Locating gaps in the California Current System ocean acidification monitoring network

• Main Authors: Taylor-Burns, Rae, Cochran, Courtney, Ferron, Kelly, Harris, Madison, Thomas, Courtney, Fredston, Alexa, Kendall, Bruce E
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2020
• Subjects: Earth Sciences; Oceanography; Environmental Sciences; Life Below Water; California; Ecosystem; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Oceans and Seas; Seawater; Aragonite saturation; California Current System; gap analysis; monitoring network; ocean acidification; ocean observing; Microbiology; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6b5398dn

Ocean acidification is a global issue with particular regional significance in the California Current System, where social, economic, and ecological impacts are already occurring. Although ocean acidification is a concern that unifies the entire West Coast region, managing for this phenomenon at a regional scale is complex and further complicated by the large scale and dynamic nature of the region. Currently, data collection relevant to ocean acidification on the West Coast is piecemeal, and cannot capture the primary sources of variability in ocean acidification through time and across the region, hindering collaboration among regional managers. We developed a tool to analyze gaps in the West Coast ocean acidification monitoring network. We describe this tool and discuss how it can enable scientists and marine managers in the California Current System to fill information gaps and better understand and thus respond to ocean acidification through the implementation of management solutions at the local level.