Passing the keys: ocean acidification monitoring in the Pacific Islands
Wrapping up seven years of ocean acidification monitoring and capacity building in the Pacific Islands.
A community’s ability to monitor and understand the ocean is directly tied to that community’s health and well-being.
Ocean Science Equity‘s goal, as one of The Ocean Foundation’s initiatives, is to tackle unequal access to ocean science. We accomplish this by supporting local experts, establishing regional centers, co-designing and deploying affordable equipment, and providing training.
We are wrapping up seven years of ocean acidification capacity building in the Pacific Islands, which began in 2017. In 2020, a public-private partnership between The Ocean Foundation (TOF) and NOAA established a regional training hub — the Pacific Islands Ocean Acidification Centre (PIOAC).
Pacific Islands Ocean Acidification Centre (PIOAC) and The Ocean Foundation staff.
(Photo by Ocean Science Equity (OSE)
We also continued strengthening our monitoring and research programs. As Ocean Science Equity’s involvement wraps up, we wanted to highlight some successes from the last three months, including:
Distribution of additional GOA-ON in a Box kits to new communities in Kiribati and the Philippines. This increased access to low-cost, easy-to-use equipment in the region.
- TOF worked with manufacturers to tailor the kits according to the specific location needs.
- TOF met with manufacturers at the 2024 Ocean Sciences Meeting to discuss options that would work best for use near dynamic fish farms in the Philippines.
- TOF edited and provided a new total alkalinity equipment unboxing and setup video for kit recipients.
Organized a four-day workshop on pH sensor repair, an essential component of ocean acidification monitoring.
- Kit recipients learned how to repair the sensors without sending them back to the manufacturer (Sunburst Sensors).
- Teaching community members how to repair the sensors themselves reduces downtime and reliance on external repair services.
- Sunburst Sensors staff provided expert training on troubleshooting and repair of the iSAMI pH sensor.
- After the training, local staff said they felt more confident about repairing most of the sensor issues themselves.
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Alexis Valauri-Orton, Dr. Kaitlyn Lowder, & Emily Davenport, The Ocean Foundation, 13 May 2024. Article.
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