National Academies Report Released: Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the Committee on the Review of the National Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan; Ocean Studies Board; Division on Earth and Life Sciences; and the National Research Council titled, Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan (2013). The 80-page pre-publication report available free with a one-time registration discusses how,

[t]he world's ocean has already experienced a 30% rise in acidity since the industrial revolution, with acidity expected to rise 100 to 150% over preindustrial levels by the end of this century. Potential consequences to marine life and also to economic activities that depend on a healthy marine ecosystem are difficult to assess and predict, but potentially devastating. To address this knowledge gap, Congress passed the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring (FOARAM) Act in 2009, which, among other things, required that an interagency working group create a "Strategic Plan for Federal Research and Monitoring of Ocean Acidification."

Review of the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Plan reviews the strategic plan on the basis of how well it fulfills program elements laid out in the FOARAM Act and follows the advice provided to the working group in the NRC's 2010 report, Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean. This report concludes that, overall, the plan is strong and provides a comprehensive framework for improving our understanding of ocean acidification. Potential improvements include a better defined strategy for implementing program goals, stronger integration of the seven broad scientific themes laid out in the FOARAM Act, and better mechanisms for coordination among federal agencies and with other U.S. and international efforts to address ocean acidification.

IUCN Report Released: An Ecosystem Approach to Management of Seamounts in the Southern Indian Ocean

This month, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), "the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization," released a three-volume report titled, An Ecosystem Approach to Management of Seamounts in the Southern Indian Ocean (2012). The reports available as a downloadable pdfs are listed below:

• Volume 1: Overview of Seamount Ecosystems and Biodiversity
• Volume 2: Anthropogenic Theats to Seamount Ecosystems and Biodiversity
• Volume 3: Legal and Institutional Gap Analysis

National Academies Report Released: Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice: Challenges and Strategies

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the Committee on the Future of Arctic Sea Ice Research in Support of Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions; Polar Research Board; Division on Earth and Life Studies; and the National Research Council titled, Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice: Challenges and Strategies (2012). The 60-page report is available free with a one-time registration.  According to the abstract,

[r]ecent well documented reductions in the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice cover, which can be linked to the warming climate, are affecting the global climate system and are also affecting the global economic system as marine access to the Arctic region and natural resource development increase. Satellite data show that during each of the past six summers, sea ice cover has shrunk to its smallest in three decades. The composition of the ice is also changing, now containing a higher fraction of thin first-year ice instead of thicker multi-year ice.

Understanding and projecting future sea ice conditions is important to a growing number of stakeholders, including local populations, natural resource industries, fishing communities, commercial shippers, marine tourism operators, national security organizations, regulatory agencies, and the scientific research community. However, gaps in understanding the interactions between Arctic sea ice, oceans, and the atmosphere, along with an increasing rate of change in the nature and quantity of sea ice, is hampering accurate predictions. Although modeling has steadily improved, projections by every major modeling group failed to predict the record breaking drop in summer sea ice extent in September 2012.

Establishing sustained communication between the user, modeling, and observation communities could help reveal gaps in understanding, help balance the needs and expectations of different stakeholders, and ensure that resources are allocated to address the most pressing sea ice data needs. Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice: Challenges and Strategies explores these topics.

Little Fish, Big Impact -- Lenfest Ocean Program

Little Fish, Big Impact an April 2012 report from the Lenfest Ocean Program of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University finds that;

From the Summary
"Forage fish are small to medium-sized species that include anchovies, herring, menhaden, and sardines. Direct catch of forage fish makes up more than one-third of the world’s marine fish catch and has contributed to the collapse of some forage fish populations. In the most comprehensive global analysis of forage fish management to date, the Task Force found that conventional management can be risky for forage fish because it does not adequately account for their wide population swings and high catchability. It also fails to capture the critical role of forage fish as food for marine mammals, seabirds, and commercially important fish such as tuna, salmon, and cod. The report recommends cutting catch rates in half in many ecosystems and doubling the minimum biomass of forage fish that must be left in the water, compared to conventional management targets. Even more stringent measures are advised when important biological information is missing."

Annual OSPAR report on dumping of wastes or other matter at sea in 2009 -- OSPAR

Annual OSPAR report on dumping of wastes or other matter at sea in 2009

The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the “OSPAR Convention”) was opened for signature at the Ministerial Meeting of the former Oslo and Paris Commissions in Paris on 22 September 1992. The Convention entered into force on 25 March 1998. It has been ratified by Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom and approved by the European Union and Spain.

Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource -- DOE

This Department of Energy report Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resourcedated 2011 was prepared by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), with support and data validation from researchers at Virginia Tech and DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

"The report describes the methods used to produce geospatial data and to map the average annual and monthly significant wave height, wave energy period, mean direction, and wave power density in the coastal United States. NREL incorporated the data into a new marine and hydrokinetic energy section in their U.S. Renewable Resource atlas.

In addition to the wave and tidal resource assessments released today, DOE plans to release additional resource assessments for ocean current, ocean thermal gradients, and new hydropower resources in 2012. To support the development of technologies that can tap into these vast water power resources, DOE's Water Power Program is undertaking a detailed technical and economic assessment of a wide range of water power technologies in order to more accurately predict the opportunities and costs of developing and deploying these innovative technologies. The Program is currently sponsoring over 40 demonstration projects that will advance the commercial readiness of these systems, provide first-of-a-kind, in-water performance data that will validate cost-of-energy predictions, and identify pathways for large cost reductions.

These resource assessments, techno-economic assessments, and technology demonstration projects are critical elements of DOE's strategy to capture the very real opportunities associated with water power development, and to further define the path to supplying 15% of the nation's electricity through water power technologies."

IUCN/NRDC Workshop to Identify Areas of Ecological and Biological Significance or Vulnerability in the Arctic Marine Environment

This report from the IUCN and the NRDC states taht "Human activity is expanding in the Arctic marine environment, in part due to warming ocean temperatures and the dramatic loss of summer sea ice. New and expanding human uses include fishing, shipping and offshore oil and gas development. All have the potential to place major additional stress on ocean ecosystems which are already undergoing profound change related to warming, sea ice loss, and alterations in ocean chemistry.

Because activities conducted in one nation's waters can affect other parts of the region, effective management of some human uses in the Arctic marine environment will require international cooperation. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in conjunction with other international agreements and national laws and regulations, provides a general legal foundation.

However, new rules may be necessary to protect the Arctic marine environment. Examples of possible areas of international cooperation include: development of new standards for Arctic marine shipping, regulation of new or expanding Arctic fisheries, rules to protect the environment in the course of natural resource development, stricter regulation of Arctic tourism, mechanisms to assess and manage the cumulative impacts of multiple activities affecting the same ecosystems, and procedures for the establishment of representative networks of protected marine areas..."

A National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Energy Industry in the United States -- DOE

This report (DOE/GO-102011 -2988), dated February 2011, was prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Wind and Water Power Program to outline the actions it will pursue to support the development of a world‐class offshore wind industry in the United States.

This National Offshore Wind Strategy will guide DOE as it expands its ongoing efforts through the Offshore Wind Innovation and Demonstration (OSWInD) initiative to promote and accelerate responsible commercial offshore wind development in the U.S. in both federal and state waters.

11th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Our Changing Oceans

NCSE utilizes a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach to convene involved scientists and decision-makers from various sectors of society. Conferences include renowned speakers, topical symposia to explore issues more in depth, and breakout sessions to develop a set of recommendations on how to advance science and connect it to policy and decision-making.

Our Changing Oceans is divided into eight themes, each with several breakout sessions and symposia.

January 19-21, 2011 in Washington, DC.
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

11th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Our Changing Oceans

The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) presents the 11th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Our Changing Oceans on January 19-21, 2011 in Washington, DC. Our Changing Oceans will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

This year, the conference will provide a forum to address the crisis facing our oceans, new knowledge and innovative tools to address the challenge, and the policy and governance needed to restore and protect the oceans.

Our Changing Oceans will bring together scientists, professionals, policy makers, university faculty and students, and educated citizens from a wide range of disciplines to share their perspectives and work to address the topic at hand.

NCSE utilizes a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral approach to convene involved scientists and decision-makers from various sectors of society. Our conferences include renowned speakers, topical symposia to explore issues more in depth, and breakout sessions to develop a set of recommendations on how to advance science and connect it to policy and decision-making.

Our Changing Oceans is divided into eight themes, each with several breakout sessions and symposia.

25th Annual International Coastal Cleanup

Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup engages people to remove trash and debris from the world's beaches and waterways, identify the sources of debris, and change the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place. Join us this September 25: Sign up for a Cleanup near you and get involved today!

Extinction: It’s Not Just for Polar Bears -- Report

This Report produced by the Center for Biological Diversity and Care for the Wild International offers a dramatic look at Arctic species being pushed toward extinction by rapid climate change. Extinction: It’s Not Just for Polar Bears documents 17 Arctic animals, from Arctic foxes to whales to plankton, struggling to survive the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

Scientific Assessment of Hypoxia in U.S. Coastal Waters

This Report dated September 2010 and prepared by the Interagency Working Group
on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Human Health finds that Hypoxia is a major contributor to the decline of coastal water quality observed in recent decades,
and its extent has been expanding.

It is part of the broader issue of nutrient-driven eutrophication. Eutrophication is also linked to increased HABs, loss of seagrasses, and other impacts on coastal ecosystems. For eutrophic ecosystems, concerted and coupled research and management efforts, along with stakeholder support, will be needed to rigorously identify, quantify, and implement nutrient reduction strategies that are effective and achievable. Knowledge gained will be important for developing forecasts of the extent and severity of low dissolved oxygen, which will help managers mitigate the impacts of hypoxia.

Troubled Waters: Massive Coral Bleaching in Indonesia

A report from the Wildlife Conservation Society shows a dramatic rise in the surface temperature of Indonesian waters has resulted in a large-scale bleaching event that has devastated local coral populations. Following a report of a bleaching incident in May, WCS-Indonesia dispatched a “Rapid Response Unit” of marine biologists to investigate. Their initial survey revealed that over 60 percent of corals have bleached. The incident took place in the province of Aceh, on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra.

Final Recommendations Of The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force

The White House Council on Environmental Quality issued its Final Recommendations of the Ocean Policy Task Force on July 19, 2010, which would establish a National Policy for the Stewardship of the Ocean, Coasts, and Great Lakes (National Policy) and create a National Ocean Council (NOC) to strengthen ocean governance and coordination.

The Final Recommendations prioritize actions for the NOC to pursue, and call for a flexible framework for coastal and marine spatial planning to address conservation, economic activity, user conflict, and sustainable use of the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes. The NOC would coordinate across the Federal Government to implement the National Policy. The Final Recommendations also call for the establishment of a Governance Coordinating Committee to formally engage with state, tribal, and local authorities, The Final Recommendations [have been] adopted into an Executive Order by President Obama."

Eutrophication: Sources and Drivers of Nutrient Pollution

This Report from the World Resources Institute dated June 2009 argues that nutrient over-enrichment of freshwater and coastal ecosystems, or eutrophication, is a rapidly growing environmental crisis.

Worldwide, the number of coastal areas impacted by eutrophication stands at over 500. In coastal areas, occurrences of dead zones, which are caused by eutrophic conditions, have increased from 10 documented cases in 1960 to 405 documented cases in 2008. In addition, many of the world’s freshwater lakes, streams, and reservoirs suffer from eutrophication; in the United States, eutrophication is thought to be the primary cause of freshwater impairment. Many of our largest freshwater lakes are entrophic, including Lake Erie (United States), Lake Victoria (Tanzania/Uganda/Kenya), and Tai Lake (China).

The increase in eutrophication is the result of human activities. Major sources of nutrients to freshwater and coastal ecosystems include wastewater, agriculture, and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen from burning fossil fuels.

Investing in Our Future: The Economic Case for Rebuilding Mid-Atlantic Fish Populations

This report by the Pew Trust Environmental Group prepared by John M. Gates dated 2009 provides a new analysis of the potential economic benefits of rebuilding depleted fish populations in the Mid-Atlantic. The study estimates direct economic benefits by comparing status quo management scenarios with scenarios where populations would have been rebuilt by 2007.

For both commercial and recreational fishing sectors, rebuilding populations of black
sea bass, bluefish, butterfish and summer flounder by 2007 would have generated an
additional $570 million per year in perpetuity in direct economic benefits.

Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), produced this report that discusses the impacts of sea-level rise on the physical characteristics of the coast, on coastal communities, and the habitats that depend on them. The report also examines multiple opportunities for governments and coastal communities to plan for and adapt to rising sea levels.

ENERGYOCEAN 2009

EnergyOcean is the world’s leading conference and exhibition focused on renewable ocean energy. Technologists, financiers and policymakers from around the world gather at this event to learn of the opportunities, challenges and solutions in this industry. Hear more than 60 expert presentations and network with industry leaders by attending and exhibiting at EnergyOcean 2009. The event takes place in Rockport, Maine June 16-18, 2009.

Climate Change and Water

This Technical Paper by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) dated June 2008 sets forth the potential impact of climate change on the world's water resources; including glaciers, rain water, surface water and oceans.