Hobart

Seminar Abstract

Friday 5 September 2008, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

Alistair J Hobday
Elvira S Poloczanska
Anthony J Richardson
Climate Adaptation Flagship
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research

Challenges for translating climate change impacts to adaptation choices in the marine environment

Climate change is impacting biodiversity globally. The IPCC 4th Assessment Report listed 28,671 significant biological changes of which 90% were consistent with climate change. Overall, less than 0.3% of these examples were from marine systems, which may be an artifact of the distribution of global science funding, the disconnect between marine and terrestrial ecology, the way marine ecologists report research findings, and limitations in the existing IPCC process. In Australia, marine ecosystems are important economically and ecologically directly in terms of tourism, coastal defence, and marine harvesting, and indirectly via ecosystem services such as nutrient recycling and waste disposal. Fundamental information on climate change impacts on marine ecosystems is critical for underpinning integrated and adaptive management strategies. Vulnerability assessments informed by observed impacts provide information on both potential climate impacts and underpin strategic prioritization for allocation of scientific and management resources. Within regions, policies can be targeted toward major non-climate stressors that could reduce future impacts of climate change. We provide examples of vulnerability assessments on regional and national scales that assist in identifying ecosystems, habitats, and biological components at greatest risk. The transition from impacts studies to adaptation is not easy, as climate change will impact biological, economic and social aspects in complex ways. Increased partnership among climate modellers, biologists, and socio-economists is required to develop plausible and robust scenarios for climate change impacts on marine systems and to test potential adaptive responses. Scientists are also faced with communication challenges and high expectation for delivery of information to support adaptation policies. A key challenge is to communicate information rapidly and accurately to policy advisors, decision makers and the general public. Following on from recommendations from the “In Hot Water” marine climate impacts conference in Nov 2007 and supported by the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship, we are developing a prototype Marine Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Report Card for Australia. Report cards are widely used throughout industry and politics and are an extremely effective tool for communication among widely differing organisations and stakeholders. We are developing partnerships with other research, conservation and policy organisations to deliver scientific results via the Report Card, and a supporting web-site containing detailed information.

Seminar Recording

[back]

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