Capacity building

The OA-ICC aims to help improve the global understanding of ocean acidification and build capacity to address it. The Centre enables students and scientists entering the field, in particular from developing countries, to get access to training to be able to set up relevant experiments, avoid typical pitfalls and ensure comparability with other studies. It also provides financial support to researchers to present their findings and network with peers at international meetings.

Training courses

Ocean acidification is a complex and multidisciplinary field and its potentially far-reaching effects warrant comprehensive training to address it. The OA-ICC, together with many international partners, organises training courses on ocean acidification, tailored to participants’ needs and using the latest methodology, best practices and available resources. Through these, scientists with backgrounds in biological, geological, and chemical oceanography are able to get a more holistic vision of the field. Courses include theoretical aspects, as well as practical, hands-on components relating to sampling, measurements, and experiment design. The importance of data archiving and sharing is also stressed. Since 2012 the OA-ICC has provided more than 850 capacity building opportunities to 749 scientists from 107 member states.

Best practices

Research on ocean acidification requires following best practices. The OA-ICC contributes to the development of teaching material for the implementation of simplified methodologies for laboratories with limited finances or infrastructure.

• Module 1: How to measure pHT in biological experiments: TRIS buffer preparation, pH probe calibration, sampling and calculations