Transdisciplinary Science: A Path to Understanding the Interactions Among Ocean Acidification, Ecosystems, and Society

• Published in: Oceanography
• Main Authors: Kimberly K. Yates, Carol Turley, Brian M. Hopkinson, Anne E. Todgham, Jessica N. Cross, Holly Greening, Phillip Williamson, Ruben Van Hooidonk, Dimitri D. Deheyn, Zackary Johnson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: The Oceanography Society 2015
• Subjects: ocean acidification; OA; ocean policy; Oceanography; GC1-1581; Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2015.43; https://doaj.org/article/2a35b01a5b464accb0dfe31aa6f1b1e5

The global nature of ocean acidification (OA) transcends habitats, ecosystems, regions, and science disciplines. The scientific community recognizes that the biggest challenge in improving understanding of how changing OA conditions affect ecosystems, and associated consequences for human society, requires integration of experimental, observational, and modeling approaches from many disciplines over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Such transdisciplinary science is the next step in providing relevant, meaningful results and optimal guidance to policymakers and coastal managers. We discuss the challenges associated with integrating ocean acidification science across funding agencies, institutions, disciplines, topical areas, and regions, and the value of unifying science objectives and activities to deliver insights into local, regional, and global scale impacts. We identify guiding principles and strategies for developing transdisciplinary research in the ocean acidification science community.