Ocean acidification (OA) threatens Caribbean ecosystems and the goods and services they provide (e.g., food security, employment, shoreline protection, etc.). In 2019, a resolution passed at the Cartagena Convention Conference of the Parties that called for collaboration and action for both regional bodies of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and United Nations Environment Programme to encourage greater OA monitoring capacity and multidisciplinary, inclusive stakeholder engagement. In December 2021, an OA Caribbean Community of Practice (CoP) was established to strengthen capacity for research, monitoring, mitigation, and adaptation to OA and associated stressors in the region, including Small Island Developing States. The CoP recently distributed a needs-based assessment to analyze community needs and understand how to increase OA awareness and develop relationships with diverse stakeholders. This survey analyzes current OA activities, potential projects, key infrastructure, training needs, and interest in regional coordination. Here, we present the survey results and highlight suggested actions to build resilience and strengthen the connections between communities. OA may exacerbate the impacts of stressors that countries with waters adjacent to the Caribbean face today. This CoP aims to coordinate efforts and increase capacity to monitor and mitigate OA through in-person workshops, standardization of monitoring efforts, and communication training for science and policy while advancing diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the region.

Primary Presenter: Natalie Lord, NOAA Ocean Acidification Program (natalie.lord@noaa.gov)

Authors:

Kerri Dobson,  School of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK  (kerridobson89@gmail.com)

Kalina Grabb, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA  (kalina.grabb@noaa.gov)

Melissa Meléndez, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA  (mmelen@hawaii.edu)

Marcia Ford, The University of the West Indies-Centre for Marine Sciences, Kingston, Jamaica  (marcia.creary@uwimona.edu.jm)

Gabriella Kitch, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA  (gabby.kitch@noaa.gov)

Ian Enochs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA  (ian.enochs@noaa.gov)

Ana Palacio-Castro, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA  (ana.maria.palacio@noaa.gov)

Erica Towle, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA  (erica.towle@noaa.gov)

Alejandra Navarrete, The Ocean Foundation, Washington, DC, 20036, USA  (anavarrete@oceanfdn.org)

Alexis Valauri-Orton, The Ocean Foundation, Washington, DC, 20036, USA  (avalauriorton@oceanfdn.org)

Elizabeth Wright-Fairbanks, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA  (liza.wright-fairbanks@noaa.gov)

Jair Valladarez, University of Belize, Faculty of Science and Technology, Belize  (jvalladarez@ub.edu.bz)

Zoraida Pérez Delgado, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA  (zoraida.perez@noaa.gov)