WALPOLE, Maine — The Maine Ocean Acidification Committee is ready to hold its first meeting.
The committee is charged with studying the impacts of ocean acidification on the state's environment. Its first meeting is scheduled for Friday in Walpole.
The council has 16 members and is slated to meet at least four times before wrapping up its work by Dec. 5. Officials say the panel will report its findings to the state legislature's Marine Resources Committee.
The panel is expected to study and address the effects of ocean acidification on ecosystems and shellfisheries. State officials say the commission is the first of its kind in the eastern United States. They say the panel will issue a report about the environmental and economic impacts of ocean acidification.