Ocean Acidification » News

Win-Win for Schools and Environment – Ocean Acidification Art Challenge Results

Ocean Ark Alliance — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 11:30:06 +0000

The Ocean Acidification Art Challenge Prize Giving at the Atrium, Federation Square was full of colour and life on 12 August. The M.C. was Rob Gell, with The Hon. Martin Dixon, Minister for Education presenting the awards totalling $50,000 in school environmental and student study grants. Funded by Peter Hannan Eye on the World Natural Images and established by the Ocean Ark Alliance, the show demonstrated an outstanding display of artwork by Victorian Students Years 9 – 12. All 15 finalists displayed a deep appreciation of the topic and rich diversity of the ocean. It’s great to see the incredible amount of passion today’s students and future leaders have for ocean issues and the environment.

Art Challenge – An Exhibition by Victorian Students – August 2013

Ocean Ark Alliance — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 03:59:36 +0000

The Ocean Acidification Art Challenge - An Exhibition by Victorian Students. The free exhibition will be open to the public at the Atrium, Federation Square, Melbourne – 12 - 19 August.

Scenes from Seaweek

Ocean Ark Alliance — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 04:12:25 +0000

Seaweek saw our alliance with the Marine Education Society of Australasia come to life on St Kilda Beach. Students from Victorian schools produced sand and shell creations of their interpretations of the effect of Ocean Acidification on marine life. To highlight the enormity of the problem, one group even chose to create a giant CO2 molecule.

Drawing the line in the sand on CO2

Ocean Ark Alliance — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:42:27 +0000

National Seaweek 2013 will be launched at 2pm on St Kilda Beach on Monday the 4th of March with an event bringing together the Ocean Ark Alliance, the Marine Education Society of Australasia (MESA), and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC). Seaweek is a national MESA initiative conducted annually to focus community awareness, provide information and encourage an appreciation of our marine and coastal environments. Each year a different theme is chosen. Aligning with the 2013 theme of ‘Sustainable Seas’, The Ocean Ark Alliance is launching the $50,000 Ocean Acidification Art Challenge for Victorian school students. [...]

Seaweek embraces $50,000 Ocean Art Challenge

Ocean Ark Alliance — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 03:46:08 +0000

The $50,000 Ocean Acidification Art ChallengeThe $50,000 Ocean Acidification Art Challenge is now open to all Victorian students Years 9-12. Australia’s largest environmental art show, it has been created to stimulate a deeper understanding of Ocean Acidification and to encourage wider environmental responsibility. Reflecting the stature of the event, MESA (Marine Education Society of Australasia) has now joined the Ocean Ark Alliance to promote the challenge in the lead up to Seaweek- March 3-10.

REG MOMBASSA SHOWS SUPPORT FOR ART CHALLENGE View Here

Ocean Ark Alliance — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 02:29:00 +0000

World leading Australian marine scientists feature in new online education resources

Ocean Ark Alliance — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:26:38 +0000

What is ocean acidification? What causes ocean acidification? How does ocean acidification impact on coral reefs? Are today’s conditions very different from the past? Can we predict how ocean acidification will impact on coral reefs in the future? World leading Australian marine scientists Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Professor Peter Harrison answer these and many other questions about corals reefs in two new series of educational video presentations both hosted by Dr 'Kiki' Sanford. Created in collaboration with Education Services Australia, The Learning Federation, Specialty Studios and Plankton Productions, a total of nine insightful video modules with support materials aligned with curriculum standards for education in science are now available.

Projected acidification and warming threaten key ocean species

Ocean Ark Alliance — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:12:02 +0000

Marine abalone and sea urchins will not develop skeletons if the ocean continues to warm and acidify as predicted, according to current research lead by the University of Sydney’s Schools of Medical Sciences and Biological Sciences, at environmentally significant Little Bay, near Sydney. When exposed to the increased acidity and temperature levels projected 100 years from now they produced deformed specimens, without shells or spines. This means key sources of protein will be lost due to future changes in our oceans. "We wondered about the impact of climate change on shelled marine animals since ocean acidification reduces the amount of carbonate ions, which they need to make their calcium carbonate skeletons," says Professor Maria Byrne, from University of Sydney’s Schools of Biological Science and Medical Sciences. Lead author Prof. Byrne and her team investigate how the simultaneous increase in acidity and temperature affect development from fertilised egg to juvenile stages of sea urchins and abalone, a first for any study.

David Attenborough covers reef threat

Ocean Ark Alliance — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:32:58 +0000

“The ocean is … a chemical reactor. CO₂ goes into the ocean. It is fixed by plants or deposited as calcium carbonate, and through the very large scale circulations of water around the planet it is essentially processing the atmosphere and keeping the planet habitable.” Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Global Change Institute Director, University of Queensland, from the David Attenborough documentary “Death of the Oceans”. A world-leading experiment on Heron Island, done in collaboration between labs at UQ, Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, will chemically alter the carbon dioxide absorbed in the ocean water directly on a living intact coral reef. This experiment aims to simulate insitu reactions to the amounts of CO₂ likely to be present over the next few decades. So ground breaking is this current research that it caught the eye of Sir David Attenborough when producing his latest documentary, Death of the Oceans.

Australian PM given wake-up: book explains Ocean Acidification threat

Ocean Ark Alliance — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:20:09 +0000

Uni of Queensland Vice-Chancellor Paul Greenfield hands PM Julia Gillard a wake-up call: her fresh-off-the-press copy of Coral Reefs and Climate Change. This new book, as explained on their press release demystifies the science surrounding coral reefs and climate change…aimed at anyone wishing to explore the natural wonder and beauty of coral reefs. Gillard was at Brisbane's Customs House on July 23 to deliver her stance on climate change, a speech infamous for its vocal demonstrators and the security-tackled environmental activist, Bradley Smith. As we wade into the depths of the election campaign the current Labor Government has offered us very little in decisive leadership on the environmental front. Its two major contributions, the Citizen’s Assembly - delivered at this very appearance - and the so-called ''cash for clunkers'' proposal (which will divert funds from the current solar energy program) together side-line and trivialise assertive action.