Capacity Building

A central focus of the OA-ICC is building capacity internationally for scientists to monitor and research ocean acidification. It is essential that every country has local researchers equipped to research how ocean chemistry is changing in their waters and affecting species of importance to their communities. Since 2013, the OA-ICC has provided capacity building opportunities to more than 800 scientists over a hundred member states, with close to 90% of trainees coming from the Global South. Through these efforts, countries are empowered to address ocean acidification and report data to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 14.3.1.

Training courses

The OA-ICC organizes multiple ocean acidification training courses annually based on best practices and methodologies. Courses range in complexity and are tailored to participants’ needs; they can include both teaching theoretical concepts and hands-on training on monitoring and biological research. Participants learn how to avoid common pitfalls and produce high quality data useful for intercomparisons.

Basic training courses provide an entry point to students and scientists new to ocean acidification. Participants learn how to measure and calculate carbonate chemistry parameters, set up relevant experiments to study biological responses to acidification, and follow data management best practices.

Advanced trainings teach students how to design experiments of increased complexity that are needed to inform solutions. Since 2023, the OA-ICC has hosted an annual “Winter School on Ocean Acidification and Multiple Stressors” in Monaco. Students learn how to research the biological impacts of acidification in combination with other environmental pressures, such as ocean warming and deoxygenation, and implement this through a joint laboratory experiment conducted during the course. Research that considers the combined impacts of stressors is crucially needed to inform mitigation and adaption strategies. These courses are organized in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) through its Ocean Acidification and other ocean Changes – Impacts and Solutions (OACIS) initiative.