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Date Permissions Signed

5-18-2018

Date of Award

Spring 2018

Document Type

Masters Field Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Environmental Studies

First Advisor

Abel, Troy D.

Second Advisor

Laninga, Tamara Jean

Abstract

Fragmented Ocean Acidification (OA) data and collaboration efforts between disciplines and stakeholders for the Salish Sea are barriers to a more effective transboundary ecosystem understanding and governance. While there are presently efforts to research and monitor OA, there is a significant gap of coordinated efforts throughout the entire Sea, especially around OA biological indicators. To help bridge the gaps and increase collaborative resources, I conducted an exploratory case study of OA data mapping for the changing Salish Sea. For this project, I addressed the following research questions. First, what are the most informative ecological indicators to discern critical climate risk trends from OA? Second, how can OA indicators in the Salish Sea efficiently be mapped? Through a multi-iterative process of semi-structured interviews, online survey, analytic deliberation, and participant observations from the 2018 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference, I developed an OA online prototype story map. Unexpectedly, I found that transboundary data was unavailable and there was a surprising lack of collaboration between US and Canadian institutions and individuals. Therefore, this project has also evolved to focus on the stark differences in perceptions of collaboration, governance, and transboundary barriers in the Salish Sea. Due to this project evolution, I have additionally developed five prescriptions to address these barriers and address collaboration around OA in the Salish Sea: 1. Develop a Research Coordination Network (RCN) for the Salish Sea 2. Create a Transdisciplinary Framework with Governance Indicators for the Salish Sea 3. Expand Prototype Map with Shared Data

Type

Text

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25710/pcba-qg30

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1037019479

Subject – LCSH

Ocean acidification--Research--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Case studies; Ocean acidification--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--International cooperation--Case studies; Environmental monitoring--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--International cooperation--Case studies

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Environmental conditions

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

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