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Interview with Mr. Tomohiko Tsunoda, Senior Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation on ocean warming and acidification
Ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and marine heatwaves are all pressing marine issues that are quietly intensifying around the world. These challenges are diverse and occur on a massive scale, making it difficult for people to understand the full extent of the problem. To shed some light on this topic, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) spoke with Mr. Tsunoda, Senior Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI).
Ocean acidification – a silently progressing crisis
— What is ocean acidification and why is it occurring?
Mr. Tsunoda: In short, ocean acidification is the process whereby carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean and makes the water more acidic. Seawater is normally slightly alkaline on the pH scale, but as more carbon dioxide is dissolved in the oceans, the pH moves toward neutrality, or in other words, becomes more acidic. The more carbon dioxide in the air, the more carbon dioxide dissolves into the sea. Ocean acidification, like global warming, is caused by the carbon dioxide that is produced by human activities.
— What are the effects of ocean acidification?
Mr. Tsunoda: When seawater becomes more acidic, the number of carbonate ions in the water goes down. This creates a problem for organisms that have a shell or a skeleton made of calcium carbonate.
For example, between 2005 and 2009, ocean acidification on the west coast of the United States caused problems for oyster farming. In the Arctic Ocean and elsewhere, there are concerns about the decrease in the number of organisms with calcium carbonate shells and the subsequent effects on the marine life that feeds on those organisms. When the natural food chain breaks down, it eventually reaches human beings at the top of the chain, but it's difficult to predict the nature of these effects or how far reaching they will be.
Item 3 of Sustainable Development Goal 14, which was announced in 2015, relates to ocean acidification. OPRI has been conducting research on acidification since 2015, and we've found that ocean acidification is a complex issue.
Presentation at an international workshop on ocean acidification (GOA-ON workshop 2019)
— What makes these issues so complex?
Mr. Tsunoda: Ocean issues, acidification included, rarely occur in isolation, and often involve several interconnected factors. The problems that occur also vary from region to region. For example, in coastal areas, eutrophication (a process that leads to excessive growth of algae or other plants) due to human activities can cause ocean acidification. This also reduces the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water in a process called deoxygenation.
There is also a pattern occurring on the western coasts of continents around the world, wherein coastal fisheries are negatively impacted by so-called anoxic water masses, which contain low levels of oxygen, rising to the ocean surface. Unfortunately, this upwelling of anoxic water is occurring at the same time as acidification, which is a double blow to the fishing industry.
Additionally, in the frigid seas near the North and South Poles, ocean acidification has become more pronounced than anywhere else in the world due to the fact that carbon dioxide dissolves more easily in cold water.
Effective measures based on scientific research
Measuring water temperature and pH as part of a coastal survey with students of Kanagawa Prefectural Marine Science High School (August 2017)
— That does sound like a complex situation.
Mr. Tsunoda: Absolutely. Ocean acidification is a complex phenomenon, making it difficult to explain not only to the general public but also to the government officials who are in a position to make policy decisions. In addition, the measures that need to be taken to address the problem will vary from region to region.
If a problem and its causes are clear, it is easy to take action. For example, in the case of the hole in the ozone layer, the relationship between emissions of chlorofluorocarbon gases and the hole in the ozone layer was easy to understand and scientifically proven. As a result, the Montreal Protocol was drawn up, the use of chlorofluorocarbons was banned, and we are now seeing reports that the ozone layer is likely recovering.
— It seems that the complexity of the acidification problem is one of main factors preventing us from taking steps to address the issue.
Mr. Tsunoda: It's difficult to see the whole picture when a problem is so complex. Making matters worse, we don't yet have enough basic monitoring data and scientific studies on the subject.
Article 4 of the Basic Act on Ocean Policy has a section entitled "Improvement of Scientific Knowledge of the Oceans." It states: "In consideration of the fact that scientific knowledge of the oceans is indispensable for the proper development and use of the oceans and conservation of the marine environment, while many scientifically unsolved fields remain with regard to the oceans, the scientific knowledge of the oceans shall be improved."
The United Nations has designated 2021-2030 as the "United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development." I hope that scientific research on the oceans will continue and that solutions will become possible through innovations in science and technology.
The Marine Crisis Watch website (https://www.marinecrisiswatch.jp/mcwatch/index_en.html)
— So we require solutions based on scientific data.
Mr. Tsunoda: That's right. In order to take effective measures, we have to think scientifically and holistically about the situation regarding the oceans and the various problems we face. Some time ago, I noticed that there was not much useful reference information in Japanese about the marine crisis. That's why we launched the Marine Crisis Watch website. Our goal now is to use the website to provide a regular stream of scientific information and data on complex marine issues in Japanese to communicate these ideas in a way that is easy for people to understand.
In order to broaden public awareness of ocean acidification, we also created a Japanese dubbed version of the British clay animation "The Other CO2 Problem" in collaboration with Kanagawa Prefectural Marine Science High School. Little by little, we are working to let the public know about the complex issues related to ocean warming and acidification with the hope that they will be reflected in policies down the line.
"The Other CO2 Problem," Japanese version (https://youtu.be/cjzZtR67hJM)
Interview conducted by Ayako Yutsudo, Public Relations Division
Translated by CR
About Mr. Tomohiko Tsunoda:
After receiving a Master of Science at the Center for Climate System Research, University of Tokyo, he worked as a Senior Researcher at the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) from 1998 to 2015. While at MRI, he was engaged in many national projects on ocean policy such as developing a Marine Cadastre prototype system and supporting the formulation of the 2nd Basic Plan on Ocean Policy in Japan. Though his studies focused mainly on physical oceanography, his research interests also include ocean policy and science-based information sharing. He is in charge of the ocean acidification program at OPRI-SPF.
Articles on SPF NOW
Interview with Dr. Michael C. Huang, Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute, on supporting sustainable ocean development with Blue Finance
Interview with Ms. Irene Hirano Inouye, founding president of the U.S.-Japan Council
Interview with Mr. Hideyuki Shiozawa, Senior Program Officer of the Pacific Island Nations Program
Interview with Takakazu Ito, Senior Program Officer at the Department for Operational Support at UN Headquarters, on increasing complexity of conflicts and peacekeeping operations
Interview with Dr. Atsushi Watanabe, Senior Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation on the blue economy
Interview with Mr. Tomohiko Tsunoda, Senior Research Fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Interview with three leading documentary filmmakers from Northeast India: Aribam Syam Sharma, Haobam Paban Kumar, and Pinky Brahma Choudhury
Interview with Dr. Masoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs of Iran
Interview with Ambassador Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, Advisor for Religious Affairs in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The oceans are part of our lives, so let's work together to protect them
Interview with Dr. Tomo Shioiri (OPRI)
Interview with U.S. Representative Diana DeGette and Representative Billy Long on strengthening international and bipartisan ties through congressional exchange trips
Interview with Brigadier Ewen Murchison, the Head of Futures and Strategic Analysis for the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre
Interview with Dr. Seyed Sajjadpour, Deputy Foreign Minister for Research and Education for the Islamic Republic of Iran
Interview with Dr. Ceren Lord on the influence of sectarianism in Turkey and the Alevi community
China's Belt and Road Initiative in Context
"Intellectual Dialogue: Prospect of Deepening Partnership of India-Japan" Interview Dr. Montek Ahluwalia, former Deputy Chairman of India Planning Commission, Dr. Rajat Nag, former Managing Director-General, Asian Development Bank, and Mr. Harinder K
Interview with Ms. Urvashi Butalia: "Gendering the Perspective on India's Forgotten History for Peace"
Interview with Major General Pham Duc Tho, the Head of the Delegation of the Vietnamese People's Army Field Officer Exchange Program to Japan
Friendship fostered through Iran's "lusterware" Dr. Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, visits Kobei Kato's workshop
Interview with Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Further promotion of political, economic and cultural partnership between Japan and Iran
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