Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference

Investigating the vulnerability of nearshore coastal communities in British Columbia to ocean acidification

Ocean acidification and reduced aragonite saturation states have been shown to negatively impact shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels. These shellfish are commercially, socially and culturally important to coastal communities in British Columbia (BC). These organisms occupy nearshore regions, as do aquaculture operations. Ocean acidification may be amplified by a multitude of drivers in these regions. We aim to identify which BC communities are vulnerable to ocean acidification, at the municipality scale, using a multidisciplinary vulnerability assessment. We will use indicators of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity to identify which BC communities are most vulnerable, which, when complete may assist in early and efficient adaptation and mitigation. We aim to produce a fine scale and highly tailored assessment for BC, by using indicators of sensitivity and adaptive capacity that are BC specific. We have collected and will use carbonate data from nearshore shellfish aquaculture sites in the Salish Sea, to provide a more realistic assessment of exposure than would have been achieved using coarse resolution ocean circulation models, which are not able to capture nearshore drivers of carbonate chemistry. Finally, we will compare our initial work with recent assessments in the neighbouring Washington State.