Both Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and Ocean Acidification (OA) are threats to marine ecosystems and human communities in the coastal zone. Although many areas of research have provided insights into the factors that govern HAB dynamics, toxicity and impacts, only a few of these have included OA. Similarly, OA studies have examined ocean biogeochemistry and impacts to marine resources and economies, and have started to expand into multiple stressor studies (e.g. with hypoxia and warming). Less is known about the influences of OA – HAB interactions and cascading impacts to coastal ecosystems, communities and economies.
Workshop: NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program and Centers for Coastal Ocean Science are planning a virtual workshop in August 2020 to identify research needs at the intersection of OA and HABs. Are OA and HAB dynamics linked? Does OA influence growth and/or toxicity of HABs? What are food web impacts of combining OA and HABs? Are some marine species more vulnerable/resilient to combined OA and HAB impacts? What are the resulting impacts to fisheries and coastal economies? Can we make projections about future conditions? How can we encapsulate information about combined OA and HAB impacts into useful information for management and policy makers? What are the major gaps in our understanding?
NOAA wants the workshop to be inclusive of both the HAB and OA communities across the United States. To that end, the Agency is seeking more researchers from the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and the Great Lakes who can contribute to the topics listed above. The workshop format will be 3 – half days, with background presentations and group discussions. An outcome of the workshop will be identification and prioritization of major research needs that can move the field forward in the next 5 years.
If you are a researcher in the Great Lakes, Alaska, or Gulf of Mexico with expertise in OA or HABs, please fill out the following google form to apply to attend the workshop.