Student Webinar by Richard Rosas

This talk involves the use of in-situ sensors to characterize surface seawater pH and to understand how natural cycles influence its variability. While much research has focused on the potential anthropogenic impacts on surface water pH, this presentation highlights how pH can also shift due to natural processes such as excess photosynthesis or respiration, diurnal and seasonal cycles, extreme weather events, and more. The talk will draw on data collected from the Northwest Gulf of Mexico and the Southwest South Atlantic to examine how both abiotic and biotic factors—ranging from differing water masses and seasonal changes to biological interactions, diurnal patterns, and wind effects—contribute to variations in surface seawater pH.