34 Introduction
Increased CO2 in the atmosphere is causing a number of impacts including increased oceanic temperatures, ocean acidification, extreme weather conditions and change in distribution of species. The ocean has an incredible capacity to help mitigate the impacts of climate change through processes including carbon sequestration and storage termed ‘Blue Carbon’ (e.g. seaweed, mangroves, and saltmarsh take up carbon and act as a ‘sink’).
Learning Goals
By the end of this chapter you should:
- Be able to evaluate climate change trends and apply to a marine context
- Identify impacts of climate change on the marine environment and the complexity of multiple stressors
- Critically evaluate ways organisms may adapt to climate change, including assisted adaptation, and apply knowledge to management decisions
- Evaluate potential marine and coastal solutions to climate change including blue carbon (seagrass, saltmarsh, mangrove, seaweed) and feeding cattle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
