Basic Training Course on Multiple Stressors and Ocean Acidification

Human health and well-being are closely linked to the ocean and the many goods and services it provides. However, the ocean is under cumulative stress from a range of human-driven pressures. The impact of multiple ocean stressors together and their interplay on marine life and ecosystem function is not well understood, yet it is central to mitigate the negative effects they cause and/or to support adaptation strategies that might counteract stressors.

To date, studies often focus on single species or groups of organisms and the influence of a single stressor, while information about ecosystem responses to multiple stressors is limited. Innovative science is needed to resolve the complexity of the interplay of stressors and the resulting impacts.

The aim of this course was to train early-career scientists and researchers entering the multiple stressor field with the goal to better understand key concepts (e.g. What is a stressor? What is a mode of action? What is an interaction?), assist them to be able to measure and manipulate seawater physico-chemistry, develop relevant experimental strategies, set up pertinent experiments in the laboratory and in the field, avoid typical pitfalls and ensure comparability with other studies, in a sustainable way.