Paving a path for the shellfish industry to adapt to ocean acidification
Presentation Abstract
Our primary objective is to evaluate the vulnerability and adaptation pathways of shellfish dependent stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to the hazard of ocean acidification (OA). We are developing an interactive, web-based geovisualization tool to map shellfish stakeholders’: 1) current and future exposure to OA, 2) socio-economic and cultural sensitivity to OA from dependence on four shellfish species with varied sensitivity to OA, and 3) adaptive capacity to prepare for or avoid harmful consequences of OA. We define exposure as the magnitude and frequency of undersaturated, high pCO2, low pH water - OA “hotspots” - coinciding with shellfish growing areas. To visualize where and when OA hotspots occur, our map includes an interactive time-slider for users to view monthly carbonate chemistry projections from a published model output of the California Current through 2050. Our map adds meaning to these model outputs by allowing users to filter the data view by locations where carbonate chemistry exceeds a selected shellfish species’ growth response threshold at larval or juvenile/adult stages. Growth responses to OA at different life stages were determined from previously published data on four commercially important species (C. gigas, O. lurida, M. californianus, and M. galloprovincialis). By representing physical projections relative to biological thresholds, our geovisualization tool enables OA exposure analyses that can identify the number of months an area’s chemistry exceeds a species’ threshold (magnitude) and how often in a given period (frequency). Ongoing and future work on the geovisualization tool includes mapping PNW sensitivity and adaptive capacity, as well as incorporating a bioeconomic model that identifies potential adaptation pathways and the costs associated with different management scenarios under intensifying OA conditions. Our map aims to assist shellfish stakeholders in making long-term management decisions most conducive to their local degree of vulnerability and adaptive capacity.
Session Title
Posters: Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, & Research
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-3
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Ocean acidification--Risk assessment--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Ecological mapping--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Shellfish trade--Economic aspects--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Paving a path for the shellfish industry to adapt to ocean acidification
Our primary objective is to evaluate the vulnerability and adaptation pathways of shellfish dependent stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to the hazard of ocean acidification (OA). We are developing an interactive, web-based geovisualization tool to map shellfish stakeholders’: 1) current and future exposure to OA, 2) socio-economic and cultural sensitivity to OA from dependence on four shellfish species with varied sensitivity to OA, and 3) adaptive capacity to prepare for or avoid harmful consequences of OA. We define exposure as the magnitude and frequency of undersaturated, high pCO2, low pH water - OA “hotspots” - coinciding with shellfish growing areas. To visualize where and when OA hotspots occur, our map includes an interactive time-slider for users to view monthly carbonate chemistry projections from a published model output of the California Current through 2050. Our map adds meaning to these model outputs by allowing users to filter the data view by locations where carbonate chemistry exceeds a selected shellfish species’ growth response threshold at larval or juvenile/adult stages. Growth responses to OA at different life stages were determined from previously published data on four commercially important species (C. gigas, O. lurida, M. californianus, and M. galloprovincialis). By representing physical projections relative to biological thresholds, our geovisualization tool enables OA exposure analyses that can identify the number of months an area’s chemistry exceeds a species’ threshold (magnitude) and how often in a given period (frequency). Ongoing and future work on the geovisualization tool includes mapping PNW sensitivity and adaptive capacity, as well as incorporating a bioeconomic model that identifies potential adaptation pathways and the costs associated with different management scenarios under intensifying OA conditions. Our map aims to assist shellfish stakeholders in making long-term management decisions most conducive to their local degree of vulnerability and adaptive capacity.
