Oceanography The Official Magazine of
The Oceanography Society
Volume 28 Issue 02

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Volume 28, No. 2
Pages 212 - 225

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Transdisciplinary Science: A Path to Understanding the Interactions Among Ocean Acidification, Ecosystems, and Society

By Kimberly K. Yates , Carol Turley, Brian M. Hopkinson, Anne E. Todgham, Jessica N. Cross , Holly Greening, Phillip Williamson, Ruben Van Hooidonk , Dimitri D. Deheyn, and Zackary Johnson 
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Article Abstract

The global nature of ocean acidification (OA) transcends habitats, ecosystems, regions, and science disciplines. The scientific community recognizes that the biggest challenge in improving understanding of how changing OA conditions affect ecosystems, and associated consequences for human society, requires integration of experimental, observational, and modeling approaches from many disciplines over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Such transdisciplinary science is the next step in providing relevant, meaningful results and optimal guidance to policymakers and coastal managers. We discuss the challenges associated with integrating ocean acidification science across funding agencies, institutions, disciplines, topical areas, and regions, and the value of unifying science objectives and activities to deliver insights into local, regional, and global scale impacts. We identify guiding principles and strategies for developing transdisciplinary research in the ocean acidification science community.

Citation

Yates, K.K., C. Turley, B.M. Hopkinson, A.E. Todgham, J.N. Cross, H. Greening, P. Williamson, R. Van Hooidonk, D.D. Deheyn, and Z. Johnson. 2015. Transdisciplinary science: A path to understanding the interactions among ocean acidification, ecosystems, and society. Oceanography 28(2):212–225, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2015.43.

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