrated research on the impacts of ocean acidification is still a very new field – the full implications of these changes are unclear for marine ecosystems and fisheries resources, including fish stocks, shellfish and coral reefs. Economic research on systems for managing marine resources is essential to understand the impacts on fisheries and the human communities that rely on them.

Current European and national programmes are relatively small compared to the combined challenges posed by ocean acidification and global warming. Existing research has mainly been initiated by individual researchers or teams, with limited overall coordination. Two years ago the European Project on Ocean Acidification was funded by the EU and within the last year Germany and the UK have funded national ocean acidification programmes - BIOACID and the UK Ocean Acidification Research Programme respectively. As others emerge they need to be brought together through a large-scale research initiative taking full advantage of the combined scientific expertise across the European countries and internationally. One of the first steps toward integration is to develop a specific database building on the national research activities in ocean acidification.

The key recommendations are available in the science policy briefing:

www.esf.org/publications/science-policy-briefings.html

Notes to editors

Two contributing authors of the report, Dr Carol Turley and Professor Katrin Rehdanz will present it on 20 May 2010, 14.30 – 18.30 in the session “Climate Change in coastal and marine areas: from science to policy”.

For more information please contact:
Chloe Kembery, ESF press officer
ckembery@esf.org  Tel +33 (0) 388-762-158 Cell  +33 (0) 643-172-382

Dr. Bernard Avril, ESF science officer
bernard.avril@esf.org Cell +33 (0) 685-036-587

•    ESF is also participating in the following sessions:
Wednesday 19 May 9.00-10.45 Observation and forecasting:  Long term time-series marine observatories - context and challenges for monitoring and research
Wednesday 19 May 14.30-16.15 Ocean Sustainability - Science Dimensions of an Ecosystem Approach to Management of Biotic Ocean Resources
Thursday 20 May 16.45-18.00 Future directions for the EU's Integrated Maritime Policy round table discussion

•    The European Science Foundation (ESF) is an independent, non-governmental organisation that promotes collaboration in scientific research, funding of research and science policy across Europe. Established in 1974, it represents 79 national funding bodies, research-performing agencies, academies and learned societies from 30 countries. Through its activities and influential membership the ESF has made created a common platform for cross-border cooperation in Europe and made major contributions to science globally.  The ESF covers: social sciences and humanities, life, earth and environmental sciences, medical sciences, and physical and engineering sciences. www.esf.org 

•    European Maritime Day pays tribute to "maritime Europe" and puts all maritime sectors and activities in the spotlight to help European citizens and policy-makers realise the real outreach and variety of sea-related activities going on in Europe and provoke reflection on the crucial role the seas play in our everyday life. http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/maritimeday/