SMEA Director Terrie Klinger was part of a panel of scientists from California, Oregon and Washington that recently published a paper in the January edition of the journal BioScience titled “What Changes in the Carbonate System, Oxygen, and Temperature Portend for the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: A Physiological Perspective”.  The study takes an in-depth look at how the effects of stressors such as ocean acidification and low-oxygen conditions, or hypoxia, can impact organisms such as shellfish and their larvae, as well as organisms that have received less attention so far, including commercially valuable fish and squid. The results show that ocean acidification and hypoxia combine with other factors, such as rising ocean temperatures, to create serious challenges for marine life. Among the products already published or planned by the tri-state panel are a number of scientific publications — including this synthesis piece — as well as resources for policymakers and the general public describing ocean research priorities, monitoring needs and management strategies to sustain marine ecosystems in the face of ocean acidification and hypoxia. The group’s other papers and findings related to ocean acidification and hypoxia will soon be available on its website.