Webinar on Ocean Acidification

Commercial crab fishing is at risk from ocean acidification.\Photo courtesy of California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

The Audubon Society of Lincoln City hosts a webinar on “Our Imperiled Sea: Combating Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia” on Tuesday, April 26, 6:30-7:30 p.m. The speaker will be Charlotte Whitefield, Ocean Acidification Assistant Project Leader with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).

Dr. Whitefield will discuss how climate change is affecting our ocean environment, sharing examples of climate change effects on our ocean and what we can do about them. These changes not only threaten the ecological balance of marine life, but also put our food supply and many livelihoods at risk. Lincoln City Audubon, in partnership with Oregon Coast Community College, offers this webinar to examine climate-induced changes to ocean water quality, known as ocean acidification and hypoxia.

Oregon was one of the first places in the world where scientists observed ocean acidification, evidenced by weakened shells in the shellfish growing industry. Low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, compound the problem. Since 2006, combatting Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia (OAH) has become a central issue in Oregon’s climate and ocean management planning. Responding to the increasing awareness and severity of OAH events, the Governor and state legislators have made investments in Oregon’s future by establishing the Oregon OAH Coordinating Council and committing to the Oregon OAH Action Plan. 

Charlotte Whitefield is ODFW’s first dedicated OAH staff member, supporting the state’s OAH Council for the past four years. Before coming to ODFW, Whitefield was a NOAA Knauss Fellow in Washington, D.C., working for Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski on her Oceans Caucus, Arctic Caucus, and ocean acidification initiatives. Whitehead received her master’s degree from University of New England, Maine, and her Ph.D. from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where she studied sea cucumber aquaculture. 

Register here for this webinar.