Coastal estuarine and marine ecosystems are inherently vulnerable to decline primarily as a result of the increase in human population dependent on the coast for living, working and transportation. Coastal ecosystems have been plagued by habitat loss, nutrient pollution, low oxygen events, harmful algal blooms and invasive species. Global climate change has the potential to exacerbate all of these existing stressors plus add some additional, unprecedented variability. Climate induced environmental changes on estuarine and marine ecosystems include:
Coastal decision makers need scientific information in order to appropriately manage coastal ecosystems impacted by climate change. CSCOR supports interdisciplinary, multi-year research programs investigating how oceanic and coastal ecosystems respond to climate variability and change. The goal is to develop a predictive understanding of coastal ecosystem responses to climate in order to inform and facilitate management of the impact of climate change. So far, CSCOR's climate change research has focused on sea level rise, fisheries, and protected resource impacts.