Ocean Acidification on a Crossroad
Enhanced respiration, upwelling, increasing atmospheric CO2, and their interactions in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico
Human society has had significant influence on the global ocean carbonate chemistry (also known as “ocean acidification” or “OA”) through fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and cement production over the past 250 years. In the coastal ocean, however, other forces such as continental nutrient input and physical oceanographic changes can have stronger impacts on both the magnitude of short-term variations and the long-term trends in carbonate parameters (pH, carbonate saturation states). Among the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) designated Large Marine Ecosystems, the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) remains poorly understood in terms of its current OA conditions, despite its ecological and economic significance. In the northwestern GOM (nwGOM), decadal acidification has been observed in the shelf-slope region, with metabolic production of CO2 contributing to a larger fraction of CO2 accumulation than uptake of anthropogenic CO2, and the observed rate of acidification is significantly greater than that in other tropical and subtropical areas. Unfortunately, whether the observed OA in this region represents a short-term phenomenon or a long-term trend is unknown.
It is hypothesized that increasing atmospheric CO2, increasing terrestrial nutrient export due to an enhanced hydrological cycle, and enhanced upwelling due to climate change will cause the continental shelf-slope region in the nwGOM to acidify faster than other tropical and subtropical seas. It is imperative to employ sustained monitoring in this region because it is rich in coral reefs, banks, and other topographic features and is therefore ecologically sensitive to changing ocean chemistry.
To test this hypothesis, both field and modeling studies are proposed. HRI Chair for Ecosystem Science and Modeling Dr. Xingping Hu is working in collaboration the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University, the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami, and NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.
The fieldwork will include high spatial (wave glider) and temporal (fixed in-situ sensors) resolution measurements in surface and shallow waters, respectively, discrete water sample collection and analysis for the entire water column (up to 1,000 meters), and underway surface measurements on board a research vessel. This project will also incorporate the newest data from an upcoming large scale nwGOM survey, and oceanographic and statistical modeling will be used to integrate the chemical signals into the models to hindcast/predict spatial and temporal variations of OA signals for the optimization of monitoring design and implementation. This project will have the Gulf Coast Ocean Observing System (HRI Systems Architect Felimon Gayanilo) as an integral member for the data management and sharing tasks.
An advisory committee consists of experts in monitoring, modeling, natural resource management, and infrastructure management. These experts will guide the progress and direction of this field-intensive project and ensure that the outputs and outcomes of this project will meet the long-term goal of optimizing OA monitoring in the nwGOM and will provide documentation of methodology that can be used in similar efforts in the future.
This project will benefit NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program by intensively examining an area in the poorly understood GOM Large Marine Ecosystem by producing the first ever high-resolution data that are from not only the surface water, but also subsurface waters, and directing the future deployment of in-situ monitoring devices in this ecologically and economically important region. Broad dissemination of data and modeling products will be carried out via open-access data services and peer-reviewed publications. Educational activities — including trainings for graduate students from underrepresented groups, public seminars, and participation in 9th-12th grade curriculum development — are planned and will be carried out throughout the duration of this project.
"Kupungua kwa kiwango cha CO2 katika anga na athari zake katika eneo la kaskazini magharibi mwa Ghuba ya Mexico, jamii ya binadamu imekuwa na ushawishi mkubwa juu ya kemikali ya kaboni ya bahari ya kimataifa (pia inajulikana kama ""acidification ya bahari"" au ""OA"") kupitia mwako wa mafuta ya mafuta, ukataji wa misitu, na uzalishaji wa saruji katika miaka 250 iliyopita." Katika bahari ya pwani, hata hivyo, nguvu nyingine kama vile mchango wa virutubisho vya bara na mabadiliko ya fizikia ya bahari inaweza kuwa na athari kubwa juu ya ukubwa wa mabadiliko ya muda mfupi na mwenendo wa muda mrefu katika vigezo vya carbonate (pH, hali ya saturation ya carbonate). Kati ya mifumo mikubwa ya mazingira ya baharini iliyochaguliwa na Usimamizi wa Taifa wa Bahari na Anga (NOAA), Ghuba ya Mexico bado haijulikani vizuri katika suala la hali yake ya sasa ya OA, licha ya umuhimu wake wa ikolojia na kiuchumi. Katika eneo la kaskazini magharibi mwa GOM, acidification ya decadal imeonekana katika eneo la shelf-slope, na uzalishaji wa metabolic wa CO2 unachangia sehemu kubwa ya mkusanyiko wa CO2 kuliko uingizaji wa CO2 ya anthropogenic, na kiwango cha acidification kilichogunduliwa ni kikubwa zaidi kuliko katika maeneo mengine ya kitropiki na subtropiki. Kwa bahati mbaya, kama OA kuonekana katika mkoa huu inawakilisha jambo la muda mfupi au mwelekeo wa muda mrefu haijulikani. Inasemekana kwamba kuongezeka kwa CO2 katika angahewa, kuongezeka kwa usafirishaji wa virutubisho vya nchi kavu kutokana na mzunguko wa maji ulioboreshwa, na kuongezeka kwa upwelling kutokana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, itasababisha eneo la mteremko wa bara katika mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba wa mwamba. Ni muhimu kutumia ufuatiliaji endelevu katika eneo hili kwa sababu ni tajiri katika matumbawe, benki, na vipengele vingine vya topografia na kwa hivyo ni mazingira nyeti kwa mabadiliko ya kemia ya bahari. Ili kupima nadharia hii, wote uwanja na modeling masomo ni mapendekezo. HIPC Chair kwa Ecosystem Sayansi na Modeling, Xingping Hu, ni Mkurugenzi wa Chuo Kikuu cha Texas A & M, Chuo Kikuu cha Oceanography, Chuo Kikuu cha Miami, Chuo Kikuu cha Miami, na Chuo Kikuu cha Atlantic Oceanographic na Meteorological Laboratory. Kazi ya shamba itajumuisha vipimo vya nafasi ya juu (wavescape) na vipimo vya muda (sensors za kudumu katika eneo) katika maji ya juu na ya chini, kwa mtiririko wa sampuli za maji na uchambuzi wa safu nzima ya maji (hadi mita 1,000) na vipimo vya uso vinavyoendelea kwenye meli ya utafiti. Mradi huu pia utajumuisha data mpya kutoka kwa uchunguzi wa ukubwa wa nwGOM, na mfano wa bahari na takwimu utatumiwa kuunganisha ishara za kemikali katika mifano ya kutarajia mabadiliko ya nafasi na ya muda ya ishara za OA kwa uboreshaji wa muundo wa ufuatiliaji na utekelezaji. Mfumo wa uchunguzi wa Bahari ya Pwani ya Ghuba (HRI Systems Architect Felimon Gayanilo) ni sehemu muhimu ya mradi huu. Kamati ya ushauri inajumuisha wataalamu katika ufuatiliaji, modeling, usimamizi wa rasilimali za asili, na usimamizi wa miundombinu. Wataalamu hawa wataongoza maendeleo na mwelekeo wa mradi huu wa uwanja na kuhakikisha kwamba matokeo ya mradi huu yatatimiza lengo la muda mrefu la kuboresha ufuatiliaji wa OA katika mwongozo wa WMO na itatoa nyaraka za mbinu ambazo zinaweza kutumika katika juhudi kama hizo katika siku zijazo. Mradi huu utafaidika NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program kwa kuchunguza kwa kina eneo katika GOM Large Marine Ecosystem, kwa kuzalisha data ya kwanza ya azimio la juu ambayo sio tu kutoka kwa maji ya uso, lakini pia maji ya chini ya ardhi, na kuelekeza utekelezaji wa baadaye wa vifaa vya ufuatiliaji katika eneo hili muhimu la ikolojia na kiuchumi. Uenezaji mpana wa data na bidhaa za modeling utafanywa kupitia huduma za data za upatikanaji wa wazi na machapisho yaliyopitiwa na wenzao. Shughuli za elimu - ikiwa ni pamoja na mafunzo kwa wanafunzi wa kuhitimu kutoka vikundi vya chini, semina za umma, na ushiriki katika maendeleo ya mtaala wa darasa la tisa hadi la kumi na mbili - zimepangwa na zitafanywa kwa muda wote wa mradi huu.