Ocean acidification is driving changes in waters vital to
Alaska’s valuable commercial fisheries and subsistence way of life, according
to new research that was led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and published in Progress in Oceanography.
Many of Alaska’s marine fisheries are located in waters that
are already experiencing ocean acidification, and will see more in the near
future, the study shows. Communities in southeast and southwest Alaska face the
highest risk from ocean acidification because they rely heavily on fisheries
that are expected to be most affected by ocean acidification, and have
underlying factors that make those communities more vulnerable, like lower
incomes and fewer employment opportunities.
Ocean acidification describes the process of ocean water
becoming more acidic as a result of absorbing a third of atmospheric carbon
dioxide. The study says this change in ocean chemistry is affecting marine life,
particularly the ability of shellfish, corals and small creatures in the early
stages of the food chain to build skeletons or shells.
Studies show that red king crab and tanner crab, two
important Alaskan fisheries, grow more slowly and don’t survive as well in more
acidic waters. Alaska’s coastal waters are particularly vulnerable to ocean
acidification because of cold water that can absorb more carbon dioxide, and
unique ocean circulation patterns, which bring naturally acidic deep ocean
waters to the surface.
The new study is the first published research by the
Synthesis of Arctic Research program, which is supported by an inter-agency
agreement between NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Alaska Region.
“We went beyond the traditional approach of looking at
dollars lost or species impacted; we know these fisheries are lifelines for
native communities and what we’ve learned will help them adapt to a changing
ocean environment,” said the co-lead author of the study, Jeremy Mathis, Ph.D.,
an oceanographer at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, who’s
also the director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and
Ocean Sciences Ocean Acidification Research Center.
The study recommends that residents and stakeholders in
vulnerable regions prepare for this environmental challenge and develop
response strategies that incorporate community values and needs.
In Alaska, the fishing industry supports over 100,000 jobs and
generates more than $5 billion in annual revenue. Fishery-related tourism also
brings in an estimated $300 million annually.
Go to http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079661114001141#
for the full report.