AZTI installs a sensor for monitoring ocean acidification in the Basque coastal ocean

27/10/2021

• The initiative is one of the actions in the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project, which comprises a series of measurement platforms on the Basque coast to track climate change in the sea.

Observing and monitoring the Basque coastal ocean is essential to study the effects of climate change in this area. AZTI has been involved in this since 1986, when it began installing a variety of platforms for monitoring climate change in the sea. 

Its most recent action has been to install a new pH sensor for monitoring ocean acidification off the coast of the Basque Region. The action is part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project, and is supported by the Department of the Environment at the Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa and Naturklima.

The sensor is installed at around 3 kilometres from the coast, 50 metres below sea level, and provides regular data on changes in pH in the Bay of Biscay. This makes it possible to make accurate, reliable estimates of ocean acidification levels at the location. This acidification is a direct result of CO2 emissions caused by fossil fuels, which dissolve in the sea, lowering the pH, which affects the growth of marine life such as coralline algae, molluscs, crustaceans, sea snails, coral and some plankton communities.