UKOA scientists compile themed journal issue on OA

26 August 2013

Scientists from the UKOA programme have bought together a collection of new papers on the topic of ocean acidification in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Dr Piero Calosi, from Plymouth University, and Dr Jasmin Godbold, from the University of Southampton, compiled and edited this themed issue entitled “Ocean acidification and climate change: advances in ecology and evolution” and contains contributions from many other UKOA scientists. 

The collection of 9 papers and introductory article provides fresh insights, synthesis reviews and recommendations to help further our understanding and fill knowledge gaps of these highly complex and interrelated issues. Research is presented from a wide range of experimental conditions including time / special scales, location, species and organism life-stages as well as focusing on 3 key knowledge gaps: Species interaction; Biotic mediation of ecosystem function, and Capacity for buffering and adaption.

Key recommendations include: the incorporation of seasonal processes and multi-generation studies; combining results from laboratory experiments with natural environment studies to provide a more holistic view of the likely consequences of climate change; move to more multi-stressor studies to include stressors such as warming, pollution, overexploitation, and increased consideration of evolutionary adaptation.

The contributions and recommendations within this issue will advance the knowledge base of the likely consequences of OA and warming, which will be important in developing and implementation management and conservation strategies.