Abstract
Population growth and social/technological developments have resulted in the buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and oceans to the extent that we now see changes in the earth’s climate and ocean chemistry. Ocean acidification is one consequence of these changes, and it is known with certainty that it will continue to increase as we emit more CO2 into the atmosphere. Ocean acidification is a global issue likely to impact marine organisms, food webs and ecosystems and to be most severely experienced by the people who depend on the goods and services the ocean provides at regional and local levels. However, research is in its infancy and the available data on biological impacts are complex (e.g., species-specific response). Educating future generations on the certainties and uncertainties of the emerging science of ocean acidification and its complex consequences for marine species and ecosystems can provide insights that will help assessing the need to mitigate and/or adapt to future global change. This article aims to present different educational approaches, the different material available and highlight the future challenges of ocean acidification education for both educators and marine biologists.
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Acknowledgments
GF is funded by the Wallenberg Global Learning Network (http://wgln.stanford.edu/) and the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg foundation (http://www.wallenberg.com/maw/). GF is member of the University of Gothenburg Learning and Media Technology Studio (http://www.letstudio.gu.se). SD is funded by the Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology at the University of Gothenburg (http://www.cemeb.science.gu.se/) and supported by a Linnaeus-grant from the Swedish Research Councils VR and Formas. RS is Director of LinCS—The Linnaeus Centre for Research on Learning, Interaction, and Mediated Communication in Contemporary Society (http://www.lincs.gu.se)—funded by The Swedish Research Council and member of the University of Gothenburg priority research area Learning and its Learning and Media Technology Studio (http://www.letstudio.gu.se).
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Communicated by H. O. Pörtner.
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Fauville, G., Säljö, R. & Dupont, S. Impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems: educational challenges and innovations. Mar Biol 160, 1863–1874 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1943-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1943-4