Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan (2013) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Specific Analysis of the Themes of the Strategic Plan
3 Specific Analysis of the Themes of the Strategic Plan
Pages 27-58
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From page 27... ...
As emphasized in Chapter 2, the committee recognizes that a strategic plan differs from a more focused implementation plan, and that detailed descriptions of specific programs for achieving the broad goals of the FOARAM Act cannot be developed in the Strategic Plan. Nonetheless, the committee concludes that some of the Themes provide insufficient information regarding the design of effective mechanisms for successful implementation.
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From page 28... ...
The treatment of the relevant FOARAM Act Program Element specific to Theme 1 is well-presented and comprehensive, especially in the arena of chemistry and efforts to monitor pH and carbon-related variables (see below)
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From page 29... ...
Theme 1 of the Strategic Plan provides a good description of the chemical parameters that need to be measured and points out that particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) , particulate organic carbon (POC)
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From page 30... ...
This research need is in part captured by those goals in the Strategic Plan that state the need to "develop biological monitoring protocols." There is a growing recognition in the scientific community that a universal set of biological parameters may not exist, but rather that the optimal biological parameters to characterize the effects of ocean acidification may be specific to particular habitats or even organisms. Consequently, the committee agrees with the following statement in the Strategic Plan: "The National Ocean Acidification Program will need to incorporate a process for identifying issues to be addressed by biological indicators (Theme 2)
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From page 31... ...
Criteria for decision making on choices of monitoring sites and frequencies of monitoring will be crucial to the success of the overall monitoring effort. Although some decision on monitoring locations may be based on practical considerations, such as the existence of laboratory and ship facilities in an area, it is critical that the goals of the FOARAM Act serve as guides for implementing a broad monitoring program.
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From page 32... ...
esearch to understand the species specific physiological responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification, impacts on marine food webs of ocean acidification, and to develop environmental and ecological indices that track marine ecosystem responses to ocean acidification." This broad Program Element of the Act encompasses the wide impacts of ocean acidification and the tasks described herein are closely related to activities essential for achieving goals presented in many of the other Themes in the Strategic Plan. Thus, in the analysis below we focus not only on the extent to which the Strategic Plan addresses its primary Element of the FOARAM Act, but also on how well it integrates Theme 2 with the other relevant Themes.
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From page 33... ...
• The discussions on natural CO2 seeps and Free Ocean CO2 Enrichment (FOCE) are out of date; updating and addition of recent references would improve this discussion.
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From page 34... ...
34 REVIEW OF THE FEDERAL OA RESEARCH AND MONITORING PLAN cation; rather, a figure from Fabricius et al.
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From page 35... ...
Although the FOARAM Act's mandate for Theme 2 is focused chiefly on organismal and ecological effects of ocean acidification, many of these effects are closely coupled with the influences of ocean acidification on nonliving processes. Thus, one notable gap within this Theme is the lack of attention given to the chemical effects of acidification.
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From page 36... ...
, the influences of other factors like rising temperature and eutrophication that can influence responses to acidification may be missed. Whereas it is commonly difficult to tease apart effects of, say, falling pH and rising temperature, field studies of natural ecosystems that examine the full spectrum of environmental changes are needed to generate realistic understandings of global change and to support predictions of future shifts in community and ecosystem structure, many of which may have important socioeconomic consequences.
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From page 37... ...
Such measures can be essential for developing ecosystem models, including models focused on fisheries-related issues of socioeconomic importance. This Theme does a comprehensive job of outlining sets of 3- to 5-year and 10-year goals for the National Ocean Acidification Program.
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From page 38... ...
. THEME 3: MODELING TO PREDICT CHANGES IN THE OCEAN CARBON CYCLE AND IMPACTS ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS AND ORGANISMS The FOARAM Act includes ‘modeling' as a Program Element, "to predict changes in the ocean carbon cycle as a function of carbon dioxide and atmosphere-induced changes in temperature, ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, ecosystem and terrestrial input, and modeling to determine impacts on marine ecosystems and individual marine organisms." The introduction to Theme 3 (page 27 of the Strategic Plan)
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From page 39... ...
Incorporating ocean acidification into biogeochemical models (a short-term goal of the Strategic Plan and end-to-end models1 (a mid- to long-term goal of the Strategic Plan) , need to be part of assessments aimed at the quantification of ecosystem and socioeconomic impacts.
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From page 40... ...
. Modeling could contribute to the FOARAM Act and specifically to the requirement to ‘enhance monitoring and detection capacities,' by developing an integrated approach combining continuous environmental data acquisition and operational modeling systems.
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From page 41... ...
echnology development and standardization of carbonate chemistry measurements on moorings and autonomous floats" in the IWGOA Strategic Plan. Theme 4 has an appropriate focus in terms of this mandate of the FOARAM Act.
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From page 42... ...
. Ocean acidification research encompasses a wide variety of approaches including environmental observations and laboratory manipulations, and it requires technology for the measurement of a wide variety of parameters, both chemical and biological.
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The discussion of technology development is somewhat less complete than the discussion of the set of necessary measurements (and their precision) required for gathering ocean acidification data.
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From page 44... ...
However, no effort has been made to indicate how these entities could work together to achieve the goals established in this Plan. The Strategic Plan thus could be strengthened by providing a roadmap that suggests effective ways for different organizations, including Federal government programs and private industry, to work in a coordinated fashion to develop improved technologies and evolve mechanisms to make these technologies accessible to the wide community of investigators in ocean acidification research and monitoring efforts.
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From page 45... ...
. THEME 5: ASSESSMENT OF SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS AND DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIES TO CONSERVE MARINE ORGANISMS AND ECOSYSTEMS In recognition that the effects of ocean acidification may include profound influences on human society as well as on marine ecosystems, the FOARAM Act specifies in its list of Program Elements that an "[a]
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From page 46... ...
The introduction also correctly points out the importance of recognizing the projected rate of changes in ocean chemistry, and the potential severity of the socioeconomic impacts that might result as a consequence. However, the introduction makes very little reference to the need to develop "adaptation and mitigation strategies to conserve marine organisms and marine ecosystems" as specified in the FOARAM Act.
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From page 47... ...
to meet National Ocean Policy objectives. In other words, the focus of the section is centered on quantifying socioeconomic impacts rather than on the design of institutions and regulations that facilitate adaptation to ocean acidification (e.g., Kling and Sanchirico, 2009; Sanchirico, 2009)
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From page 48... ...
Whereas the goals presented in Theme 5 are consistent with the FOARAM Act, their wording does not easily translate into measurable metrics that could be used to assess the progress of the forthcoming implementation plan (e.g., the use of verbs such as ‘support', ‘encourage', and ‘foster')
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From page 49... ...
Furthermore, as emphasized above, prioritization of the program's natural science goals can be informed by societal and socioeconomic research needs. The social science research agenda on ocean acidification needs to be expanded to highlight
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From page 50... ...
that the IWGOA made to the five Program Elements given in the FOARAM Act. However, even though the FOARAM Act did not include an explicit Program Element focused on the issues treated in Theme 6, the Act does state on pages 3 and 4 that there is a need to "facilitate communication and outreach opportunities with nongovernmental organizations and members of the stakeholder community with interests in marine resources." The committee views this requirement as an important component of a National Ocean Acidification program for several reasons.
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From page 51... ...
The National Ocean Acidification Program via the National Program Office is slated to play a major role in addressing the tasks described in Theme 6. It seems beneficial to develop and integrate education and outreach effort at the Program level to reduce redundancy and to engage education professionals and social scientists.
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From page 52... ...
. They have already been coordinating efforts on climate change education.5 These outreach efforts need to be recognized and the National Ocean Acidification Program could approach this climate change collaboration for its outreach effort.
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From page 53... ...
ways to engage public aquaria, museums, and zoos, which enjoy a high level of credibility with the public and could be a major asset in ocean acidification education and outreach. THEME 7: DATA MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION Although "Data Management and Integration" is not a specific Program Element in the FOARAM Act, the Act states that a Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (JSOST)
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From page 54... ...
Much of Theme 7 addresses archiving of traditional physical and chemical environmental data, an activity that the scientific community is familiar with. However, the National Ocean Acidification Program will be addressing the effects of ocean acidification on biology, chemistry, and socioeconomic issues; thus, datasets will need to be included and made available from disparate research on, for example, animal behavior, mechanisms and rates of natural processes, and human impacts and responses.
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From page 55... ...
, but unambiguous definitions of many other ocean acidification variables are necessary. It might be beneficial and more efficient to embed ocean acidification data management within an existing data management activity.
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From page 56... ...
International efforts, like national efforts, need to work to make ocean acidification data publicly accessible even prior to publication. IN CONCLUSION The committee concludes its analysis of the IWGOA Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification by reiterating our judgment that the Plan has done a generally excellent job of addressing the several Program Elements in the FOARAM Act that serve as the principal mandates for developing a comprehensive National Program on Ocean Acidification.
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From page 57... ...
Conversely, social scientists' needs for key types of information to allow effective research and policy formulation should inform and guide, as appropriate, efforts in the natural sciences. Communication and integration among disciplines therefore are key to the success of the National Program.
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From page 58... ...
Thus, the inclusion in the Strategic Plan of a strong program for education and outreach is wise. Through these wide-ranging activities, the National Program Office can help to implement a powerful and integrated scientific program on ocean acidification and assist in the transfer of information and technology from the program's research and monitoring efforts to the groups that will be responsible for developing effective programs for enabling society to adapt to the as yet largely unknown consequences of ocean acidification.
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