Standardizing Ocean Acidification Monitoring in the Western Pacific

Standardizing Ocean Acidification Monitoring in the Western Pacific

The IOC Sub-commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) has 22 Member States that stretch from the eastern Indian Ocean to the islands of the South Pacific. WESTPAC has organized training for scientists in the Western Pacific region so that experts and oceanographic institutions from the region and beyond can work together to improve monitoring of ocean acidification and to track changes in coral reef ecosystems.



The IOC Sub-commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) has 22 Member States that stretches from the eastern Indian Ocean to the islands of the South Pacific. WESTPAC has organized training for scientists in the Western Pacific region so that experts and oceanographic institutions from the region and beyond can work together to improve monitoring of ocean acidification and to track changes in coral reef ecosystems. WESTPAC’s training efforts have focused on standardizing the approaches needed to monitor the ecological impacts of ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems across all countries in the region.

"As the main vehicle under the UN framework, the IOC has the authority on management, cooperation, resources and expertise for marine science and technology." - Dr. Feng Jun, Deputy Director of China’s Division of International Organizations in the Department of International Cooperation for the State Oceanic Administration

"The Western Pacific seas are shared by multiple countries in the region, therefore our efforts to advance ocean science and protect marine ecosystems in this region would be futile without joint regional cooperation. It is the IOC WESTPAC, as the intergovernmental body on ocean science, that makes it possible for our countries to work together on understanding and protecting our oceans.” - Dr. Zainal Arifin, Deputy Chair of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences

WESTPAC website: http://iocwestpac.org/