Identifying potential marine climate change refugia in Canada’s Pacific: aspects relevant to the Salish Sea
Presentation Abstract
As climate change progresses, species and ecosystems will change in response. While some species will be able to shift their distributions, others will have difficulty keeping up with the pace of change. Thus, there is value in investigating, identifying (and protecting) areas of the ocean where conditions are stable or changing less rapidly, as it may provide another tool in a suite of ecosystem management techniques for adaptation to climate change. To date, much of the focus on potential marine climate refugia has focused on tropical systems, particularly coral reefs. We used the temperate waters of the NE Pacific as a case study to examine how a combination of remote sensing data and expert opinion could help identify areas where physical conditions are changing less rapidly. We analyzed variables affected by climate change where data were available for the whole region: sea surface temperature, sea surface height, and chlorophyll a from satellite data. In our consultations with oceanographers in the region, we identified some general characteristics of areas worthy of further investigation as potential climate refugia. We used the results of climate models for sea surface temperature and sea surface height to assess projected future changes. Our approach of combining analyses of change to date with expert assessments and modeled projections was a useful rapid assessment to identify potential climate refugia in Canada’s Pacific. Here we present the approach and its preliminary results, highlighting aspects of relevance to the Salish Sea.
Session Title
Ocean Acidification in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Ecosystem management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Biodiversity conservation--Methodology; Nature conservation
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Identifying potential marine climate change refugia in Canada’s Pacific: aspects relevant to the Salish Sea
2016SSEC
As climate change progresses, species and ecosystems will change in response. While some species will be able to shift their distributions, others will have difficulty keeping up with the pace of change. Thus, there is value in investigating, identifying (and protecting) areas of the ocean where conditions are stable or changing less rapidly, as it may provide another tool in a suite of ecosystem management techniques for adaptation to climate change. To date, much of the focus on potential marine climate refugia has focused on tropical systems, particularly coral reefs. We used the temperate waters of the NE Pacific as a case study to examine how a combination of remote sensing data and expert opinion could help identify areas where physical conditions are changing less rapidly. We analyzed variables affected by climate change where data were available for the whole region: sea surface temperature, sea surface height, and chlorophyll a from satellite data. In our consultations with oceanographers in the region, we identified some general characteristics of areas worthy of further investigation as potential climate refugia. We used the results of climate models for sea surface temperature and sea surface height to assess projected future changes. Our approach of combining analyses of change to date with expert assessments and modeled projections was a useful rapid assessment to identify potential climate refugia in Canada’s Pacific. Here we present the approach and its preliminary results, highlighting aspects of relevance to the Salish Sea.
