Page 20 - Livre_MOW2021_EN

18 | POLLUTION AND HEALTH

■ 417,85 ppm IN
Record CO level reached in 2021, the highest
2
for thousands of years (source: NOAA) FIGURES

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED
Addressing acidification

in the Mediterranean

GOA-ON experts have come together to tackle this invisible threat, which

disrupts seawater chemistry and threatens the balance of the Mediterranean
social ecosystem.

Despite long-term research programmes and signifi- A MAJOR ACIDIFICATION
cant awareness-raising efforts in the Mediterranean
region, strategies and actions specifically targeting STUDY LABORATORY
ocean acidification are still rare. After a presentation GOA-ON researchers are working on the impact of the
on the science of ocean acidification in the Mediter- phenomenon in eight ocean regions, “with the Medi-
ranean region, a webinar on 24 March 2021 led by terranean being the smallest, but including the most
the International Union for Conservation of Nature countries”, as underlined by the Lebanese oceano-
(IUCN) and the Mediterranean GOA-ON* studied the grapher Abed El Rahman Hassoun (CNRS-Lebanon),
reasons for the lack of specific policies, before dis- who leads the Mediterranean research group. 56 ex-
cussing priority measures at national and regional le- perts from 10 Mediterranean countries are involved in
vel, as well as opportunities related to growing global this GOA-ON Mediterranean “hub”, and study acidifi-
interest in climate change. cation in the unique context of this almost completely
enclosed sea: “It is clear that the Mediterranean is
more vulnerable to ocean acidification than the glo-
A GLOBAL CLIMATE bal average”, summarised Patrizia Ziveri from the
INDICATOR University of Barcelona, who coordinates a research
group on marine and environmental biogeosciences.
At a time when CO concentrations in the atmos- “As the water circulation period is quite quick (80 to
2
phere have exceeded 416.46 ppm , ocean acidifica- 100 years), new Mediterranean surface waters are
1
tion is now recognised as a global climate indicator. frequently exposed to atmospheric CO . Highly saline
2
It is included within United Nations Sustainable De- and subject to warming, they are more likely to ab-
velopment Goal 14. The increased emphasis on this sorb CO , which increases acidification”.
2
phenomenon follows a long scientific battle started
over 15 years ago by the Monegasque Association 1. February 2021, source: NOAA.
for Ocean Acidification, which continues during this
3 regional meeting of GOA-ON members working
rd
on the Mediterranean.
Get involved with the science
community on ocean acidification
by registering on the platform:
www.oainfoexchange.org