Exploring Our Changing Ocean
Impacts and Response to Ocean Acidification in the u.s.A.
The ocean has absorbed approximately 90% of excess heat and 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere by humans. This increased carbon pollution has consequences for our ocean.
Working together, the OA Alliance, Aquarium Conservation Partnership and NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program are advancing communications about climate-ocean changes occurring regionally in the U.S. by presenting localized information on unique impacts, responses, and calls to action taking shape across the country.
By regionalizing information and storytelling, “Exploring Our Changing Ocean: Impacts and Response to OA” is supporting education, outreach and calls to action that associated aquarium partners and science institutions can utilize across their larger climate change narratives and outreach efforts.
Project Partners
The Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) is a coalition of U.S. aquariums working to conserve our ocean and freshwater ecosystems and committed to sustainable practices. As trusted, science-backed institutions that welcome millions of visitors each year, aquariums are uniquely positioned to engage the public in conservation. With an equity lens, ACP leverages the collective resources of member institutions across the United States to mobilize audiences, advocate for policy change, and advance conservation at the local, state, and national levels.
Collectively, 27 members in 20 states welcome over 25 million visitors a year. ACP aquariums help advance federal and state conservation policies, mobilize thousands of visitors and online audience members to take action, and demonstrate our commitment to conservation in our business practices.
NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program seeks to better prepare society to respond to changing ocean conditions and resources by expanding understanding of ocean acidification, through interdisciplinary partnerships, nationally and internationally. Ocean acidification is occurring because our ocean is absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, leading to lower pH and greater acidity. This is causing a fundamental change in the chemistry of the ocean from pole to pole.
With a membership representing nearly 300 million people and 366,414 kilometers of coastline, the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance) brings together governments and organizations from across the globe dedicated to taking urgent action to protect coastal communities and livelihoods from the threat of ocean acidification and other climate- ocean impacts.
More than 130 members across 22 countries represent a diversity of national, state, municipal, and sovereign tribal, indigenous, and First Nation governments along with many dedicated affiliate partners like NGOs, seafood industry leaders, and local academia.
Regional Story Maps
The project includes the development of six interactive StoryMaps showcasing relevant ocean acidification trends, science activities, stakeholder engagements and policy responses taking place across regions where NOAA supports U.S. Coastal Acidification Networks (“CANs”). The six regional NOAA CANs include activities in Alaska, California Current, North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic and the Gulf.
An overview of climate-ocean change, including the causes of ocean acidification (OA).
Synopsis of OA trends and potential impacts to marine species, ecosystems, and human communities most at risk.
Highlight reel of activities and policies occurring within the region to better understand and respond to OA and climate-ocean change. This includes leadership and examples from state government, seafood growers, Tribal government, Port/ municipalities, and community members.
Proposed “calls to action” that can be taken by an individual.
An Interactive map of the United States, indicating where relevant ACP member Aquariums are located.
Each Regional StoryMap Includes
Project Goals
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Aquariums serve tens of millions of people every year. A targeted project about ocean acidification strengthens aquariums' approach to place-based storytelling about the importance of addressing climate change in communities they serve.
The project supports a key goal and objective of all project partners: to increase communication about the impacts of carbon emissions on the ocean and coastal environments we love and the marine resources that we depend on.
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This project aims to increase the reach and impact of OA communications with visitors of U.S. Aquariums and Marine Learning Centers.
Audiences for OA science, impacts, and response actions have traditionally been academics, government leaders, and seafood growers.
While all of these audiences could be engaged with the StoryMaps, this project aims to increase the reach and impact of OA communications with the public.
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In the face of climate change, we have a collective responsibility to protect our planet and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.
The regional Story Maps offer detailed personal calls to action.
This helps move OA activities from science to action taking.
Primary audiences
The primary audience for this project are visitors to U.S. aquariums or marine learning centers.
However, we hope that project partners will feel encouraged to share the StoryMaps and associated materials with other channels and networks. This might include schools and educators, community non-profit groups, conservation organizations or international climate leadership fora.
We hope that entities highlighted across the regional StoryMaps (like federal government partners, city governments, and elected leaders) will feel empowered to share the StoryMaps as resources for their various constituencies and partners.
Desired Uses
We hope that participating aquaria and marine leaning centers will share the StoryMaps as displays and exhibits.
This could be accomplished by posting flyers, banners, interactive signs with scan codes or website addresses linking to the relevant StoryMap. Institutions could also use interactive touch screens to display and offer the StoryMap content to visitors.
Scan codes and website addresses can also be posted on various flyers, pamphlets or collateral created for the project or affixed to associated materials that partner institutions are distributing.
Additionally, the collection of StoryMaps will be shared on project partner websites (OA Alliance, ACP, NOAA OAP) and we encourage partners to link and share the collection or relevant regional StoryMap on their own websites or social media platforms.
If you are interested in displaying the StoryMaps across your own organizations’ relevant channels, please reach out to:
Jessie Turner. Jturner@unfoundation.org
U.S. COASTAL ACIDIFICATION NETWORKS AND ACP MEMBERS ENGAGED:
The Northeast Coastal Acidification Network (NECAN) works in the coastal waters of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Regional ACP members:
New England Aquarium (Boston, MA)
Mystic Aquarium (Mystic, CT)
The Maritime Aquarium (Norwalk, CT)
The Southeastern Coastal Acidification Network (SOCAN) oversees the coastline from North Carolina to the western coastline of the Florida peninsula. The member states are North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Regional ACP aquariums:
North Carolina Aquariums (Fort Fisher, Roanoke, Pine Knoll Shores, Jenette’s Pier)
South Carolina Aquarium (Charleston, SC)
Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA)
The California Current Acidification Network (C-CAN) oversees the coastline of the U.S. West Coast from California to Washington.
Regional ACP aquariums:
Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (San Diego, CA)
Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach, CA)
Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, CA)
California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium (San Francisco, CA)
Oregon Coast Aquarium (Newport, OR)
Seattle Aquarium (Seattle, WA)
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (Tacoma, WA)
The Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN) covers the coastline and waters from South of Long Island to the southern edge of the Virginia coastline. Member states include New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.
Regional ACP aquariums:
Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium (New York, NY)
National Aquarium (Baltimore, MD)
Virginia Marine Science Center and Aquarium (Virginia Beach, VA)
The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Acidification Network (GCAN) manages the coastlines of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Regional ACP aquariums:
Audubon Aquarium of Americas (New Orleans, LA)
The Florida Aquarium (Tampa, FL)
Shedd Aquarium (Chicago, IL)
Potential new members – Mississippi Aquarium, Texas State Aquarium
The Alaska Ocean Acidification Network was formed in 2016 with the mission of engaging with scientists and stakeholders to expand the understanding of ocean acidification processes and consequences in Alaska, as well as potential adaptation strategies.
Regional ACP aquarium:
Alaska SeaLife Center (Seward, AK)
PROJECT CITaTiON:
“Exploring Our Changing Ocean: Impacts and Response to Ocean Acidification in the U.S.A 2023. A collaborative OA communications project between the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, the OA Alliance, and NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program.”
Accessed here: https://www.oaalliance.org/exploring-our-changing-ocean