Guide To Best Practices For Ocean Acidification Research And Data Reporting

The ocean presently takes up one-fourth of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere by human activities, thereby increasing ocean acidity. While our understanding of the possible consequences of ocean acidification is still rudimentary, both the scientific community and the society at large are increasingly concerned about the potential risks associated with ocean acidification for marine organisms and ecosystems. The number of scientists involved in ocean acidification research grew rapidly over the past few years and will continue to rise with the launch of new coordinated national programmes. Students, young researchers, and established scientists inexperienced with the intricacies of the seawater carbonate chemistry and perturbation experiments will enter the field and will benefit from guidelines and standards for ocean acidification research. The European Project on OCean Acidification (EPOCA) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) initiated the process that led, after an open community review, to the production of this guide.