Research project: UK ocean acidification impacts on the surface ocean (UKOARP)

We will advance the study of ocean acidification by collecting more observations of how naturally-occurring ecosystems vary between places where the chemistry of seawater is naturally more acidic, and those where it is naturally more alkaline. By contrasting the two sets of observations, we will gain an improved understanding of how acidification affects organisms living in their natural environment, after natural selection and evolutionary adaptation have had time to play out. Most of the planned work will be carried out on 3 cruises to places with strong gradients in seawater carbon and pH: to the Arctic Ocean, around the British Isles, and to the Southern Ocean. As well a making observations we will also conduct a large number of experiments, in which we will bring volumes of natural seawater from the ocean surface into containers on the deck of the ship, together with whatever life is contained within, and there subject them to higher CO2 and other stressors.

This experimental/observational work project will be led by University of Southampton researchers and carried out by a strong UK-wide team experienced at sea-going research of this type.

This work is part of the UK Ocean Acidification Research Programme: http://www.oceanacidification.org.uk .

Dates: 2011-2014

Funding: NERC , DEFRA , DECC

PI's: Prof Toby Tyrrell , Prof Eric Achterberg , Prof Mark Moore