Hobart

Seminar Abstract

*Monday* 7 July 2008, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

James Cloern
US Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California, USA

The Altered States of San Francisco Bay: Surprises from 3 Decades of Observation

Ecosystem observations sustained over decades often produce surprises, revealing novel processes that regulate abundance, composition, and productivity of biological communities. Coupled research and observation have been sustained in San Francisco Bay (USA) since the 1970’s, and the progression of this study has yielded two kinds of surprises: (1) system behavior that is inconsistent with our conceptual and mathematical models (indicating that the models are wrong), and (2) abrupt departures from historic patterns (implying regime shifts). Both kinds of surprises are powerful opportunities to learn when we can identify the missing components of our models or discover the underlying causes of regime shifts. Examples from San Francisco Bay illustrate how: coastal marine ecosystems differ from freshwater ecosystems; introductions of nonindigenous species can disrupt biological communities across all trophic levels; and climate-driven regime changes operating across ocean basins can propagate into estuaries to alter their biological communities and water quality. Understanding decadal-scale ecosystem variability might be a useful context for understanding variability at the longer scales revealed by paleoceanographic techniques.

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Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Bernadette Sloyan, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5152
Thomas Kunz, (Biological seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
(03) 6232 5076
Natalie Dowling, (Fisheries Modelling) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research
(03) 6232 5148
Jillian Enraght-Moony, (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5320
Communications Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265
Margaret Hazelwood, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2971

Last updated 21/07/09