Co-Convenors:
Li-Qi Chen (China)
Fei Chai (USA)
Kitack Lee (Korea)
Toru Suzuki (Japan)
Invited Speakers:
Richard Bellerby (SKLEC-NIVA Centre for Marine and Coastal Climate Research,
East China Normal University, China)
Richard Feely (NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, USA)
Kunshan Gao (Xiamen University, China)
Ja-Myung Kim (Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea)
Ocean acidification (OA) in the 21st century has reached levels not seen for 55 million years. The average surface pH of the world ocean has decreased by 0.1 since the industrial revolution and is projected to decrease 0.3 to 0.4 pH by the end of this century, an up to 2.5 times increase in ocean acidity. Due to its cold water temperature, low alkalinity and rapid loss of sea-ice, the subarctic Pacific Ocean and adjacent Arctic Ocean have absorbed large amounts of atmospheric CO2 and have changed the CaCO3 system so that aragonite unsaturated states have appeared or will appear soon on a large scale. OA in the subarctic Pacific Ocean will greatly change the marine chemical environment with far-reaching effect on marine ecosystems. This session will include a review of observations and research on OA and will consider the potential for development of an OA observation network. Main discussion issues are 1) advances in investigations and research in OA in the North Pacific and adjacent areas of the Arctic Ocean, 2) the role of the North Pacific and the Pacific Arctic regions in GOA-ON (Global Ocean Acidification Observation Networks) and AMAP-AOA (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program-Arctic Ocean Acidification) and 3) the exchange of data and involvement of early career scientists interested in OA.