A collaborative framework for joint DFO/NOAA ocean acidification research and monitoring

Table of Contents

• Complete Text
• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 Background and context
  • 1.2 DFO mission as related to ocean acidification
  • 1.3 NOAA mission as related to ocean acidification
  • 1.4 Coordination framework
  • 1.5 Value proposition
• 2.0 Monitoring
  • 2.1 Integrated monitoring
  • 2.2 Priority regions
  • 2.3 Biological indicators
• 3.0 Research, modelling and experimentation
  • 3.1 Modelling initiative
  • 3.2 Establish research priorities
• 4.0 Data and information
  • 4.1 Data sharing
  • 4.2 Inventories of science capacity
  • 4.3 Communication
• 5.0 Supports for collaboration
  • 5.1 Best practices
  • 5.2 Sharing capacity, expertise, and methodologies
  • 5.3 Other partners
  • 5.4 Technology
  • 5.5 Platforms, ships, moorings, and laboratories
• 6.0 Conclusion
  • 6.1 Summary of actionable items
  • 6.2 Future meetings
• Annex: Governance

3.0 Research, modelling and experimentation

3.1 Modelling initiative

Models are needed to better understand patterns and relationships among observations but observations must be in the appropriate format. DFO and NOAA will make efforts to share measurements, estimates of rates, and other parameters for ecosystem models and will coordinate data collection to the fullest extent possible.

Wherever possible, DFO and NOAA will coordinate to connect ocean climate models across regions. Ocean models integrate many different atmospheric and oceanic data, such as atmospheric pressure and temperature, surface winds, salinity, water temperature, ocean colour (indicators of phytoplankton blooms), dissolved oxygen, and carbon parameters. Connecting regional climate models across North America will help to predict the impacts of climate change over larger geographic areas. For example, DFO and NOAA have separate models for the Northeast Pacific: one for Canadian waters off coastal British Columbia and another model for the Pacific Northwest coast in the US. These models could be connected with shared data to better understand regional dynamics of OA effects in the region. DFO and NOAA have regional climate models for the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans that could be connected as well.

3.2 Establish research priorities

In order to better coordinate research activities, DFO will establish national OA research priorities through the Canadian National OA Working Group, a newly formed group whose main short-term objective will be to develop a National Research Plan. The US already has NOAA-specific and multi-agency research plans and working groups in place. Fishery target species that are research priorities for both agencies include lobster, sea scallops, blue mussels and snow crabs. In the future, DFO and NOAA can collaborate in these shared research priorities through coordinated experiments on the same species from their respective regions.

Some common research priorities in aquaculture that could be further examined for future collaboration include calcite saturation state thresholds for juvenile and adult bivalves, chemistry monitoring in coastal regions, and long-term or multi-life stage effects of OA. In general, higher spatial and temporal resolution coastal monitoring is required to better understand the current OA conditions in areas where important commercial species are fished or cultured.