NECAN Website
The new NECAN Website has officially launched! Visit the site at www.necan.org to learn more information on ocean acidification, effects on marine life, what NECAN has been up to, and more! Also, delve into the Reference Library to find great resources on a variety of topics from species groups, to research parameters, to the effects of OA on the region in general. Necan.org is a great resource for all things regarding Ocean and Coastal Acidification in the Northeast!
Brand New Alkalinity Technology
In early August of 2016, the Coastal Carbon Group at University of New Hampshire will be installing a CONTROS HydroFIA TA total alkalinity analyzer at Mook Sea Farm’s hatchery in Walpole, Maine. When combined with instruments presently in the lab that measure pCO2, oxygen, temperature and salinity, the sensor greatly expands capabilities for hatchery management and coastal acidification studies. This is the first total alkalinity analyzer to be installed in the United States. This deployment is possible because of a sensor development grant to UNH from NOAA's Ocean Acidification and U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) programs.
Maine Ocean and Coastal Acidification (MOCA) Symposium
The June 29th MOCA symposium held at the Abromson Center at University of Southern Maine featured 16 presentations (see agenda) that provided some of the most recent and important research on OA in our coastal waters. Each session was followed by questions and discussions with the 110 participants, which included marine industry, legislators, policy makers, researchers, educators and others.
The purpose of the symposium was to:
- Provide updates on monitoring, research and other endeavors relative to the goals and recommendations of the 2014 Maine OA Commission report;
- Explore current, planned, and potential future efforts that advance the goals and recommendations of the Maine OA Commission;
- Identify and discuss future needs and possible steps for the future of the Maine Ocean and Coastal Acidification Partnership; and
- Improve communication and cooperation amongst participants of the MOCA Partnership (newly established volunteer working group)
The MOCA Partnership intends to use the information gathered at the conference to develop a plan that its members can use to carry out the recommendations of the Study Commission. A summary of the results of a post participant survey and a record of the symposium presentations and discussions will be forthcoming. The symposium was generously supported by the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership and a Research Reinvestment Fund Planning Grant from the University of Maine System.
NECAN TV Stars!
Mook Sea Farm owner, Bill Mook, and Dr. Joe Salisbury of UNH (both NECAN steering committee members) were recently featured in a WCSH6 news report “Acidic Sea Water Affects Growth of Oysters.” The video details the concerns surrounding Ocean Acidification and its effect on oysters in the Damariscotta River, as well as the “black box” monitoring system that allows Bill to monitor the water entering his hatchery and adjust as needed. To view the video, click here!
NOAA Bronze Medal Award
The Department of Commerce Bronze Medal is the highest honor award that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (the NOAA Administrator) may bestow on federal employees. Elizabeth Turner and Dwight Gledhill received this award “for critical leadership of the Northeast Coastal Acidification Network that provided authoritative scientific information to regional stakeholders.” Beth and Dwight are pictured below, along with Kathy Sullivan, NOAA Administrator, Craig McLean, Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and Chris Cartwright, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for National Ocean Service. Way to go, Beth and Dwight!
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4th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World
Ocean acidification research in the Gulf of Maine was well-represented at the 4th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High-CO2 World. The Symposium took place on May 3-6, 2016 in Hobart, Tasmania (Australia). Senior scientists/faculty and students from UMass Dartmouth, Boston and Amherst, as well as the NOAA Acidification Program provided the following presentations throughout the Symposium (presenters in bold):
- C.H. Pilskaln (UMA-Dartmouth/SMAST), Z.A. Wang, D. Townsend, G. Lawson, J. Salisbury; "Climate change-driven multistressor impacts on a shelf ecosystem: the Gulf of Maine."
- Z.A. Wang, C.H. Pilskaln, G. Lawson, A. Maas; "Water-column controls on the carbonate cycle and potential ocean acidification impacts in the Gulf of Maine."
- D. Gledhill (NOAA, Silver Springs, MD), J. Salisbury, C. Hunt, S. Musielewicz, D. Vandemark; "Ocean acidification time-series and projections for the Gulf of Maine."
- A. Honig (UMass-Boston), R. Etter, R. Hannigan; "Exposure to elevated temperature reduces effects of acidification on inducible defenses in the blue mussel Mytilus edulis and on predation rate and predator efficiency of the green crab Carcinas maenas."
- C. San Antonio (UMass-Boston), M. Tlusty, R. Hannigan; "Integrated impacts of temperature increase and ocean acidification on larval shell development in the American lobster Homerus americanus."
- M.M. Stoll (UMass-Amherst), R. Holmberg, A. Honig, R. Hannigan; "Effects of ocean acidification on the growth of juvenile Mytilus edulis."
Following the symposium, a Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) workshop was held in Hobart from May 8-10 at which datasets from the Gulf of Maine Observing System were discussed and compared, along with similar data from GOA-ON partners. GOA-ON represents 37 nations across the globe.
If you have any updates you’d like shared with NECAN, please email ru@neracoos.org
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