Marine ecosystem connections

Essential indicators of healthy, productive and biologically diverse European Shelf Seas

Sustainable human use and exploitation of the goods and services provided by the seas depends upon clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas. Science provides an understanding of the impacts of climate change and human activity on the marine environment, defining the tools required to describe the state of the ecosystem and to set boundaries for acceptable change which will help to avoid the irretrievable breakdown of ecosystem health.

International targets have been set for reducing the rate of loss of biodiversity. Our understanding of the link between biodiversity (defined by ecosystem structure) and a healthy functioning system is at an early stage. To avoid ecosystem dysfunction we need a better understanding of connections between the physical, chemical and biological components of the ecosystem. These connections can be represented by flows of materials (Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Silicon) and energy through benthic and pelagic food webs, and the linkages between them.

Marine ecosystem dynamics are driven by linkages between climate forcing, hydrography, benthic (seabed) & pelagic (water column) food webs and higher trophic levels (e.g. fish).

The main objective is to determine key ecosystem connections that are susceptible to change.

Arrows indicate some of the key factors which influence linkages in marine ecosystems. Indices of climate forcing include the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Atlantic Inflow Index (AII) and the Gulf Stream Index (GSI).