Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany, Branch of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology Giessen Germany, Aquatic Research Facility, Nature‐Based Solutions Research Centre University of Derby Derby UK
School of Life and Environmental Science, Centre for Integrative Ecology Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia, Deakin Marine Research and Innovation Centre Deakin University Geelong Victoria Australia
Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
Department of Biology University of North Florida Jacksonville Florida USA
Nantes Université, École Centrale Nantes, CNRS, LS2N, UMR 6004, F‐44000 Nantes France, Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara Oceans GOSEE, F‐75016 Paris France
Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore California USA
Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford UK
Aquatic Research Facility, Nature‐Based Solutions Research Centre University of Derby Derby UK
Climate change is fundamentally altering marine and coastal ecosystems on a global scale. While the effects of ocean warming and acidification on ecology and ecosystem functions and services are being comprehensively researched, less attention is directed toward understanding the impacts of human‐driven ocean salinity changes. The global water cycle operates through water fluxes expressed as precipitation, evaporation, and freshwater runoff from land. Changes to these in turn modulate ocean salinity and shape the marine and coastal environment by affecting ocean currents, stratification, oxygen saturation, and sea level rise. Besides the direct impact on ocean physical processes, salinity changes impact ocean biological functions with the ecophysiological consequences are being poorly understood. This is surprising as salinity changes may impact diversity, ecosystem and habitat structure loss, and community shifts including trophic cascades. Climate model future projections (of end of the century salinity changes) indicate magnitudes that lead to modification of open ocean plankton community structure and habitat suitability of coral reef communities. Such salinity changes are also capable of affecting the diversity and metabolic capacity of coastal microorganisms and impairing the photosynthetic capacity of (coastal and open ocean) phytoplankton, macroalgae, and seagrass, with downstream ramifications on global biogeochemical cycling. The scarcity of comprehensive salinity data in dynamic coastal regions warrants additional attention. Such datasets are crucial to quantify salinity‐based ecosystem function relationships and project such changes that ultimately link into carbon sequestration and freshwater as well as food availability to human populations around the globe. It is critical to integrate vigorous high‐quality salinity data with interacting key environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, nutrients, oxygen) for a comprehensive understanding of anthropogenically induced marine changes and its impact on human health and the global economy.
Röthig, Till, Trevathan‐Tackett, Stacey M., Voolstra, Christian R., Ross, Cliff, Chaffron, Samuel, Durack, Paul J., Warmuth, Laura M., & Sweet, Michael (2023). Human‐induced salinity changes impact marine organisms and ecosystems. Global Change Biology, 29(17). https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16859
Röthig, Till, Trevathan‐Tackett, Stacey M., Voolstra, Christian R., et al., "Human‐induced salinity changes impact marine organisms and ecosystems," Global Change Biology 29, no. 17 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16859
@article{osti_1989403,
author = {Röthig, Till and Trevathan‐Tackett, Stacey M. and Voolstra, Christian R. and Ross, Cliff and Chaffron, Samuel and Durack, Paul J. and Warmuth, Laura M. and Sweet, Michael},
title = {Human‐induced salinity changes impact marine organisms and ecosystems},
annote = {Abstract Climate change is fundamentally altering marine and coastal ecosystems on a global scale. While the effects of ocean warming and acidification on ecology and ecosystem functions and services are being comprehensively researched, less attention is directed toward understanding the impacts of human‐driven ocean salinity changes. The global water cycle operates through water fluxes expressed as precipitation, evaporation, and freshwater runoff from land. Changes to these in turn modulate ocean salinity and shape the marine and coastal environment by affecting ocean currents, stratification, oxygen saturation, and sea level rise. Besides the direct impact on ocean physical processes, salinity changes impact ocean biological functions with the ecophysiological consequences are being poorly understood. This is surprising as salinity changes may impact diversity, ecosystem and habitat structure loss, and community shifts including trophic cascades. Climate model future projections (of end of the century salinity changes) indicate magnitudes that lead to modification of open ocean plankton community structure and habitat suitability of coral reef communities. Such salinity changes are also capable of affecting the diversity and metabolic capacity of coastal microorganisms and impairing the photosynthetic capacity of (coastal and open ocean) phytoplankton, macroalgae, and seagrass, with downstream ramifications on global biogeochemical cycling. The scarcity of comprehensive salinity data in dynamic coastal regions warrants additional attention. Such datasets are crucial to quantify salinity‐based ecosystem function relationships and project such changes that ultimately link into carbon sequestration and freshwater as well as food availability to human populations around the globe. It is critical to integrate vigorous high‐quality salinity data with interacting key environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, nutrients, oxygen) for a comprehensive understanding of anthropogenically induced marine changes and its impact on human health and the global economy.},
doi = {10.1111/gcb.16859},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1989403},
journal = {Global Change Biology},
issn = {ISSN 1354-1013},
number = {17},
volume = {29},
place = {United Kingdom},
publisher = {Wiley-Blackwell},
year = {2023},
month = {07}}
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Earth & Environmental Systems Science (EESS)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1989403
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1993550 OSTI ID: 1995576
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-829191
Journal Information:
Global Change Biology, Journal Name: Global Change Biology Journal Issue: 17 Vol. 29; ISSN 1354-1013