Taking a dive into “El Veril”. A coastal time series monitoring by citizen science divers in Argentina.

BERGHOFF, C.; EPHERRA, L.; SILVA, R.; FERNÁNDEZ ACUÑA, J.; BALDONI, A:; MAENZA, A.R.; HOZBOR, C.; ALBORNOZ, M.; MENNA, B.; CASCALLARES, G.; MOREIRA, D.

Plymouth

Simposio; Symposium Trends, Reflections, Evolution, and Visions in Ocean Research ? A celebration of the scientific life of Trevor Platt.; 2023

Trevor Platt Science Foundation

Oceanic uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide plays a key role in moderating climate change, however this capture affects the chemistry of the carbonate system (CS), decreasing ocean pH, a phenomenon called ocean acidification (OA). OA generates substantial impacts on the marine ecosystem and the services provided by the ocean. The CS dynamics in coastal regions is extremely variable, hence efforts to better understand its sensitivity to OA are being carried out worldwide. One of the contributions towards the evaluation of OA in Argentina is the monitoring of the coastal site “El Veril” (38°10'S 57°25'W), carried out by researchers from INIDEP and scuba divers from CASE in a citizen science context. CASE divers frequently visit “El Veril” due to the diversity of marine organisms, where they collect samples to determine different physicochemical and biological variables (CS, oxygen, nutrients, salinity, chlorophyll-a and microbial communities), and document the temperature and sea conditions. This information is then analyzed in an OA context. Since 2018, more than 40 divers have carried out 26 samplings. We will present the results of this collaboration, which already cover a complete annual cycle, and how this contributes with valuable information at local (National Citizen Science Program) and international level (NANO-DOAP Project). Additionally, we will present the outreach events held by INIDEP-CASE to improve public awareness about how human activities threaten the health of the ocean. This initiative, which provides knowledge on the CS, has an amplifying effect towards society, by improving citizen education on the challenges the ocean faces.