Climate change brews trouble for European marine life, says ESF report
The report found that due to the increase in global temperatures, Atlantic species are beginning to inhabit the more northern seas, where Arctic species have traditionally lived. Meanwhile subtropical species are moving into southern waters, previously the habitat of temperate species.
The latest European Science Foundation Marine Board study report, 'Impact of climate change on European marine and coastal environment - Ecosystem approach', shows how even the current moderate climate scenarios have had consequences for the European marine environment.
The study details the impact of climate change in European Seas, including the Arctic, the Barents Sea, the Nordic Seas, the Baltic, the North Sea, the Northeast Atlantic, the Celtic-Biscay Shelf, the Iberia upwelling margin, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
The research found that the decline in sea ice cover in the northern Arctic and Barents Seas has triggered the most obvious temperature changes for marine life, and that the open systems structure of these seas demonstrates how climate changes are causing the further northward movement of marine organisms.
The distributional shifts in organisms, from phytoplankton to marine mammals and seabirds, may result in the establishment of non-indigenous species in the Arctic, forcing a further geographical withdrawal of native Arctic species and the possibility of some species disappearing altogether, the team reported.
In addition, increased river runoff, which has freshened the Baltic Sea, has led to shifts from marine to more brackish species and even freshwater species moving into the Baltic.
At the same time, the temperature-induced loss of native species from enclosed systems, such as the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, will make it easier for non-native organisms to invade these seas.
The marine ecologist Dr Katja Philippart, from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, concluded that 'the scientific evidence is now overwhelming that climate change is a serious global threat which requires urgent global response, and that climate change is driven by human activity.'
For the future, the European Science Foundation Marine Board recommended that scientists set up an open access database of marine environmental data to identify the nature and rate of consequences of climate change on European marine life and marine and coastal waters.
Recognising the need for improved coordination between European marine science organisations (both research institutes and funding organisations) and for the development of a strategy for marine science in Europe, the European Science Foundation (ESF), in association with the European Commission, established the ESF Marine Board in 1995 to address these issues.
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