At a glance
- The Olympic Coast in the Pacific Northwest is highly vulnerable to ocean acidification, threatening marine species and the cultural and food security of four coastal treaty tribes (Hoh, Quileute, Quinault, and Makah).
- Tribes and researchers co-designed a local monitoring program to track ocean chemistry and biological indicators, such as razor clam populations, to understand climate change impacts.
- A NOAA-led three-year project combines physical, chemical, and biological measurements to assess vulnerability and inform adaptation strategies for tribal communities.
- The project also examines how ocean change affects tribal community health and wellbeing, identifying indicators to guide future planning and resilience efforts.
Alaskan coast vulnerable to changing ocean chemistry
The Olympic Coast, in the Pacific Northwest United States, is experiencing the effects of ocean acidification, which affects marine species and the livelihoods of the local First Nations people.
The area is home to four coastal treaty tribes – the Hoh Tribe, the Quileute Tribe, Quinault Indian Nation and the Makah Tribe. This is important Sea Country for these tribes and they have depended on local marine species for their livelihoods, food security and cultural practices for thousands of years.
Acidification in coastal waters varies considerably due to a range of factors such as freshwater and riverine flows, levels of nutrients, and oceanic upwellings that all affect nearshore water chemistry. This makes it important to monitor acidification at the local scale to better understand its impacts.
The Pacific Northwest coast is particularly affected by oceanic seasonal upwellings, which brings nourishing waters to the coast – and high levels of dissolved CO2.
US treaty tribes have depended local marine species for their livelihoods, food security and cultural practices. Together with researchers, they have co-designed a local monitoring program to track the effects of ocean acidification and other climate change impacts
- © Washington Sea GrantUS tribal_baskets and fish
US treaty tribes have depended local marine species for their livelihoods, food security and cultural practices. Together with researchers, they have co-designed a local monitoring program to track the effects of ocean acidification and other climate change impacts
© Washington Sea Grant
The NOAA Ocean Acidification Program has launched a collaborative, three-year research project to address the vulnerability of these coastal tribes to ocean acidification. The project is monitoring ocean acidification using physical and chemical measurements, as well as biological observations.
For example, razor clam data, which has been collected by state and tribal partners along the Olympic Coast for decades to monitor the size and health of populations for fisheries management is now being used as an indicator of ocean change.
The project is also investigating how ocean acidification may affect community wellbeing. Olympic coast tribes, scientists and marine resource managers are working together to understand and plan for the impacts of ocean change on tribal community wellbeing by identifying indicators of health and wellbeing for each of the reserve communities.
WATCH: a video describing how US Olympic coast tribes, federal and academic scientists, and marine resource managers are working together to understand and plan for the impacts of ocean change to tribal community well-being.
The project is also investigating how ocean acidification may affect community wellbeing. Olympic coast tribes, scientists and marine resource managers are working together to understand and plan for the impacts of ocean change on tribal community wellbeing by identifying indicators of health and wellbeing for each of the reserve communities.
To cite:
This case study was prepared by NCCARF. Please cite as: NCCARF, 2024: Tribal communities at the forefront of ocean change in the US. Case study for CoastAdapt, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Griffith University, Gold Coast.