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Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 613:247-252 (2019)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12902

OPINION PIECE
Multinational, integrated approaches to forecasting and managing the impacts of climate change on intertidal species

N. Mieszkowska1,2,*, L. Benedetti-Cecchi3, M. T. Burrows4, M. Cristina Mangano5, A. Queirós6, L. Seuront7, G. Sarà5

1School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GP, UK
2The Marine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth PL1 2PB, UK
3Department of Biology, Università di Pisa CoNISMa, 13 56126 Pisa, Italy
4Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban PA37 1QA, UK
5Department of Earth and Marine Science Sciences, DiSTeM, University of Palermo, 90103 Palermo, Italy
6Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth PL1 3DH, UK
7Laboratoire d’Océanologie et de Géosciences, CNRS, Université de Lille, Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale, 62930 Wimereux, France
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: Marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are facing unprecedented pressures in the Anthropocene, with climate change being a primary stressor. To understand the biological response mechanisms along coastlines, the international scientific community requires coordinated action, integrating obervations through observatory networks and spatially extensive experiments using standardized approaches over broad geographic scales. Currently, however, a multinational, integrated approach is lacking, with little application of standard methodologies or data sharing across countries. Changes in the abundance, distribution and competitive dominance of rocky intertidal organisms are useful sentinels of climate change because these communities are easy to observe and long-term time series exist. Europe is in a prime position to lead by example, building on the extensive history of sustained observations and experimental research to establish an integrated network of studies and monitoring programmes. These will improve our understanding of how organismal responses translate into biogeographic range shifts, and generate more biologically realistic predictions of future climate change impacts with which to design mitigation, adaptation and conservation strategies.


KEY WORDS: Climate change · Intertidal · Long-term monitoring · Experiments · Species distribution models


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Cite this article as: Mieszkowska N, Benedetti-Cecchi L, Burrows MT, Mangano MC, Queirós A, Seuront L, Sarà G (2019) Multinational, integrated approaches to forecasting and managing the impacts of climate change on intertidal species. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 613:247-252. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12902

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