Chesapeake Bay Acidification
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9
Charge Question D – What are the current sources of data and scientific information that could help
characterize acidification dynamics in Chesapeake Bay?
Although there is a rich history of environmental research in Chesapeake Bay, relatively little attention
has been paid specifically to the carbonate system. Despite the lack of coordinated and systematic study
of carbonate chemistry of the Bay, there is an extensive biogeochemical literature describing processes
and mechanisms that will be critical for understanding the nature of coastal ocean acidification in this
system. For example, there are studies of sulfate reduction in the Bay and Bay tributaries, estuarine
primary productivity, and the distributions of phytoplankton biomass, seagrass beds, and tidal marshes, all
of which can provide insights on the potential drivers of carbonate dynamics in the Bay. An extensive
review of the biogeochemical, ecosystem ecology and ecosystem metabolism in Chesapeake Bay is a
necessary initial step toward understanding the processes that influence acidification in this system.
Given the widespread and ongoing research and monitoring taking place in Chesapeake Bay, there are
extensive opportunities for adding observations and measurements aimed at characterizing the dynamics
and mechanistic drivers of Bay carbonate chemistry and coastal acidification. Additional observations and
research efforts could leverage Chesapeake Bay’s existing infrastructure and monitoring programs (e.g.,
existing water quality stations, water quality and oceanographic cruises), thereby rapidly increasing our
knowledge about coastal acidification at regional and local scales. These extensive technological assets,
observing opportunities (buoys, cruises, shore-based), and research facilities and programs make
Chesapeake Bay an especially attractive system in which to advance the study of coastal acidification. As
the nation’s largest estuary, Chesapeake Bay is an extremely important ecosystem that contains and
sustains a remarkable diversity of natural, commercial, and recreational resources.
Below is a sampling of some of the programs and institutions that actively conduct environmental
monitoring in and around Chesapeake Bay, typically through coordinated observing networks. These and
other active research and observing programs in the region provide a rich opportunity for partnership and
collaboration.
At the federal level, NOAA provides the most comprehensive network of oceanographic observations in
the US. NOAA does research and collects extensive ocean acidification measurements across much of the
US via the Ocean Acidification Program and associated regional laboratories, such as the Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) and the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
(AOML). NOAA also founded and leads the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON),
whose charge is to: 1)
Improve our understanding of global ocean acidification (OA) conditions, 2)
Improve our understanding of ecosystem response to OA, and 3) Acquire and exchange the data and
knowledge necessary to optimize modeling for OA and its impacts. NOAA’s ocean acidification
observations are collected via a combination of mooring-based instruments, float and pier-based
instruments, and coordinated oceanographic cruises. NOAA maintains a series of data portals for ocean
acidification that are web-based and available to the public.
U.S. IOOS is an operational system and a network of government, industry, academia, NGO and other
partners responsible for regional observations, data management, modeling and analysis, education and
outreach, and research and development. The overarching purpose of IOOS is to address regional and
national needs for ocean data and information. IOOS is comprised of eleven Regional Associations
(RAs), which guide development of, and stakeholder input to, regional observing activities. The RAs
serve the nation’s coastal communities, including the Great Lakes, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands
and territories. ”Today the
U.S. IOOS has a mandate to lead the integration of ocean, coastal, and Great
Lakes observing capabilities, in collaboration with Federal and non-Federal partners, to maximize access
to data and generation of information products, inform decision making, and promote economic,
environmental, and social benefits to our nation and the world
IOOS”
). In the United
