Here are some of the latest happenings in the world of ocean acidification in Canada and beyond!
Upcoming NOAA OAP Data Discovery and Access Workshop
Cross posted from the OA Information Exchange
NCEI will host a remote-only workshop this coming May to seek your feedback in terms of the Ocean Acidification Data Stewardship (OADS) Project data discovery and access interface: https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/oads/stewardship/data_assets.html. The collected feedback will be used to design our new website.
The workshop will be 1 - 3PM (Eastern Time) on May 28, 2021 (Friday), with a pre-workshop assignment.
To register, please follow this link:
https://forms.gle/LuqF9a9YhxMJBBJG7 (Google Form).
MSc Opportunity in Ocean Acidification (OA) Research
We are looking for an MSc candidate to join our multi-disciplinary research team to examine multi-stressor impacts on juvenile shellfish. More specifically, the project will involve the following objectives:
1. Investigate impacts of coinciding climate stressors (e.g. OA, warming) on biological (e.g. growth), physiological (e.g. energetics), and genomic (e.g. gene expression) responses of juvenile shellfish.
2. Compare responses under static and variable stressor conditions to determine whether long-term exposure or acute exposure events (e.g. upwelling events, heatwaves) pose a greater threat to species’ fitness and survival.
3. Investigate whether co-culture of shellfish with macroalgae or sea cucumbers can mitigate climate change impacts and improve resiliency of the aquaculture industry.
The preferred candidate would have:
Experience/knowledge in wet lab plumbing and tank set up.
Experience/knowledge in conducting research on marine invertebrates.
Experience/knowledge in ocean acidification or climate change research.
Desire to work in a multidisciplinary team.
Ability to work independently.
A strong undergraduate track record, including an honour’s degree.
Good problem-solving skills and resourcefulness.
A positive attitude and strong work ethic.
The position would start Aug/Sep 2021. The candidate would be based at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, but the MSc degree would be through the University of Victoria. Interested applicants should send an expression of interest letter, recent CV, and undergraduate transcripts to:
Dr. Chris Pearce, Chris.Pearce@dfo-mpo.gc.ca by June 15, 2021.
Early career (PhD) positions for research into ocean alkalization and CO2 uptake
"Join a diverse team studying how the addition of alkalinity, produced during production of clean hydrogen fuel, can enhance the ocean’s uptake of CO2.
We are recruiting a team of early career researchers (including up to 4 PhD positions) with interest in environmental chemistry (#1 and 4 in figure), aquatic biology (#2-4), and marine physics (#3) to work within a unique, multidisciplinary team. The team will investigate the efficacy and impact of adding alkalinity to coastal seawater in order to increase the ocean’s capacity for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. The research will contribute to development of Planetary Hydrogen's innovative co-production process, which aims to produce H2 as a clean fuel while decarbonizing our economy and contributing to Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement.
For more details, please contact the supervisors individually or contact the entire project team at: oceans@planetaryhydrogen.com
Supervisors: Douglas Wallace; Hugh MacIntyre; Ruth Musgrave; Jeff Clements; Ramon Filgueira
Partners: Planetary Hydrogen
L'Étang Ruisseau Bar Ltée
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Project Description and Opportunities
Hydroxide ion, generated as a byproduct of a novel process of hydrogen generation, can be used to increase the ocean’s ability to take up and store atmospheric CO2 in the form of dissolved bicarbonate. This alkalinity addition mimics the natural geochemical weathering reactions that have created the ocean’s massive reservoir of bicarbonate and carbonate ions, and can potentially benefit organisms that are vulnerable to ocean acidification, including commercially important shellfish.
In collaboration with Planetary Hydrogen and with support of two major philanthropic foundations (Climateworks and Thistledown, we are assembling a multidisciplinary team of researchers to investigate this promising negative emission technology. The team will include 4 PhD candidates working on chemical, physical, and biological oceanography, and animal (bivalve) physiology. The doctoral candidates will work within a larger group that will include experienced postdoctoral researchers, technicians, undergraduate students, and summer interns from Dalhousie University’s Imhotep Legacy Academy. The team will have access to specialized training and research collaboration with groups in the USA and Germany. The project is led by professors at Dalhousie University, researchers at Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans, as well as personnel from Planetary Hydrogen and a commercial oyster hatchery (L'Étang Ruisseau Bar Ltée).
We are initially seeking PhD and/or Masters candidates in the following areas. (Note: candidates interested in postdoctoral research opportunities should also contact us).
Marine chemistry: Alkalinity impacts on seawater chemistry, including field-scale studies with autonomous vehicles.
Supervisor: Douglas Wallace
Background in environmental chemistry and strong laboratory skills; interest in use of robotics and sensors for field measurement of chemical properties
Ability to program (e.g. with Python or R) is a significant asset
Biological Oceanography: Impacts of alkalinity addition on phytoplankton viability and growth.
Supervisor: Hugh MacIntyre
Strong quantitative skills
Preferably, experience with culturing microorganisms and/or relevant analytical techniques (chlorophyll fluorescence, biochemical analyses of biomass composition) and data management
Ability to program (e.g. with Python or R) is an asset.
Physical Oceanography: Prediction and field validation of upper ocean turbulence and diffusivities.
Supervisor: Ruth Musgrave
Undergraduate degree in physics or mathematics, and an interest in interdisciplinary work;
Experience with programming (Python, Matlab, R, Julia, or equivalent), numerical models, fluid mechanics and oceanography will be advantageous.
Bivalve Ecophysiology:
Supervisors: Jeff Clements;
Ramon Filgueira;
Undergraduate degree in biology with a background in marine biology, and experience designing and conducting laboratory experiments;
Ability to program using R or Python, and a working knowledge of ectotherm physiology, will be considered assets.
Training Environment
The early career researchers will work within a highly interdisciplinary team, with both national and international collaborators from academia, industry, and government. In addition to the training provided by Dalhousie University, members of the team will participate in regular workshops offered by team-members, covering topics such as planetary carbon cycle; algal and animal physiology; marine robotics; sensor design and operation; negative emission technologies; coastal modelling; Canada’s hydrogen economy, and career-related topics including entrepreneurship and business development practices.
All of these positions will require candidates to have the ability to work independently but also within a coordinated and collaborative lab group. This requires a sense of responsibility to the team as well as good communication skills.
Our research group is already diverse and international, and we are committed to increasing this diversity as we recognize this strengthens the research environment and maximizes potential. We are therefore committed to a fair hiring process and employment equity practices that are consistent with Canada’s Employment Equity Act.
Please contact any of the Principal Investigators directly with questions, or contact us via our project email address (oceans@planetaryhydrogen.com)."
In the News
“Ocean Visions’ Experts to Advise/Evaluate Innovation Tackling Ocean Acidification”
Source: Ocean Visions
Read the full article here.
New Paper of Interest
Rajan, Kanmani Chandra, Meng Yuan, Ziniu Yu, Steven B Roberts, Vengatesen Thiyagarajan. In press. Oyster biomineralisation under ocean acidification: from genes to shell. Global Change Biology
Have a news item you'd like us to feature? Email coordinator@oceanacidification.ca!
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