The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced a new tool that can track ocean chemistry, including ocean acidification in the West Coast in real-time.
The Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Pacific Region Ocean Acidification Data Portal is an online tool developed by researchers from the University of Washington. The tool will allow scientists to monitor the West Coast, which is one of the marine ecosystems to experience the effects of acidification. In May, NOAA scientists found that ocean acidification in the West Coast has started dissolving the shells of the marine snails in the area.
Ocean acidification occurs when high amounts of carbon dioxide are being absorbed by the ocean. Each year, the ocean absorbs 26 percent of the carbon dioxide brought by human activities. Scientists predicted that the ocean will be 150 percent more acidic by 2100 on a business-as-usual scenario.
Scientists can extract ocean acidification data in real-time from the waters of the West Coast, Pacific Islands, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and California, where shellfish are abundant. The tool is expected to assist the shellfish industry in scheduling the growth of larvae, releasing the baby oysters at the right time, and filling their tanks with seawater.
"This makes valuable data more easily accessible, and it will increase our scientific understanding of how similar or different conditions are throughout the Pacific," said Jan Newton, an oceanographer at the UW Applied Physics Laboratory, according to Newswise.
The tool is equipped with sensors that can distinguish the suitability of ocean waters for the nutrition of shellfish like clams, mussels, and oysters. The developers also incorporated data from Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NAOOS) that tracks boating and toxic algae growth.
The tool will be used to study ocean chemistry and identify trends related to ocean acidification.
"All of us will continue to serve our data on our own regional portals, because that's very important to connect to your local communities," Newton said. "But in some cases you want to take a wider look at things."
