We are happy to let you know that the Latin American Ocean Acidification (LAOCA) Network has recently launched its website - http://laoca.cl/en/ - which is now accessible in English, Spanish and Portuguese! The mission of LAOCA is to communicate and enhance understanding of ocean acidification process in Latin America, and its interaction with other local processes and their impact on marine ecosystems and their services through international cooperation. IOCCP, as a partner of LAOCA, actively promotes standards and best practices for marine biogeochemistry observations as well as provides technical training on measurement, data handling and data management procedures (Technical workshop on carbonate system measurements) for Latin American colleagues. LAOCA has now also announced the 1^st Latin American Symposium in Ocean Acidification, which will be held at Cultural Centre for the Sciencies of CONICET in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from the 23 to 26 October 2017.

The formation of LAOCA Network became necessary to integrate the activities of the Latin American participants active in GOA-ON Network (Global Ocean Acidification Network). Currently, the LAOCA network consists of 36 members from 8 Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru. 

Members of LAOCA network have common interests and aims, and express their willingness for to cooperate to reach defined objectives and to share the information generated from their studies. This will create a collaborative network that will allow to the research community and society, after specific embargo and data quality controls, to get free access to the results of researches in ocean acidification in Latin America. Take a look at this VIDEO to hear what LAOCA members themselves have to say about its significance. 

The 1^st Latin American Symposium in Ocean Acidification, 23-26 October 2017, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will convoke researchers, students, government and industries representatives from Latin America, but open to the global community, interested in acquiring a regional and global updated knowledge about the impacts of ocean acidification on marine resources and ecosystems. This 1^st symposium will be an opportunity for to share their research results and to explore new opportunities of collaborative research in the region. The four main themes included in the meeting are:

• Ocean acidification observing systems
• Modelling and regional projection of ocean acidification
• Physiological and ecological effects of ocean acidification: from organisms to ecosystems
• Human dimension of the ocean acidification

The Symposium is sponsored by:

• Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC / IAEA), Monaco
• National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Ministry of Sciences, technology and productive innovation, Argentina
• Centre for the study of Multiple Drivers on Marine Socio-Ecological Systems (MUSELS), Ministry of Economy, Chile
• Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), Ministry of Economy, Chile

If you have any questions about LAOCA or the Symposium, feel free to send an inquiry via email at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.‎