Impacts are particularly striking for the poles and the tropics, because of the sensitivity of polar. Climate change has adversely affected both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The relationship between temperature and individual performance is reasonably well understood, and much climate. Noaa is part of a global partnership implementing ecosystembased approaches to assess, manage, recover, and sustain marine resources within large marine ecosystems. To learn more about the impacts of climate change and variability on marine ecosystems and resources, visit the subtopic pages. Many people in developing countries are more vulnerable to climate change impacts than people in developed countries. We developed the large marine ecosystem approach and the ecological criteria used to delineate the 66 large marine ecosystems worldwide more than 30 years ago. The ocean and climate change scripps institution of. This paper is a summary of the coastal and marine resources sector. While ambitious mitigation and adaptation are both needed, the ocean provides major opportunities for action to reduce climate change globally and its impacts on vital ecosystems and ecosystem services.
Anthropogenic climate change, carbon dioxide co2, coastal oceanography, community structure, distributional shifts, marine ecosystems, ocean ph, population. Although these potential impacts of climate change and variability will vary from system to system, it is important to recognize that they will be superimposed upon, and in many cases intensify, other ecosystem stresses pollution, harvesting, habitat destruction, invasive species, land and resource use, extreme natural events. This is the gambia river in senegal s niokolokoba national park. The paris agreement target of limiting global surface warming to 1. Climate change can alter where species live, how they interact, and the timing of biological events, which could fundamentally transform current ecosystems and food webs. They have undergone major changes over the past 20 years, much of which has been associated with climate change and other stresses. Bruno1,2 marine ecosystems are centrally important to the biology of the planet, yet a comprehensive understanding of how anthropogenic climate change is affecting them has been poorly developed. This booklet is based on the report ecological impacts of climate change 2008, by the committee on ecological impacts of climate change. Climate change impacts on marine biodiversity, fisheries. This section has been excerpted and abridged from the report climate change impacts in the united states. Nov 20, 2012 one of the most pressing questions of the day is how natural systems will respond to future changes in climate.
Adaptation has become an indispensable part of any climate change strategies. Terrestrial, freshwater, and marine organisms are responding to climate change by altering individual characteristics, the timing of biological events, and their geographic ranges. Future climate change is expected to affect many ecosystems, including tundra, mangroves, coral reefs, and caves. Climate change is already stressing many freshwater species by warming water temperatures, shifting streamflow regimes, increasing extreme events e.
Cumulative effects of planned industrial development and. Climate change can threaten ecosystems that have already been weakened. Doney woods hole oceanographic institution, woods hole, massachusetts, usa chapter outline 1. Climate change and species ecosystems global studies. In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric co2 and climate change are associated with concurrent shifts in. One of the most pressing questions of the day is how natural systems will respond to future changes in climate. Countries around the world will likely face climate change impacts that affect a wide variety of sectors, from water resources to human health to ecosystems. These shifts were linked to a southward migration in. But ask fishermen, and many will tell you that climaterelated changes in marine and coastal ecosystems are well underway. Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems annual.
Thinning of arctic seaice will also affect access to natural resources in the arctic and open up shipping routes. Climate change impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems and. Coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass and estuaries are typical ecosystems. By looking to the past we know that climate driven phenomena have resulted in large changes to marine ecosystems.
Climate change impacts in the arctic are likely to have important implications for the uk, as a result the changes in global climate system and northatlantic ecosystems. Jun 18, 2010 marine ecosystems are centrally important to the biology of the planet, yet a comprehensive understanding of how anthropogenic climate change is affecting them has been poorly developed. Combined effects of climate change and other impacts. Two major drivers of change in coastal and marine ecosystems are industrial developments with acute impacts on local ecosystems, and global climate change stressors with widespread impacts. Climate impacts on ecosystems climate change impacts. Recent studies indicate that rapidly rising greenhouse gas concentrations are driving ocean systems toward conditions not seen for millions of years, with an associated risk of fundamental and. Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and resources. Predictions of the effects of climate change on coastal and marine ecosystems are associated with varying degrees of confidence. Most marine species and ecosystems are presently under numerous simultaneous threats. The purpose of this report the ocean and climate change tools and guidelines for action is to engage, inform and guide decision makers with regard to the development and implementation of marine and coastal climate change strategies and programmes. The impact of climate change on the worlds marine ecosystems ove hoeghguldberg1 and john f.
There is some confidence in predictions of how increases in temperature will affect plant and animal physiology, abundances, and distributions. The chapter also illustrates the complex and interrelated nature of climate change impacts to biodiversity, ecosystems, and the services they provide. Pdf impacts of climate change on marine organisms and. In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric co2 and climate change are asso ciated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification. Increases in concentrations of greenhouse gases projected for the 21st century are expected to lead to increased mean global air and ocean temperatures. Emmett duffy and james barry and francis chan and chad english and heather m. Finally, we contemplate the challenge of dealing with the confounding effects of multiple impacts climate change, fishing pressure, pollution, and discuss how we might respond to and mitigate against the effects of climate change.
Climate change affects the living world, including people, through changes in ecosystems, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Examples include reefs and barrier islands that protect coastal ecosystems from. However, what is much less well understood than the physical changes, is the impact of climate change on biodiversity, and the benefits gained by humans from ecosystems, termed ecosystem services e. Pdf climate change impacts on marine ecosystems jeffrey. Fourth, to illustrate key principles, we describe climate related changes in selected marine ecosystems. Populationlevel shifts are occurring because of physiological intolerance to new environments, altered dispersal patterns, and changes in. Phytoplankton, primary production, and climate 820 3. Coastal and marine ecosystems article pdf available in estuaries and coasts 252.
Climate change impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems. The national assessment of potential consequences of climate variability and change nast 2001 was based on a series of regional and sector assessments. Coral reef tropical intertidal and sub tidal regions are dominated by ecosystems that are characterized by a framework of scleractinian corals. Coastal and marine ecosystems d onald s cavia 1,j ohn c. The impact of climate change on the worlds marine ecosystems.
Ecosystems, ecosystem services, and biodiversity fourth. Temperature organism metabolism productivity and species interactions. The impacts of climate change on ecosystem structure and. Climate change impacts in the terrestrial realm climate change is expected to have a significant influence on terrestrial biodiversity at all system levels ecosystem, species and genetic diversity. Climate change can overwhelm the capacity of ecosystems to mitigate extreme events and disturbance, such as wildfires, floods, and drought. It details the likely impacts of climate change over the next century on u. Here, we summarize key findings on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems, focusing on the fluxes of matter and energy and the biotic and abiotic parts of ecosystems that contribute most to those.
Frontiers ocean solutions to address climate change and. Climate impacts on ecosystems climate change impacts us epa. The mediterranean sea is a hotspot of biodiversity. Loss of sea ice, rapid warming, and higher organic inputs affect marine and lake productivity, while combined impacts of wildfire and insect outbreaks decrease forest productivity, mostly in the arid. Anthropogenically induced global climate change has profound implications for marine ecosystems and the economic and social systems that depend upon them. The intergovernmental panel on climate change predicts a further. Climate change and european marine ecosystem research gaps and priorities per region. Pdf in marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric co2 and climate change are associated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification.
These impacts are projected to become more severe during the 21st century ipcc. Climate induced changes and other lessunderstood anthropogenic changes will be superimposed on other impacts resulting from human activities such as over fishing, pollution, damming of rivers and habitat loss in coastal areas. For some people, climate change is just a theoretical possibility. The principal brake to climate change remains reduced co 2 emissions that marine scientists and custodians of the marine environment can lobby for and contribute to. Pervasive climatechange impacts on ecosystems are those that affect productivity of ecosystems or their ability to process chemical elements. International climate impacts climate change impacts us epa.
Pdf vietnam boasts high biodiversity, with 20 types of ecosystems. Consequently, the fundamental characteristics of marine ecosystems. Recent studies indicate that rapidly rising greenhouse gas concentrations are driving ocean systems toward conditions not seen for millions of years, with an associated risk of fundamental and irreversible. Along the atlantic coast, many species of commercially valuable species of fish are moving north or deeper to stay within their preferred temperature range. The ocean and climate change tools and guidelines for action. Marine biodiversity, ecosystem health and fisheries are currently threatened by overfishing, but also by pollution and other anthropogenic impacts. Climate change is an additional stressor in a complex suite of threats facing freshwater ecosystems.
The impacts of climate change in coastal marine systems. Funding for the report and this product was provided by the united states geological survey. Marine ecosystems are centrally important to the biology of the planet, yet a comprehensive understanding of how anthropogenic climate change is affecting them has been poorly developed. Climate change and human modification may restrict ecosystems ability to temper the impacts of extreme conditions, and thus may increase vulnerability to damage.
The resistance of individual species to single threats may be reduced in the face of multiple stressors, and perturbed ecosystems suffer diversity loss that can compromise ecosystem function and resistance to further change. In addition to climate change, these include fishing, elevated uv exposure, pollution, alien introductions and disease. Schematic overview of the direct and indirect drivers of climate change and their impact on organisms and ecosystems. In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric co2 and climate change are associated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, nutrient input, oxygen content, and ocean acidification, with potentially wideranging biological effects. Fourth, to illustrate key principles, we describe climaterelated changes in selected marine ecosystems. Impacts of climate change on marine organisms and ecosystems. Marine ecosystems, biogeochemistry, and climate scott c. Changes are expected to alter the makeup and functioning of ecosystems, as well as some of the critical benefits that ecosystems provide to people. The booklet was developed by anne frances johnson and designed by francesca moghari. By looking to the past we know that climatedriven phenomena have resulted in large changes to marine ecosystems. Ecosystems can serve as natural buffers from extreme events such as wildfires, flooding, and drought. The 2014 national climate assessment report and highlights can be found online at. Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems oceans at mit.
Climate change and marine ecosystem research synthesis of. The impacts of climate change on ecosystem structure and function. Palaeontologys contribution to the last assessment on impacts of and adaptation to climate change was highly visible in the summary for policy makers of ipcc working groups ii impacts, adaptation, and vulnerabilities many terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species have shifted their geographic ranges, seasonal activities, migration. The intergovernmental panel on climate change predicts a further rise of between 1. We conducted a cumulative effects mapping analysis of the marine waters of british columbia, canada, under different scenarios. Populationlevel shifts are occurring because of physiological intolerance to new environments, altered dispersal patterns, and changes in species interactions. Marine species affected by climate change include plankton which forms the basis of marine food chains corals, fish, polar bears, walruses, seals, sea lions, penguins, and seabirds. Climate change continues to impact species and populations in significant and observable ways. In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric co 2 and climate change are associated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, nutrient input, oxygen content, and ocean acidification, with potentially wideranging biological effects. In marine ecosystems, rising atmospheric co and climate change are associated with concurrent shifts in temperature, circulation, stratification, nutrient input, oxygen content, and ocean acidification, with potentially wideranging biological effects.
Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability the assessment of impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability in the working group ii contribution to the ipccs fifth assessment report wgii ar5 evaluates how patterns of risks and potential benefits are shifting due to climate change since 2007 when the fourth assessment report ar4 was released. Ecosystems around the globe are rapidly changing in response to climate change and other humaninduced stressors. Ecosystems entail all the living things in a particular area as well as the nonliving things with which they interact, such as air, soil, water, and sunlight. Such climate change will create novel challenges for coastal and marine ecosystems that are already stressed from human development, landuse change, environmental pollution, and overfishing.
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