CICOR to Host Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Workshop

The Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR) at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Conservation International, NOAA/NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Boston University Marine Program are hosting a workshop for scientists and managers from NOAA, the U.S. academic community and developing countries entitled Recipes for Adaptation: Marine Management Under Climate Change and Ocean Acidification to be held in Washington, D.C. on 18-19 May 2009.

Background: While there is a growing body of knowledge on climate change and ocean acidification on marine systems, it is becoming clear that the standard tools of marine management - stock assessments, MPAs (Marine Protected Areas), ecosystem models, Coastal Zone Management approaches - were not designed to deal with large-scale changes in the fundamental aspects of ecosystem structure and function caused by climate change and ocean acidification. Effective management of marine resources now requires that we update current approaches and begin to develop new marine management axioms. This need for new approaches is the focus of the workshop. Specifically, it will address: (1) how will climate change and ocean acidification impact the ability of existing management tools/systems to be effective?(2) what are the specific limitations of existing marine management systems for addressing climate change and ocean acidification issues?(3) what models or other tools are currently available to be used in management? (4) what do these approaches have to offer and where are they lacking? and (5) what is needed in the future to allow for marine managers to consider the effects of climate change and ocean acidification in their decisions?

Significance: This workshop will provide a unique, focused, and much needed opportunity for marine managers building and using marine management tools, marine climate change modelers, and experts on the socio-economic effects of marine management to address these questions together. This activity supports NOAA Mission Goal 1 - Protect, Restore, and Manage the Use of Coastal and Ocean Resources; and NOAA Mission Goal 2 - Understand Climate Variability and Change to Enhance Society's Ability to Plan and Respond.