Marine Heatwaves
Climate change-amplified marine heatwaves are pushing critical coastal ecosystems beyond their limits.
Marine heatwaves are increasing in frequency and intensity because of climate change. Over the past decade, our team documented the impacts of a globally unprecedented heatwave on coral reefs in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. We are now working to understand the impacts of that same heatwave on kelp forests along British Columbia’s coastline. Our discoveries are changing understanding of how ecosystems respond to and recover from these events.
Heat stress caused by the 2015-2016 El Niño triggered the 3rd ever Global Coral Bleaching event. Our field site Kiritimati (shown centre of map above, due south of Honolulu) was the epicentre of this event, subjected to bleaching Alerts 1 and 2 for almost a year.
Marine heatwaves and coral reefs
Coral reefs are the most vulnerable marine ecosystems to thermal stress. In 2014, we initiated a study to track the fate of over 1000 corals on Kiritimati during the forthcoming El Niño. The 2015-2016 El Niño resulted in a heatwave of globally unprecedented duration on the atoll. We conducted 5 expeditions to the atoll during this heatwave, tracking the tagged corals and studying all aspects of the reef ecosystem, at sites around the atoll subjected to varying levels of underlying local anthropogenic stressors. We continue to monitor the reef and record the recovery trajectory. Our discoveries provide new insights into mechanisms of resilience on coral reefs.
Marine heatwaves and kelp forests
In our British Columbia based field program, we are working to document and understand long-term changes in kelp and other algal communities, including those wrought by the 2014-2017 marine heatwave. This research is conducted in collaboration with Kelp Rescue, and builds from Dr. Chris Neufeld and Sam’s years of kelp monitoring in Barkley Sound.
Photo Credits: Banner photo (Kristina Tietjen), Diver + dead reef (Danielle Claar), Algae sampling (Kevin Bruce), Bottom photo (Danielle Claar)