Environmental change
The most severe threats to marine biodiversity are in the
coastal zone and are mostly a direct result of human activity,
including habitat degradation, climate change, atmospheric changes,
effects of fishing activities, pollution, mineral extraction and
the physical alteration of coasts. In the past it was considered
that the fluid nature of life in the sea, with widespread
dispersal, could ensure most marine organisms against total
extinction. However, recently it has become clear that there are
many invisible barriers to dispersal and that many species may be
more vulnerable to environmental change than previously
thought.
Data from PML’s sampling activities, such as the benthic survey
and plankton monitoring, along with other long term data sets are
being used to develop conceptual and numerical tools that will
allow us to examine the consequences of change at the level of
ecosystems.
Projects