The Pacific Islands Ocean Acidification Centre (PIOAC) was created to support ocean acidification capacity development throughout the Pacific. Established in 2021, PIOAC is a SPC-led partnership to support Pacific Island researchers, government officials, and community members through ocean acidification training and technical assistance. It is working with Pacific partners to find Pacific solutions to address the impacts of ocean acidification.
The PIOAC is a partnership between USP and SPC together with New Zealand-based partners, the University of Otago and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), with funding and technical support from the Ocean Foundation and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
To address the impacts of ocean acidification, regions must understand local ocean acidification conditions, identify effective and sustainable adaptation and mitigation approaches, and develop strategies to address the changes to the ecosystems, communities, and economies.
PIOAC supports these efforts through:
- Training to increase regional expertise in ocean acidification monitoring.
- Advice on the application of monitoring to support adaptation and mitigation approaches.
- Access to international networks that support monitoring, action, and policy efforts.
- Assistance with ocean acidification data management and accessibility.
- Ensure continued support of ocean acidification monitoring efforts, which are critical to evaluating the effectiveness of adaptation and mitigation approaches.
- Support ocean acidification monitoring programmes that provide information about current and future regional ocean acidification conditions, allowing climate-smart solutions.
- Increase investment in ocean acidification capabilities and the establishment of infrastructure, tools, and technologies for oceans acidification monitoring to better understand its impacts on the ocean.
Stay connected through the NZOAC and PI-TOA newsletter http://nzoac.nz/newsletters
