Ocean acidification and climate change at coastal scales for coastal services

Human-made global change will have significant impacts at regional and coastal scales on marine systems. dependent socioeconomies and ocean services. These can strongly interact with regional and local human-activity induces pressures such as fishing, pollution, and eutrophication.

The primary novelty of CE2COAST will be an observation-driven synthesis of statistical and dynamical downscaling methodology. The higher process resolution and detailed system representations are tailored address environmental pressures and services in regional and coastal domains.

The objective of the project is to deliver estimates of natural and forced variability of oceanic processes as well as regional and local mean states and trends of pressures on ocean services. A capacity to understand and predict impacts of human induced change on regional seas and coasts is essential for developing robust strategies for adaptation and mitigation.

Our novel approach focussed on strengthening climate knowledge relevant to ocean services aims to deliver the information required for stronger and immediate trans-national co-operation and societal transformation to mitigate and adapt to climate change, while also safeguarding and developing a sustainable marine bioeconomy.

While the technical tasks of CE2COAST have a strong focus on the participating countries/regions, ocean-climate interaction is relevant for the entire ocean scale. It is therefore vital to bring the findings into an enhanced geographic context and involve stakeholders as early as possible on a broad geographic basis. The ongoing activities focussed on the “Decade of the Oceans” through IOC and the ATLANTIC INTERACTIONS Initiative through AIR Centre provide highly relevant platforms to achieve a powerful stakeholder involvement all across the Atlantic Ocean and beyond. This objective therefore contributes to the aim of helping to inform adaptation policy by bringing key knowledge to increase resilience and adaptation measures for vulnerable areas, especially in coastal and low island areas. The CE2COAST co-production approach is also a form of ‘Climate Services innovation’.

This Project is hosted by the Ocean Decade Programme Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability (OARS)