IJMS Editor-in-Chief Howard Browman opens the issue by calling for a higher level of academic scepticism to be applied to the body of work on ocean acidification. He states that, "...the majority of the literature on ocean acidification report negative effects of CO2 on organisms and conclude that ocean acidification will be detrimental to marine ecosystems. As is true across all of science, studies that report no effect of ocean acidification are typically more difficult to publish". Therefore, studies reporting no effect ocean acidification were welcomed.
As the mechanisms underlying the biological and ecological effects of ocean acidification are still incompletely understood, Browman wanted to introduce a broader perspective on ocean acidification research and invited submissions that would achieve this objective.
This special issue contains 44 contributions that address various studies on ocean acidification including methodological issues, behavioural effects, the effects of ocean acidification in combination with other environmental drivers, projecting economic impacts, and, significantly, those studies that show no effect, little effect, and/or mixed effects of ocean acidification.
ICES and Oxford University Press are pleased to make this special issue, Towards a Broader Perspective on Ocean Acidification Research, immediately available as a free access document.
