Ocean Acidification
Webinars

The National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series is a beneficial resource to educators, communicators, students, and the general public interested in ocean conservation and the sanctuary system at large. This assortment of webinars largely focus on ocean acidification through presentations centered around the basis of the problem, communication tools, specifics about species that will be and are being impacted, and more.

Left to right: Seagrass; humpback whale breaching out of the ocean; and a mangrove tree, which are all carbon sinks.

The Ocean as a Carbon Sponge: why blue carbon is important

This engaging presentation covers the basics of blue carbon - what it is, why it's important - and will focus particularly on the role of marine plants, algae, and animals in sequestering carbon and keeping it out of the atmosphere. We'll also discuss actions that can be taken to ensure blue carbon is protected and, when necessary, restored.

Slide including dungeness crab

Be a Claw Abiding Citizen: Learn how Ocean Acidification could Affect Dungeness Crab

What is ocean acidification? And how could it affect the future of Dungeness crab, one of our favorite seafoods? Join us as we walk through a new national marine sanctuary's educational toolkit to equip you for teaching others about what ocean acidification could mean for the Dungeness crab, how this is currently being investigated, and resources to get more involved.

Snail shell

Understanding Ocean Acidification: Using NOAAs New Educational Tools

In this presentation, participants will dive deep into Data in the Classroom's Ocean Acidification Module to explore the processes that cause acidification, examine data from across the globe and take a virtual tour of the new web-based curricular modules and data tools.

Earth

On a Scale of 0-14, How Familiar Are You With the Ocean Acidification PHacts?!

When you hear the term ocean acidification, what does it actually mean? How is coastal acidification different from ocean acidification? This talk will give an introduction into the chemistry, causes, and processes going on in our marine waters causing them to acidify and will give an outlook into what the future may hold for the ocean’s pH.

Slide with presenter information

Deep-Sea Science in the Classroom: Exploring Coral Communities of the West Coast National Marine Sanctuaries

Take your students on an incredible journey hundreds of feet beneath the surface of the ocean, without ever leaving the classroom! Using research footage from Remotely Operated Vehicles, your students will be able to utilize real scientific methods to explore the unique deep sea coral communities found in our West Coast national marine sanctuaries. They will investigate threats, such as ocean acidification, that these precious ecosystems face and learn the importance of long-term scientific monitoring and protection.

Woman with arms crossed

Seagrass Meadows: Unsung Heroes in Combating Climate Change?

Seagrass meadows can be found from the tropics to the arctic circle, with over 60 species in total. These meadows form the foundation of many marine food webs, while also serving to improve water quality, stabilize sediment, and buffer storm surge.

Collection of crabs that were captured

Consistent Ocean Acidification Messaging: The Key To Consistent Understanding

In this webinar Erin Winslow, PhD candidate at the University of California Santa Barbara acknowledges that communicating ocean acidification is a challenge for scientists, researchers, educators, and professionals alike. Arguably one of the greatest obstacles to productive conversations about ocean acidification is the absence of clear, concise, and consistent messaging of complicated processes. Successful messaging can be established by utilizing language that is digestible and constant across educational landscapes.

Snail shells under water

Why I Put a Pteropod in a CT Scanner to Study the Impacts of Ocean Acidification?

Tiny swimming snails, called pteropods, are organisms that are key to understanding the big picture of ocean acidification – the more carbon dioxide that we put into the air, the more carbon dioxide is taken up by the ocean, and the harder it is for pteropods to build and maintain their shells.

Ice Glaciers

Pteropods as Indicators of Global Change: From Research to Education

The shelled pteropods have been identified as an indicator species for monitoring the advancement of ocean acidification throughout the world’s ocean. This is primarily due to the sensitive nature of pteropod shells to changes in the pH of the ocean. In this presentation we will focus on pteropods in the Southern Ocean and discuss the effects ocean acidification has on their shells.

Map of heatwave

Understanding the Marine Heatwaves in the Pacific Northwest

Join Dr. Jan Newton as she explains how marine heatwaves are influencing life in the waters off the Washington coast in the Pacific Northwest.