Essential ocean variables for global sustained observations of biodiversity and ecosystem changes

Patricia Miloslavich; Nicholas J Bax; Samantha E Simmons; Eduardo Klein; Ward Appeltans; Octavio Aburto-Oropeza; Melissa Andersen Garcia; Sonia D Batten; Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi; David M Checkley Jr; Sanae Chiba; J Emmett Duffy; Daniel C Dunn; Albert Fischer; John Gunn; Raphael Kudela; Francis Marsac; Frank E Muller-Karger; David Obura; Yunne-Jai Shin

doi:10.1111/gcb.14108

Essential ocean variables for global sustained observations of biodiversity and ecosystem changes

Glob Chang Biol. 2018 Jun;24(6):2416-2433. doi: 10.1111/gcb.14108. Epub 2018 Apr 5.

Authors

Patricia Miloslavich^{1

2

3

4}, Nicholas J Bax^{1

5}, Samantha E Simmons⁶, Eduardo Klein², Ward Appeltans⁷, Octavio Aburto-Oropeza⁸, Melissa Andersen Garcia⁹, Sonia D Batten¹⁰, Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi¹¹, David M Checkley Jr¹², Sanae Chiba^{13

14}, J Emmett Duffy¹⁵, Daniel C Dunn¹⁶, Albert Fischer¹⁷, John Gunn³, Raphael Kudela¹⁸, Francis Marsac^{19

20}, Frank E Muller-Karger²¹, David Obura²², Yunne-Jai Shin^{19

23}

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tas., Australia.
² Departamento de Estudios Ambientales, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela.
³ Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Qld, Australia.
⁴ Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
⁵ CSIRO, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart, Tas., Australia.
⁶ Marine Mammal Commission, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁷ Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, IOC Project Office for IODE, Oostende, Belgium.
⁸ Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁹ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of International Affairs, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁰ Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS), Nanaimo, BC, Canada.
¹¹ Department of Biology, University of Pisa, CoNISMa, Pisa, Italy.
¹² University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
¹³ UN Environment-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁴ Research and Development Center for Global Change (RCGC), JAMSTEC, Yokohama, Japan.
¹⁵ Tennenbaum Marine Observatories Network, Smithsonian Institution, Edgewater, MD, USA.
¹⁶ Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA.
¹⁷ Intergovermental Oceanographic Commission IOC/UNESCO, Paris, France.
¹⁸ Ocean Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
¹⁹ Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR MARBEC 248, Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
²⁰ Department of Oceanography, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
²¹ Institute for Marine Remote Sensing/IMaRS, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, USA.
²² CORDIO East Africa, Mombasa, Kenya.
²³ Department of Biological Sciences, Ma-Re Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.

PMID: 29623683
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14108

Abstract

Sustained observations of marine biodiversity and ecosystems focused on specific conservation and management problems are needed around the world to effectively mitigate or manage changes resulting from anthropogenic pressures. These observations, while complex and expensive, are required by the international scientific, governance and policy communities to provide baselines against which the effects of human pressures and climate change may be measured and reported, and resources allocated to implement solutions. To identify biological and ecological essential ocean variables (EOVs) for implementation within a global ocean observing system that is relevant for science, informs society, and technologically feasible, we used a driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. We (1) examined relevant international agreements to identify societal drivers and pressures on marine resources and ecosystems, (2) evaluated the temporal and spatial scales of variables measured by 100+ observing programs, and (3) analysed the impact and scalability of these variables and how they contribute to address societal and scientific issues. EOVs were related to the status of ecosystem components (phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and diversity, and abundance and distribution of fish, marine turtles, birds and mammals), and to the extent and health of ecosystems (cover and composition of hard coral, seagrass, mangrove and macroalgal canopy). Benthic invertebrate abundance and distribution and microbe diversity and biomass were identified as emerging EOVs to be developed based on emerging requirements and new technologies. The temporal scale at which any shifts in biological systems will be detected will vary across the EOVs, the properties being monitored and the length of the existing time-series. Global implementation to deliver useful products will require collaboration of the scientific and policy sectors and a significant commitment to improve human and infrastructure capacity across the globe, including the development of new, more automated observing technologies, and encouraging the application of international standards and best practices.

Keywords: Marine Biodiversity Observation Network; driver-pressure-state-impact-response; essential ocean variables; framework for ocean observing; global ocean observing system; marine biodiversity changes; ocean change.

Abstract

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