The Alaska Ocean Observing System is planning to hold a 1.5 day workshop on Scoping the Approach and Priorities for Ocean Acidification (OA) Monitoring Activities In Alaska. We see the need for such a workshop because:
- There is currently no coordinated plan/vision for monitoring OA in Alaska at the various temporal and spatial scales and meeting a variety of needs;
- AOOS is receiving requests to fund OA monitoring activities ranging from instrumenting ferries and shellfish hatcheries to conducting annual and monthly ship surveys to adding sensors to existing moorings, and absent a plan, it is difficult to make funding decisions; and
- We expect advances in capabilities and technology to occur on rapid time scales over the next 3-5 years that should be taken into account when making funding decisions for long-term monitoring.
Topics for the proposed workshop include:
- Identifying priorities for OA monitoring in Alaska;
- Identifying acceptable technologies with respective goals (e.g., short term vs long term trends, spatial coverage);
- Developing consensus on best practices; and
- Developing a common vision for OA activities in Alaskan coastal waters.
Outcomes will include a workshop report and a Draft Proposed Plan for OA Monitoring for Alaska for the next three years (2016-2019).