Future actions for the ocean acidification research community to support marine industries and coastal communities of Aotearoa New Zealand

Increasing atmospheric CO₂ emissions are altering the carbonate chemistry of seawater in a process known as ocean acidification (OA). This is a growing issue for marine industries and communities. During the 2023 New Zealand Ocean Acidification Community (NZOAC) Conference, the community undertook a horizon scanning exercise to determine potential future activities and opportunities. Conference participants were sent questions that focussed on topics of importance to the Aotearoa New Zealand and global OA community. Sixteen potential actions were identified. During the conference, participants voted for actions they perceived to be most important to give each an overall priority score. In order, the five top priority actions were to (i) re-engage with policymakers to ensure OA is included in policies around climate change, oceans, fisheries, and education; (ii) maintain funding for current observation platforms; (iii) focus on solutions during engagement actions; (iv) obtain funding for new OA focused research; and (v) engage more with the public through community/public participatory science. We summarise the activities identified to address these actions and discuss potential ways forward for the NZOAC and wider research community to undertake the required research and provide much needed guidance to underpin OA mitigation and adaptation efforts.