Calcidiscus today. By Ulf Riebesell

The EU FP7 Integrated Project EPOCA (European Project on OCean Acidification) was launched in June 2008 for 4 years. The overall goal is to advance our understanding of the biological, ecological, biogeochemical, and societal implications of ocean acidification.

EPOCA aims to:

• document the changes in ocean chemistry and biogeography across space and time
• determine the sensitivity of marine organisms, communities and ecosystems to ocean acidification
• integrate results on the impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems in biogeochemical, sediment, and coupled ocean-climate models to better understand and predict the responses of the Earth system to ocean acidification
• assess uncertainties, risks and thresholds ("tipping points") related to ocean acidification at scales ranging from sub-cellular to ecosystem and local to global

The EPOCA consortium brings together more than 160 researchers from 32 institutes and 10 European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom).

EPOCA is endorsed by:

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