Skip to main content Skip to footer unit links

News and Events

Image of crab
| Publications

No “Safe Space” for 12 key ocean species on North American West Coast

For the generations who grew up watching Finding Nemo, it might not come as a surprise that the West Coast has our own version of the underwater ocean highway – the California Current marine ecosystem (CCME). New research led by Dr. Jennifer Sunday from McGill University and Dr. Terrie Klinger from the Washington Ocean Acidification Center within EarthLab at the University of Washington warns that climate impacts will significantly affect twelve economically and culturally important species home to the CCME over the next 80 years.

| Events

UN Ocean Conference Side Event | “Ocean Acidification: Co-designing data connections to underserved communities for equitable outcomes”

The University of Washington’s Washington Ocean Acidification Center and Ocean Nexus Center are hosting a side event “Ocean Acidification: Co-designing data connections to underserved communities for equitable outcomes” during the United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 30th, 2022. The event will highlight successful partnerships with Indigenous, Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and other underserved communities on co-designing activities for adaptation and response strategies.

A fish, the pacific herring.
| Publications

Pacific herring, an important food source for salmon, show sensitivity to marine heatwaves

Pacific herring are known as one of the ‘great fishes of the North Pacific Ocean’ as they are inextricably connected via complex food webs and overlapping habitats with Pacific salmon species, such as Chinook and Coho, sea lions and orcas. Despite the importance of Pacific herring, the consequences of climate change and ocean acidification on this species remain poorly understood. The Washington Ocean Acidification Center (WOAC) would like to change that. WOAC postdoctoral researcher Chris Murray is the lead author on a new paper, which investigated how Pacific herring respond to the co-occurring stressors of high temperatures and increased levels of CO2. The paper was published in the Journal of Experimental Biology on March 10, 2022

A graphic showing that ocean acidification leads to increased CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere where shellfish are on the seafloor.
| In the News

KING 5: Salish Sea providing a ‘window’ into the future of ocean acidification

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is currently studying whether crabs could be impacted by ocean acidification, a process some scientists say Puget Sound is particularly susceptible to. Alex Gagnon, a researcher with the Washington Ocean Acidification Center, discusses the science behind greenhouse gasses, ocean acidification and the important crab industry in Washington state.

A graphic with a photo of Chris Murray with a WOAC frame.
| In the News

Researcher Profile: Chris Murray

Washington Ocean Acidification Center postdoc Chris Murray was featured in Current Tidings, a newsletter from the Shannon Point Marine Center at Western Washington University.

A graphic showing maps of the temperature, oxygen, ph, co2 and other minerals in the East Pacific.
| Publications

New model developed to predict impact of climate-driven changes to the California Current System

Increased carbon emissions have warmed and acidified oceans and caused shifts in ocean current systems, threatening marine ecosystems and the people connected to them. The North Pacific Ocean in particular is expected to experience some of the largest changes in ocean conditions by 2100. Until now, little was known about how coastal processes—those oceanic processes that occur near the coast—can modify these projections.

A screenshot of a video about the WOAC with the R/V Rachel Carson.
| In the News

VIDEO: WOAC and partners profiled in AGU Thought Leadership Series

This year, the Washington Ocean Acidification Center was selected to be included in the AGU Thought Leadership Series, which profiles the work and research of urgent environmental issues. We were selected due to the desire to spotlight centers that are “working against the clock” to alleviate ocean acidification.

A series of photos of a pteropod shell dissolving in acidic seawater.
| In the News

Rate Of Ocean Acidification May Accelerate, Scientists Warn

Last summer, scientists met at the University of Washington to address alarming findings concerning the rapid acidification of the world’s oceans. Experts at that symposium warned that wildlife in the Salish Sea, from salmon to shellfish, may start to see significant effects from changing water chemistry within the next 10 to 20 years. 

A screenshot of a video featuring half submerged oysters.
| Case Study, Oysters, LiveOcean

Washington Leads: Connecting Ocean Acidification Research To People Who Need It Most

At the helm of EarthLab’s Washington Ocean Acidification Center are two experienced ocean scientists, but what they are trying to do is something entirely new. Terrie Klinger and Jan Newton are Salish Sea experts – one an ecologist, one an oceanographer – and they are addressing one of the biggest emerging threats to our environment today, ocean acidification. 

Back to Top