LBPD Guest Hour: Ocean Acidification with Dr. Liz Perotti

In the 200-plus years since the industrial revolution began, the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has increased due to human actions. During this time, the pH of surface ocean waters has fallen by 0.1 pH units. This might not sound like much, but the pH scale is logarithmic, so this change represents approximately a 30 percent increase in acidity. https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/ocean-coasts/ocean-acidification Dr. Liz Perotti is the NOAA OAP Education and Outreach Coordinator, serving as liaison between scientists, educators, and stakeholder communities. She comes to the OAP from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife where she managed Oregon’s shellfish resources and supported ocean acidification and hypoxia policy as staff for Oregon’s Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Coordinating Council. Liz earned her B.A. in Biology and Environmental Science at Boston University and continued her career at the U.C. Berkeley Integrative Biology department and U.C. Museum of Paleontology. Her doctoral research focused on the role of geology and geologic history on intertidal communities. Liz’s interests in invertebrate biology, evolution and ecology then sent her to the University of Hawai’i at Manoa to study the developmental mechanisms of settlement and effects of hydrodynamics on fouling communities. Liz lives in Oregon with her family and enjoys camping, crabbing and clamming, water sports, sci-fi/fantasy media, and has a budding interest in cosplay. https://dnr.maryland.gov/waters/bay/Pages/MDOATF/OATF_Home.aspx