Minimizing the changes in global ocean acidification (OA) and carbonate chemistry will ultimately depend on the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but adaptation to these changes and mitigation of the local stressors that exacerbate acidification can be addressed locally. While ocean acidification refers to the changes in carbonate chemistry as a result of atmospheric inputs of CO2, coastal acidification is another mechanism by which CO2 concentrations can increase in coastal waters. The carbonate chemistry system in the U.S. Southeast (North Carolina to Florida) is dynamic and controlled by multiple factors, including biological respiration of organic material, discharge of freshwater with low buffering capacity and localized eutrophication; acidification from these mechanisms can surpass those changes expected from anthropogenic carbon emissions in the near future. While ocean acidification is of global concern, stakeholder concern of water quality in the U.S. Southeast is often confined to extremely localized areas. Linking acidification with local water quality provides an opportunity to shape stakeholders’ investment in understanding changing carbonate chemistry. The U.S. Southeast is considered to have among the highest social vulnerability in the nation to acidification because of a relatively high dependency on shellfish, the presence of local amplifiers (e.g., eutrophic rivers) and a low adaptive capacity. The Coastal Acidification Networks (CANs), fostered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Acidification Program and Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Associations, play an important role in educating communities on understanding local acidification causes and consequences, working with stakeholders to identify their needs and facilitate strategies to monitor and adapt to changing coastal chemistry.

Coastal acidification: Moving from a global problem to a coastal water-quality issue

2019 Fall National Meeting

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