CCFHR scientists are working to develop the ability to predict some
of the changes we can expect as climate changes in the next decades.
As part of our work over the past 100+ years, we have been able to characterize
and understand the ecological functioning of many coastal habitats in
the southeastern U.S. and elsewhere. This accrued knowledge should allow
us to evaluate climate induced changes and perhaps predict those that
will occur.
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a product of algal metabolism
whose production leads to release of dimethyl sulfide to the atmosphere.
This compound plays a critical role in cloud formation which influences
the solar light flux and heating at the earth’s surface in turn. CCFHR
researchers are investigating the effect of light flux and nutrients
on the DMSP production of marine algae. This should aid in understanding
the complicated feedback mechanisms of atmospheric and marine chemistry,
algal physiology, and their possible linkages to global warming.
Sea level is rising along the southeastern U.S. coast. This will inundate
low lying coastal areas, creating new shallow water habitats. It will
also move existing habitats to greater depths with different tidal exposures
and different risks of predation to their inhabitants as well as creating
different patterns of wave exposure and potential for erosion. At CCFHR
we are developing a capability to predict some of the changes that will
accompany sea level rise, drawing on our understanding of the dependence
of the shallow water communities on water depth, tidal inundation frequency,
temperature fluctuations, and wave and current motion.
Offshore, special marine habitats are especially dependent on the Gulf Stream current.
If the patterns of its flow should shift as climate changes, we can expect
changes to the composition and productivity of the benthic and pelagic
communities there. We have characterized these communities and begun
to develop an understanding of their dependencies on current flows. This
should help managers in detecting the impacts of climate change on these
marine resources. There is already evidence of a shift toward a more
tropical fish community at a CCFHR study site off North Carolina that
is paralleled by documented increases in bottom water temperature over
the past decade.