By Daniel de la Calle
»The Georges River Tidewater Association seeks volunteers to monitor acidification in St. George Estuary (Maine).
“GRTA has been developing a monitoring program with assistance from Friends of Casco Bay, the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. GRTA is investing in sampling equipment, but needs citizen volunteers to launch the program this spring. To learn how to participate, come to a meeting Saturday, March 10 at 9 a.m. at Watts Hall, 174 Main St.,Thomaston — starting with refreshments at 8:30 a.m., followed by a presentation by Dr. Curtis Bohlen, Director, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership on The Vital Role for Citizen Scientists in Protecting Our Waters, and an introduction to water monitoring methods and equipment.”
For more Information: Sherry Frazer, phone 354-0709, email [email protected].
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»Starting May 1st 2012, the Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity (NCB) Naturalis has a position available for a PhD student (4 years).
PhD project: Evolution in marine planktonic gastropods:
“As a consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2, the world’s oceans are warming and slowly becoming more acidic. Understanding the implications of these changes for marine organisms and ecosystems is still in its infancy, but recent studies have shown that calcification is one of the physiological processes that is severely impacted. Euthecosomes (shelled holoplanktonic gastropods) have delicate aragonite shells and have been identified as exceptionally vulnerable to rising CO2. It is well-known that intraspecific variation is important for a species adaptive potential, but virtually nothing is known about critical intraspecific genetic or phenotypic variation in this group. For selected species the PhD student will examine intraspecific morphological and molecular variation. Using naturally occurring gradients in the degree of ocean acidification across spatial and temporal scales, he/she will examine vulnerability to ocean acidification, historical population demography, and molecular signatures of selection.”
If interested you must submit your application before April 1st to THIS email address.
Click HERE FOR MORE INFO
»Third Symposium on The Ocean in a High-CO2 World on September 21-24 in Monterey, California.
“Like the first two symposia in this series, the Monterrey symposium is expected to attract many of the world’s leading ocean scientists to discuss the impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms, ecosystems, and biogeochemical cycles, as well as social and economic consequences of ocean acidification. The first three days of the symposium will feature plenary, parallel, and poster sessions that will provide an opportunity for presentations of the latest scientific results and discussions of the state of research in ocean acidification. The fourth day will focus on the policy implications of ocean acidification, starting with a summary of the scientific presentations and continuing with panels of eminent policymakers who will comment on how the science of ocean acidification is impacting policy at national and international levels.
The symposium will cover 16 topics. Ten of the topics will be introduced by plenary presentations and an additional 6 topics will be handled only in parallel sessions. As of now, each of the 16 topics will have its own parallel session, although some topics eventually may be combined, depending on the number of abstracts submitted for each topic. Abstracts may be submitted for any of these 16 topics:
PLENARY PRESENTATION TOPICS
Opening: The history of ocean acidification science
Peter Brewer (United States)
1. Changes in ocean carbonate chemistry since the Industrial Revolution
Richard Zeebe (United States)
2. Rates of change of ocean acidification: Insights from the paleorecord
Daniela Schmidt (United Kingdom)
3. Interactions of ocean acidification with physical climate change
Laurent Bopp (France)
4. Responses of marine organisms and ecosystems to multiple environmental stressors (ocean acidification, hypoxia, temperature, UV, etc.)
Hans-Otto Poertner (Germany)
5. Acclimation and adaption to ocean acidification: Genomics, physiology, and behavior
Gretchen Hofmann (United States)
6. Ecosystem change and resilience in response to ocean acidification
Steve Widdicombe (United Kingdom)
7. Biogeochemical consequences of ocean acidification and feedbacks to the Earth system
Richard Matear (Australia)
8. Understanding the economics of ocean acidification
Luke Brander (Hong Kong, China)
9. Policy and governance in the context of ocean acidification: Implications, solutions, and barriers
Victor Galaz (Sweden)
10. Impacts of ocean acidification on food webs and fisheries
Beth Fulton (Australia)
The Third Symposium on The Ocean in a High-CO2 World is convened by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and the International Geosphere – Biosphere Program”
SOURCE
INFO
on how to take part in it.
»Between July 9th and July 13th “the brightest minds in coral reef science and management will descend upon Australia for the 12th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS 2012) at the Convention Centre in Cairns, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.”
“Reports from the event will focus on topics including the link between climate change, coral bleaching, and ocean acidification; sustaining coral fisheries that support millions worldwide; the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas; and the social and economic benefits of coral reef management.”
MORE INFO AND REGISTRATION
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»UK’s National Science and Engineering Week is taking place until tomorrow, Saturday March 10th, in Bristol. University of Bristol researchers and PhD students have created some interesting tables on the world’s climate and Ocean Acidification:
“Carbon dioxide from fossil fuels is not only causing climate change but also making the oceans more acidic.
Race against your friends to make your water more acidic by blowing through a straw!
Try making sea shells bend and fizz with vinegar.
See how burning candles makes the surface of our “ocean” more acidic.”
PRESS RELEASE
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»Earlier this week we posted about the Global Partnership for Oceans initiative led by the World Bank. This is a video with words from people like Silvia Earle, Costa Rica’s President Laura Chinchilla or UNESCO’s Wendy Watson-Wright, community leaders and marine ecologists that puts images and words to the ideas behind the partnership.
