This week the Georgia Climate Project post will look at a question about the impacts of changes in ocean conditions along Georgia’s coast. What will the changes that we are already seeing happen do to our climate and to the coastal ecosystems which help drive commerce in those areas? How will changes in climate further affect us in the future? You can look at all 40 questions in the Georgia Climate Project Roadmap and see the list of references at https://roadmap.georgiaclimateproject.org/.

11. How will changes in abiotic conditions in the ocean influence Georgia’s climate and coastal ecosystems?

Why this question is important: Abiotic conditions, including physical and chemical properties of the oceans, are changing (Caldeira and Wickett 2003; Doney et al. 2012) and are already significantly affecting biological and human systems (Poloczanska et al. 2013). Increasing sea surface temperatures can exceed species tolerances and induce migration of species to cooler waters or cause extirpations of populations at the geographic fringes of a species range (Poloczanska et al. 2013). Temperature increases can also influence stratification, limiting access to light or nutrients and, consequently, coastal productivity and low oxygen conditions in coastal waters (Meire et al. 2013). Changes to temperature (Balmaseda et al. 2013) and salinity may also alter ocean circulation patterns in the future, affecting marine and human systems (Broecker 1997). In Georgia’s coastal waters, understanding the potential effects of changing abiotic conditions provides information necessary for developing strategies for maintaining coastal ecosystems and economic activities in the face of change.

Source: Trish Hartmann, Commons Wikimedia