Climate change impacts in the marine environment

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Global climate change is having two important effects on the world's oceans: 1), sea surface temperature is increasing due to the greenhouse effect, and 2) the acidity of the oceans is increasing due to excess carbon dioxide. These two changes will have far-reaching consequences for marine species, many of which are ecologically, economically, and culturally valuable in Canada. For example, rising temperatures are causing species ranges to shift to higher latitudes and deeper waters, and rising acidity is beginning to limit growth rates in species that build shells or skeletons out of calcium carbonate (e.g. corals and molluscs).My research program will investigate the effects of climate change on rocky shores, which are excellent systems for climate-related research because environmental effects such as temperature are already very important, and because intertidal plants and animals are easy to manipulate. My research in the intertidal zone addresses two fundamental questions: 1) how will marine organisms respond to changes in temperature and carbon dioxide / pH, and 2) how will climatic impacts on one or a few key species regulate community structure? To address the first question, I am manipulating temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations in the laboratory to determine their effects on the growth and reproduction of marine organisms. To address the second question, I am using a combination of field and laboratory manipulations to examine the effects of rising temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations on interacting groups of species (e.g. predatory sea stars and their mussel prey). By manipulating both environmental variables and species interactions, I will be able to determine how climate effects on a limited number of key species may determine the overall impact of climate change in coastal marine habitats.