AAAS Session- Adapting to a clear and present danger: Climate change and ocean ecosystems

Synopsis

For marine systems, climate change is not a problem of the future; it is with us today. It is driving changes to marine ecosystems and compromising important services that are highly valued by society. While these and other impacts of climate change have received attention from the press and policy makers, many less obvious but critically important effects such as ocean acidification and changes in upwelling patterns have yet to be fully examined. Climate driven changes, in concert with other human activities will change the ecosystems we depend upon, including upwelling regions, coral reefs, and wetlands. An understanding of how climate change will affect the services provided by these systems is essential for society to adapt to a changing world.

Organizer

• Chad English, COMPASS

Speakers

• Chad English, COMPASS
  • Setting the stage

• Francis Chan, Oregon State University 
  • A is for Anoxia, but is B only for Bad News?

• Emmett Duffy, Virginia Institute of Marine Science 
  • Wetlands and Estuaries: How will things change where the land meets the sea?

• Nancy Knowlton, Smithsonian Institution 
  • Coral reefs & climate change

• Anne Hollowed, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association 
  • Climate change effects on fish and fisheries

• Jim Barry, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
  • How ocean change effects ecosystem services: Options for ocean health and societal adaptation

Discussants

• Andrew Rosenberg, Conservation International
• Kate Moran, University of Rhode Island