New Trinational Initiative Focused on Socioeconomic Impacts of Ocean Acidification

A team of scientists from the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba met in late 2022 to exchange information and begin development of a new trinational initiative designed to address the socioeconomic impacts of ocean acidification (OA) in the Gulf of Mexico based on common needs across nations.

The Gulf of Mexico’s highly valuable and diverse marine, coastal and estuarine environments hold numerous habitats and species that are vulnerable to the impacts of ocean and coastal acidification. In addition to the ecological threat, OA poses an economic threat to the Gulf’s blue economy as well, which is estimated to have a combined value of $2.04 trillion per year across Cuba, Mexico, and the U.S.

Ocean acidification is the reduction in pH of seawater, caused primarily by uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. When the water is more acidic, animals that rely on carbonate have trouble building shells and skeletons and, if the water is acidic enough, these animals’ shells and skeletons can degrade.

The Gulf of Mexico International Ocean Acidification Summit, which took place Oct. 18-19 in Mérida, Yucatan, Mexico, and included representatives from government agencies, universities, research institutes, non-governmental organizations, and students, was sponsored by the Furgason Fellowship of HRI.