University of Auckland OA research focuses on the fertilization, early development, physiological and growth responses of marine invertebrates to ocean acidification. Our work encompasses biochemical and metabolic measurements, and often takes a systems biology approach by including transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. Research has focused on kina (Evechinus chloroticus), in both the early life stages and as adults, early stages of development of the Greenshell mussel (Perna canaliculus), and recently on adults of the brittlestar (Ophionereis fasciata).

Auckland University of Technology

The Auckland University of Technology has the privilege of two major research groups working on different aspects of ocean acidification research. The Marine Biogeochemistry group currently has two research themes, studying the biogeochemical feedback to ocean acidification in cohesive photosynthetic sediment, and assessing the effects of ocean acidification on coral photosynthesis. The Aquaculture Biotechnology Research Group is currently looking at understanding changes in embryonic fate as a means of selective climate change adaptation in the New Zealand sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus.

Cawthron

The Cawthron Institute, NZ’s largest private research organisation, is based in Nelson but has a nation-wide focus on marine and freshwater research. Cawthron research has a major focus on aquaculture, an industry dominated by potentially OA-vulnerable shellfish. Cawthron’s OA science includes coastal monitoring and assessment of the key implications for aquaculture production security. Our research, however, is differentiated by a focus on the commercial opportunities emerging from OA research. On-going projects consider an organism’s innate resilience mechanisms and multi-generation adaptation, with a focus on the Greenshell mussel; this information informs aquaculture selective breeding and hatchery practices to promote enduring OA resilience. Shellfish hatchery research also targets approaches to apply ‘reversed OA’, to create an enriched water chemistry that encourages rapid shell formation in larval bivalves, improving biological and commercial performance. For further information, see: Norman Ragg - OA research at Cawthron.

NIWA’s Ocean Acidification research spans a wide range of scientific disciplines and has occurred from New Zealand to Antarctica. Topics include monitoring ocean and coastal seawater chemistry – including the Munida Transect, the southern hemisphere’s longest-running record of pH measurements (with Otago University) – as well as biogeochemistry, geology and ecology (of plankton, fish, shellfish, algae). For more information and who to contact see https://niwa.co.nz/research-subject/ocean-acidification

University of otago

At the University of Otago, OA research has a long tradition. We have hosted most of the national OA workshops, and started a dedicated Otago Research Theme on Ocean Acidification in 2006. Last year, we expanded this to the Future Ocean Research Theme which combined OA research with other climate change related research topics. We are a member of He Kaupapa Hononga, Otago’s Climate Change Research Network and actively participate in the Centre of Research Excellence Coastal People: Southern Skies based at the University of Otago. Our researchers and students work on method development, marine carbonate chemistry, temperate skeletal mineralogy, macroalgal and phytoplankton reactions to future ocean conditions, and invertebrate calcification and larval settlement through various life stages. For more information, see our website (OU OAR).

victoria university of wellington

Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) is home to several diverse OA research programmes. These currently focus on the impacts of OA on: (1) the photosynthetic physiology, function and ecology of temperate and tropical reef sponges; (2) impacts on the calcification and photosynthetic physiology of corals and (3) coralline algae; (4) impacts on kelp forests and the ecosystems they support; and (5) the role of multiple stressors and temporal variability. The projects are headed by Prof. James Bell (1), Prof. Simon Davy (1&2), and Dr Christopher Cornwall (2,3,4,5), with input from collaborators both overseas (e.g. CNRS France, University of Western Australia, University of Hawaii, AIMS, University of Tasmania) and in NZ (e.g. NIWA, University of Otago and University of Auckland). For information about the School of Biological Sciences at Victoria University, click here.