New measures of ocean health

The ocean’s ability to deliver vital benefits to people depends on its overall health. Yet, despite widespread agreement that policy goals must include a shift towards ecosystem health, “healthy” continues to mean different things to different people. Current assessments of health are heavily biased towards biophysical indicators, but a coupled systems view of the ocean necessitates that humans are an integral part of the system itself. Karen McLeod, COMPASS' Director of Science, is a co-PI on an NCEAS working group that is developing new measures of ocean health through the lens of the benefits provided to people (also known as ecosystem services). These scientists are partnering with a larger group of collaborators to develop an Ocean Health Index (OHI) at regional and global scales. The OHI and its associated set of indicators are intended to inform goal-setting, policy development, monitoring, identification of funding priorities, and public awareness. Leadership of the NCEAS team also includes Ben Halpern, Andy Rosenberg, Mike Fogarty, and Larry Crowder.

Click here for a short desription of this effort.

Miller-McCune article series on the OHI.