RCN: Evaluating the Impacts of a Changing Ocean on Management and Ecology of Infectious Marine Disease

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Infectious diseases of marine organisms are increasing, and yet processes governing host infectivity, pathogen virulence and invertebrate-microbial interactions are poorly understood in marine systems. Impending ocean changes due to human activities are likely to impact the prevalence and severity of marine diseases. During an NSF-OCE convened Ecology of Marine Infectious Disease workshop in February 2011 several ways to increase our understanding of disease ecology and the impacts of climate change in marine systems were discussed. A primary recommendation of the workshop was for increased collaboration and capacity building among marine researchers and related fields. Greater collaboration across scientific disciplines, including natural, physical and social sciences (e.g. ecology, microbiology, oceanography, economics, communications) will greatly advance our understanding of marine disease and how climate change may impact disease dynamics in the ocean. This project will increase the ability of scientists and managers to predict and respond to marine disease outbreaks, ultimately informing decisions on how to enhance the health and resilience of marine systems. The research into public perceptions of risks will also suggest ways to apply this research to reducing anthropogenic stressors associated with marine disease. The Research Coordination Network (RCN) project described here was developed in response to these recommendations and the two primary activities are as follows: Workshops - Five annual gatherings of RCN participants will address specific network goals, including 1) linkages of disease outbreaks with climate change and acidification, 2) modeling economic consequences of climate and disease synergisms, 3) advances in marine disease diagnostics, 4) oceanographic factors important in disease transmission, 5) warming oceans and tropical disease. Research Training Module - Two five-week hands-on research training modules will provide cross disciplinary training to graduate and postdoctoral participants in 1) field disease surveys, 2) pathogen culture and diagnostics, and 3) host immune biochemistry. The students will then apply these methods to ecological questions about disease dynamics, including the effects of temperature and pH, in group projects that will be presented at the annual RCN workshops. The diversity of participants in this RCN, including graduate students, junior scientists, and female scientists, supports the NSF goal of promoting diversity in the STEM fields. The workshops will involve a broad representation of stakeholders, including underrepresented groups (e.g. Native Americans in the Puget Sound region), to better understand and address their concerns. An RCN website will be developed and include access to publications and presentations that will aid in the broader dissemination of knowledge garnered from RCN activities. We will also work with the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS) as well as other local and national media outlets to publicize our activities and findings. Information from the RCN could also align with several emerging federal policy initiatives related to climate change and oceans such as the National Ocean Policy and the National Fish, Wildlife, & Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy. Additionally, we will work with Google Ocean to develop interactive global marine-disease related maps. The spatially explicit nature of marine disease outbreaks, coupled with the expertise within our RCN, provides an excellent opportunity to map these events on this broad and accessible platform.