OSPAR's Quality Status Report 2023 Friday Ocean Findings Issue 42

OSPAR's latest assessment of the health of the North-East Atlantic, the Quality Status Report (QSR) 2023,found that climate change and ocean acidification are drivers of major change in the North-East Atlantic. To acknowledge the urgency of this issue, OSPAR has established a Working Group on Changing Ocean Climate and Ocean Acidification (WG COCOA). WG COCOA works with the remit to facilitate the implementation of Strategic Objectives in the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030 concerning ocean acidification and climate change, and to ensure the integration of climate change and ocean acidification throughout the OSPAR structure. This week's newsletter focuses on the work of this group and the assessments produced as part of the QSR. OSPAR would like to thank all of the experts involved for their dedication.

The QSR 2023 is the most authoritative assessment of the whole North-East Atlantic and reflects the collective work of the 16 Contracting Parties to the OSPAR Convention, scientists, experts and their institutions, and the OSPAR Secretariat. It assesses the status of various components of the North-East Atlantic and examines how conditions have changed and provides a foundation for effective science-based policy.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter. Please do contact us with any comments at [email protected]

Fact sheet on climate change and ocean acidification

WG COCOA has produced a fact sheet summarising the key issues in the North-East Atlantic and OSPAR's commitments to dealing with them.

Climate change thematic assessment

The Climate Change Thematic Assessment summarises the information on climate change and ocean acidification in the OSPAR Maritime Area. The ocean is critical in regulating the Earth’s climate: it has absorbed 89% of the excess heat trapped inside the atmosphere since the 1970s, and every year absorbs at least a quarter of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) released by human activities.

Ocean acidification assessment

Every year the ocean absorbs at least a quarter of the carbon dioxide (CO₂) released to the atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels, cement production and land use change. This is driving ocean acidification. This assessment represents the first OSPAR assessment of Ocean Acidification in the North-East Atlantic and addresses trends and variability, projections of future acidification, impacts on ecosystems and ecosystem services and mitigation and adaption.

QSR 2023 key findings report

OSPAR produced a key findings report to accompany the QSR. The report features the headline messages from the QSR 2023 along with links to the underlying assessments.

OSPAR Commission
https://www.ospar.org/ | [email protected]
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7430 5200
The Aspect, 12 Finsbury Square, London, EC2A 1AS, United Kingdom

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email [email protected]