California AB-2139 Ocean Protection Council: Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia

Signed by California Governor Jerry Brown in September 2016, Assembly Bill 2139 created a task force to study the effects of ocean acidification and hypoxia, and to make recommendations to policymakers. The task force is designated to ensure that the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) decisions are supported by the best available science on ocean acidification and hypoxia, and to provide the Council strategies to address these impacts. Beginning January 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, at its first meeting of the year, the OPC is to adopt recommendations for further actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia.

Oceans become more acidic as they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As described by NOAA1  “studies have shown that a more acidic environment has a dramatic effect on some calcifying species, including oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea corals, and calcareous plankton. When shelled organisms are at risk, the entire food web may also be at risk. Today, more than a billion people worldwide rely on food from the ocean as their primary source of protein. Many jobs and economies in the U.S. and around the world depend on the fish and shellfish in our oceans.”  The related problem of hypoxia means less oxygen in seawater, which can damage the development, reproduction and behavior of many fish species. Climate change has the potential to make coastal and marine ecosystems even more vulnerable to hypoxic conditions through warming waters. 

In the legislation, the Council is directed to take actions to address ocean acidification and hypoxia, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(A) Implement measures to facilitate climate change adaptation in the ocean, consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 71154.

(B) Develop, refine, and integrate predictive models that identify the relative contributions of global and local drivers of ocean acidification and hypoxia in California waters.

(C) Work with other agencies to coordinate and ensure that criteria and standards for coastal water health to address ocean acidification and hypoxia are developed and informed by the best available science.

(D) Develop a comprehensive inventory of areas in California vulnerable to ocean acidification and hypoxia.

(E) Facilitate agreements with other national, state, and regional governments and private entities to establish and advance joint priorities for ocean acidification and hypoxia research.

(F) In coordination with relevant federal, state, and academic entities, identify gaps between the monitoring of ocean acidification and hypoxia and management needs, and the actions necessary to address these gaps.

 

Publication Date: September 14, 2016

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Endnotes

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1. NOAA PMEL Carbon Program - “What is Ocean Acidification?” https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F