December 16, 2014

UW-made tool displays West Coast ocean acidification data, Prof. Jan Newton Quoted

Increasing carbon dioxide in the air penetrates into the ocean and makes it more acidic, while robbing seawater of minerals that give shellfish their crunch. The West Coast is one of the first marine ecosystems to feel the effects.

A new tool doesn’t alter that reality, but it does allow scientists to better understand what’s happening and provide data to help the shellfish industry adapt to these changes.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week announced the launch of the IOOS (Integrated Ocean Observing System) Pacific Region Ocean Acidification Data Portal, a go-to source for ocean acidification data along the West Coast. A University of Washington researcher led the collaborative effort.