Page 82 - Livre_MOW2024_EN

80 | SHARING SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS

OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
Developing simplified,

shareable methodologies

World experts in ocean acidification convened at a workshop to develop
improved methodologies for monitoring the phenomenon and carrying out
chemical analyses.

The workshop organised by the IAEA (International
Atomic Energy Agency) Ocean Acidification
International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) was
held on 21 and 22 March 2024 at the IAEA Marine
Environment Laboratories in Monaco. This two-day
event, organised as part of Monaco Ocean Week,
focused on the importance of strengthening and
standardising procedures for studying the global
phenomenon of ocean acidification.

Ocean acidification can vary greatly, particularly
in coastal regions, due to factors like freshwater
input from rivers, human impacts (such as industrial
emissions and pollution) and biological processes (like
algal photosynthesis and respiration and seasonal
variations). These fluctuations limit our understanding
of how ocean acidification impacts local and regional
biodiversity and the resilience of ecosystems and key THE
wild-caught and farmed species. Filling these gaps CONTEXT
in our knowledge is crucial, as recommended in UN
Sustainable Development Goal 14.3, which calls There has been a 40% increase in global ocean acidity since
on nations to “minimise and address the impacts the pre-industrial era. This rise, known as ocean acidification,
of ocean acidification, including through enhanced is caused when the ocean absorbs excess carbon dioxide from
scientific cooperation at all levels”. High-quality data the atmosphere, lowering the pH of seawater and modifying its
is indispensable to support informed decision-making chemical composition. This phenomenon poses a significant
and long-term policies. threat to marine life, in particular coral reefs, molluscs and
plankton, all of which play a vital role in marine ecosystems,
providing essential ecosystem services.