Dynamics of Ocean and Coastal Acidification in Coastal Maine: Assessing the Potential Risks to Livelihoods and the Economic Opportunities for Adapting to and Mitigating Acidification

Principal Investigator: Aaron Strong (Marine Sciences, UMaine)

Partners: Damian Brady (Marine Sciences, Sea Grant, UMaine); Esperanza Stancioff (UMaine Extension, Maine Sea Grant, UMaine)

Abstract: Ocean and coastal acidification (OCA) is an emergent, potential threat to the communities and livelihoods of coastal Mainers. Building on the work of a recent state commission’s study of the problem, we propose to convene a multi-disciplinary group of interested social and natural science researchers to develop and advance a comprehensive, applied research agenda focused on OCA in Maine. Specifically, the goal of this meeting is to produce an NSF Coupled Natural-Human Systems grant proposal that will focus on both advancing modeling and coastal monitoring to gain key insights into the dynamics of OCA, and increasing the resilience of aquaculture and fisheries to OCA in Maine.