Nina P' Hadley, Global Marine Team Climate Change Science Conference

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Marine Conservation Climate Change
Conservancy action in temperate, tropical
polar seas
Portions of this presentation were contributed by
AAAS Fellow Geoff Blate EPA
Nina P. Hadley, Global Marine TeamClimate Change
Science Conference
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Marine Climate Change Challenges (Marine HGST,
2006)

• Increased Sea surface temperature
• Increased coral reef bleaching events the past
  20 years
• CO2 effects on ocean chemistry
• Ocean acidification
• Sea Level Rise
• Most significant for the US
• Plus, likely alteration of circulation patterns,
  currents, upwelling and ocean oscillations
• Predicted increase in storms intensity /
  frequency

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The Earths Oceans Are Warming
Ocean heat content 1955-2003
Sea surface temperature change 1870-2005
Hansen et al. 2006 PNAS
Levitus et al. 2005 GRL
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Ocean Acidity is Increasing

• In past 200 years
• Oceans absorbed ½ CO2 emissions
• Ocean pH has decreased by 0.1

Sources (1) Doney 2006, Sci. Amer. (2) Royal
Society 2005
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Sea Levels Are Rising Along Most US Coasts
Source www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/
slrmaps
Under all emission scenarios, sea levels are
expected to rise 4 35 in. globally (IPCC)
Source www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/recentsl
c
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Storm Intensity Is Increasing
Atlantic hurricane power dissipation has more
than doubled in the past 30 years (Emanuel 2005)
The number proportion of the strongest
hurricanes have nearly doubled in the past 30
years (Webster et al. 2005)
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Resilience In the Tropics
Climate models predict threshold temperatures for
mass-bleaching events will be reached annually in
30-50 years.
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Resilience Science feeds MPA Network
Implementation
(1) Effective Management
(2) Connectivity
(3) Critical Areas
(4) Representation, Replication
Risk-spreading
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Resilience matters in places Like
florida keys
Palau is setting a global example in effective
coral reef management and resilient networks of
MPAs.
solomon islands
kimbe bay
MAR
hawaii
komodo national park
raja ampat
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TNCs next BIG thing?
?
?
Albemarle Sound, NC could set a global example in
temperate nearshore habitat conservation,
restoration and adaptation to sea level rise.
?
?
?
?
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????s to ponder

• Prioritizing what to work on with respect to
  climate change in the marine environment across
  tropical, polar and temperate habitat types?
• the extent of habitats effected (total number and
  acres) / how badly communities in these habitats
  will be effected (i.e., do a few species change
  or do most get lost)
• likelihood of reversing threat
• Why TNC? What are we doing differently from other
  NGOs? Whats our niche?

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Marine Adaptation Strategies _at_ TNC

• Tropical
• Kimbe Bay, PNG - Alison Green
• Mesoamerican Reef - Diana Bermudez
• Coral Triangle - Lizzie McLeod
• Polar
• Bering Sea, Arctic - Steve MacLean
• Temperate
• Albemarle Peninsula - Jeff DeBlieu (PM)