As our climate warms, some marine species are moving northward, diving deeper or shifting their distribution in search of cooler waters, affecting fisheries and fishing communities. But uncertainty regarding whether the benefits of proactively planning for these shifts outweigh the costs has remained a barrier for some to incorporate climate change impacts into ocean plans.  

An interactive webinar, led by the CPO Marine Ecosystems Risk Team (MERT), featured NOAA CoastWatch staff and focused on how the CoastWatch data, tools, and capabilities can be used to inform sanctuaries science and management, including climate change assessment and adaptation.

The new web portal provides data on a number of indicators that track the status and trends of seven major marine ecosystems across the United States as well as a national synthesis.

“From using machine learning to develop critical atmospheric datasets to creating an experimental system for rapidly assessing causes of extreme events, these new awards will expedite climate science discoveries and build the library of resilience solutions needed to protect all sectors of our economy and environment.”

Participants identified rising ocean temperatures; ocean acidification and carbonate dynamics; the impacts of climate variability and change on deep water ecosystems; extreme events; and the ability to predict and project these changes at temporal and spatial scales meaningful to sanctuaries as the most pressing needs.