Ocean Acidification as a Problem in Systems Thinking

The emerging problem of ocean acidification provides a clear signal that we need to think and act differently about our stewardship of the ocean, its resources, and the services it provides to society. No longer can we afford to address environmental problems in the ocean on a reductionist, case-by-case basis, because the number of problems requiring attention has grown so large that the problems now are stacked one on top of another. Moreover, many of these problems are growing rapidly; for example, the contemporary rate of ocean acidification exceeds that at any time in the past 300 million years. Nor are these environmental problems independent of each other: the problems interact via synergies and feedbacks that can amplify or dampen the problems’ effects on ocean systems. Uncertainties abound in terms of rates, interactions, and outcomes, and are magnified by the number of variables changing in concert. Clearly, we need to embrace holistic thinking about resource management in the ocean in order to sustain the properties and functions we derive from it. Systems science offers one means of thinking holistically about ocean systems and its inherent complexity, interconnectedness, and dynamism. Indeed, the existing concept of marine ecosystems is based in systems science, as is the concept of marine social-ecological systems, and systems thinking underlies much of contemporary ocean science. Systems thinking is especially appropriate to the problem of ocean acidification because of its dynamic nature, association with other stressors, and cross-scale interactions. Unlike some environmental problems in which the causative drivers are local, ocean acidification is caused by global processes that are expressed regionally and that can be exacerbated at local scales

Narratives can motivate environmental action : the Whiskey Creek ocean acidification story

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ambio 43 (2014): 592-599, doi:10.1007/s13280-013-0442-2.Even when environmental data quantify the risks and benefits of delayed responses to rapid anthropogenic change, institutions rarely respond promptly. We propose that narratives complementing environmental datasets can motivate responsive environmental policy. To explore this idea, we relate a case study in which a narrative of economic loss due to regionally rapid ocean acidification—an anthropogenic change—helped connect knowledge with action. We pose three hypotheses to explain why narratives might be particularly effective in linking science to environmental policy, drawing from the literature of economics, environmental policy, and cognitive psychology. It seems that yet-untold narratives may hold similar potential for strengthening the feedback between environmental data and policy and motivating regional responses to other environmental problems.2015-09-0

Environmental DNA reveals patterns of biological invasion in an inland sea

Non-native species have the potential to cause ecological and economic harm to coastal and estuarine ecosystems. Understanding which habitat types are most vulnerable to biological invasions, where invasions originate, and the vectors by which they arrive can help direct limited resources to prevent or mitigate ecological and socio-economic harm. Information about the occurrence of non-native species can help guide interventions at all stages of invasion, from first introduction, to naturalization and invasion. However, monitoring at relevant scales requires considerable investment of time, resources, and taxonomic expertise. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding methods sample coastal ecosystems at broad spatial and temporal scales to augment established monitoring methods. We use COI mtDNA eDNA sampling to survey a diverse assemblage of species across distinct habitats in the Salish Sea in Washington State, USA, and classify each as non-native, native, or indeterminate in origin. The non-native species detected include both well-documented invaders and species not previously reported within the Salish Sea. We find a non-native assemblage dominated by shellfish and algae with native ranges in the temperate western Pacific, and find more-retentive estuarine habitats to be invaded at far higher levels than better-flushed rocky shores. Furthermore, we find an increase in invasion level with higher water temperatures in spring and summer across habitat types. This analysis contributes to a growing understanding of the biotic and abiotic factors that influence invasion level, and underscores the utility of eDNA surveys to monitor biological invasions and to better understand the factors that drive these invasionsThe authors received no specific funding for this wor

Building resilience of coastal fishing communities to harmful algal blooms

Starting in May 2015 a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) of the toxigenic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia occurred along the North American west coast resulting in unsafe levels of domoic acid in seafood. Subsequent fisheries harvest closures were both the longest and the most geographically widespread on record. Fishery-dependent coastal communities were severely impacted, with a fisheries resource disaster declaration occurring for the 2015-16 season of the California Dungeness crab fishery. This research aims to assess the social, cultural and economic impacts of the 2015 HAB event across 17 fishing communities on the US west coast using primary survey data. The survey instrument collected sociodemographic and economic factors hypothesized to confer resilience to HAB events as well as data that quantifies individual impacts. Community responses to the massive 2015 US west coast HAB event will be examined within a community disaster resilience framework. The impacts may be influenced by the community’s social vulnerability, dependence on commercial and recreational fisheries, as well as any immediate adaptive responses. The survey data will be used to empirically test existing indices of community social vulnerability and commercial fishing dependence that have been developed by NOAA using secondary data. The results from this analysis will identify protective factors that contribute to a community’s ability to cope with HABs, and promote cost-effective and practical means of building resilience to future HAB events in at-risk communities

Patterns and variability in ocean acidification conditions in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca

The Washington Ocean Acidification Center is working with NOAA and other partners to increase understanding of ocean acidification dynamics and spatial variability in the Salish Sea, and how these correlate with planktonic responses. These data are critical for assessing water quality, areas with higher or lower OA stress, and to understand effects on the food web. Two main strategies are employed; seasonal ship cruises provide spatial coverage and the ability to collect plankton, while mooring buoys provide information on mechanisms and the range of variation due to the high-resolution and constant coverage they provide. Results show a strong degree of depth, seasonal, and spatial variation in pH and aragonite saturation state. In general, the lowest pH and aragonite saturation state values are at depth, particularly in stratified areas, though this can shift during seasonal localized upwelling, e.g., Southern Hood Canal, and in mixed water columns, e.g., the Main Basin. Seasonal patterns are spatially diverse, with stratified areas exhibiting strong vertical gradients with depth during summer and more homogenous conditions during winter; well-mixed areas show less variation year-round. This implies that species encounter quite different OA conditions in various parts of the Salish Sea between the seasons. Mooring CO2 data reveal higher variation during late fall through early spring at sites within the Salish Sea, due to winter mixing of stratified waters, yet the reverse pattern off the Washington coast, due to summer upwelling. In both cases, these mechanisms (winter mixing and summer upwelling) operate across a gradient, bringing relatively deeper lower pH / aragonite saturation state waters in contact with surface waters with higher values. Such changes in the spatial and depth distribution of corrosive conditions have broad implications for sensitive marine life

Building fishing community resilience to harmful algal blooms

The ‘blob’ of anomalously warm surface water that persisted in the North Pacific Ocean from 2013-2016 resulted in a massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) of Pseudo-nitzschia along the entire U.S. west coast. The bloom produced record-breaking concentrations of domoic acid, a marine neurotoxin, that contaminated seafood and necessitated fisheries harvest closures beginning in May 2015. The subsequent closures were unprecedented in both geographic extent and length. Coastal communities dependent on the lucrative commercial Dungeness crab and popular recreational razor clam fisheries were severely impacted. Here we assess the social, cultural and economic impacts of the 2015 HAB event across 17 fishing communities on the U.S. west coast using primary survey data. The survey instrument, deployed in the summer of 2017, collected data on sociodemographic and economic factors hypothesized to affect a community’s ability to cope with HAB events. Within a community disaster resilience framework, impacts are expected to be influenced by community social vulnerability, dependence on commercial and recreational fisheries, and any immediate adaptive responses. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that community members in fishing-related occupations experienced greater impacts compared to those in other occupations. Furthermore, individuals who obtain a high proportion of income from Dungeness crab landings or razor clam harvests experienced increased vulnerability. Increased social resilience was associated with higher levels of education and access to alternate job opportunities. As climate change advances and HABs worsen, these results will inform efforts to prepare for HABs, mitigate their impacts, and aid recovery of impacted communities

Social equity is key to sustainable ocean governance

Calls to address social equity in ocean governance are expanding. Yet ‘equity’ is seldom clearly defined. Here we present a framework to support contextually-informed assessment of equity in ocean governance. Guiding questions include: (1) Where and (2) Why is equity being examined? (3) Equity for or amongst Whom? (4) What is being distributed? (5) When is equity considered? And (6) How do governance structures impact equity? The framework supports consistent operationalization of equity, challenges oversimplification, and allows evaluation of progress. It is a step toward securing the equitable ocean governance already reflected in national and international commitments

Likely response of kelps to future ocean acidification conditions in the Salish Sea

The response of kelps to future ocean acidification conditions in the Salish Sea will influence biological productivity, ecological complexity, and biogeochemical cycling in this system. Despite their importance, the response of kelps to ocean acidification has not been tested in the Salish Sea. Kelps from other regions have been shown to exhibit positive, neutral, and negative responses to ocean acidification. At the level of the individual these responses tend to be dominated by changes in carbon acquisition and metabolism under conditions of seawater carbon enrichment. At the community level, changes in algal growth rates, competition for space, and grazing pressure are likely to lead to an unknown degree of community reorganization. Interactions with other stressors—for example, temperature—will modify the response of kelps to acidification alone. I review the physiology of carbon acquisition in kelps, pose scenarios for kelp community response to ocean acidification, and suggest approaches to management of kelp resources in the Salish Sea

Building Resilience to Ocean Acidification in the Salish Sea

The impending effects of ocean acidification on coastal ecosystems remain poorly resolved. Under such conditions, resilience approaches offer a framework for shaping practical responses to the likely biological and ecological effects of OA. Such approaches can be implemented under several existing management authorities, thereby avoiding lengthy delays associated with the establishment of new regulations. For example, existing provisions for ecosystem-based fisheries management, spatial protections (e.g., MPAs), and coastal ecosystem management all can be used to support ecological resilience. Promoting resilience to OA in the social system presents a greater challenge, primarily due to information deficiencies and substantial uncertainties. Understanding vulnerabilities of human communities with respect to OA is a first critical step in building social-ecological resilience in the Salish Sea

Marine Ecosystem Management in the San Juan Archipelago

Klinger will present an overview of marine ecosystem management in the San Juan Islands. The general approach: engage in a local, bottom-up planning process for ecosystem-based management, using science to support decision-making. She will review existing protection measures and recent county actions. She will describe her efforts to assess San Juan County's planning efforts, following the Nature Conservancy's "5-S" planning framework: 1. SYSTEMS. 2. STRESSES. 3. SOURCES. 4. STRATEGIES. 5. SUCCESS MEASURES. The Marine Stewardship Area Plan, generated through the 5-S process, was submitted to review by the public and marine managers. Finally, Klinger will present the results of her research project about aquatic nuisance species