AMAP releases Arctic Ocean Acidification Overview Report

The Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) working group has released its Arctic Ocean Acidification Overview Report. The Report introduces the issue of ocean acidification and presents the results of AMAP’s Arctic Ocean Acidification assessment for a general audience and high school level educational use. The report provides a high level overview of Arctic Ocean Acidification along with the results of the 2013 Arctic Council assessment.

AMAP delivered the Arctic Ocean Acidification assessment, its first comprehensive assessment of ocean acidification in the Arctic region, at its 2013 scientific conference. The assessment, technical background documentation, and a film on Arctic Ocean acidification were released. A policy-makers summary with recommendations was presented to Arctic Council Ministers at the May 2013 meeting in Kiruna.

The assessment found that the Arctic Ocean is rapidly accumulating carbon dioxide (CO2) leading to increased ocean acidification – a long-term decline in seawater pH. This ongoing change impacts Arctic marine ecosystems that are already affected by rising temperatures and melting sea ice.

Arctic Ocean acidification has the potential to affect both commercial fisheries that are important to northern economies, and marine resources that are used by Arctic indigenous people.