Publications which the BOOMS project has contributed to will be listed here when they are available, project participants will be highlighted in bold:
Anabitarte, Asier and Astarloa, Amaia and
Garcia-Baron, Isabel and Valle, Mireia and Mateo, Maria and Chust, Guillem and Galparsoro, Ibon and Arrizabalaga, Haritz and Eguíluz, Victor M. and
Martinez-Vicente, Victor and
Fernandes-Salvador, Jose A. (2024),
A New Approach for Protecting Areas in Atlantic Beyond National Jurisdiction Based on Seascapes and Trade-Offs with Human Activities. Available at SSRN:
https://ssrn.com/abstract=4773737 or
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4773737
Abstract
International biodiversity agreements set ambitious goals aiming to expand protected areas by up to 30%, including areas beyond national jurisdiction. The extent of the high seas, the shared governance, and the limited availability of biodiversity data challenge the identification of large-scale protected areas. In this context, this study explores seascapes defined from satellite data as proxies for biodiversity in the Atlantic high seas to assist in preliminary designations of protected areas at large scales. Seascapes extent is compared with the distribution of phytoplankton groups, fish species, and endangered species to assess their biodiversity representability in the Atlantic Ocean. Then, the study addresses trade-offs between the goal of protecting 30% of each seascape and current human activities such as shipping and fishing. For all the trophic levels, each species or group dominates at least in one seascape, suggesting that protecting at least 30% of each seascape is a good starting point for protection, which can be redefined later based on the presence of rare species or key habitats. Four protection strategies have been tested: a) minimize overall activities impact including national waters (Overall Strategy), b) minimize only the impact of high seas activities (Highseas Strategy), c) protect 30% of seascapes centroid (SC-Overall Strategy); and d) protect 30% of seascapes centroid at high seas (SC-Highseas Strategy). Obtained results indicate that implementing a combined protection strategy between Highseas and the SC-Highseas might be the best. This combined strategy defines lanes where there is currently more activity and redirects vessel activities in the proposed protected areas to these lanes, prioritizing the protection of the centroid of the seascapes. This protection strategy requires that activity of shipping and fishing vessels should be reduced or shifted to limit the impact on activities and significantly protect marine biodiversity.
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So Kawaguchi,
Angus Atkinson, Dominik Bahlburg, Kim S. Bernard, Emma L. Cavan, Martin J. Cox, Simeon L. Hill, Bettina Meyer & Devi Veytia. (2024),
Climate change impacts on Antarctic krill behaviour and population dynamics Nature Reviews Earth & Environment volume 5, pages 43–58 (2024) DOI: 10.1038/s43017-023-00504-y
Abstract
Krill habitats in the Southern Ocean are impacted by changing climate conditions, reduced sea ice and rising temperatures. These changes, in turn, affect krill occurrence, physiology and behaviour, which could have ecosystem impacts. In this Review, we examine climate change impacts on Antarctic krill and the potential implications for the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Since the 1970s, there have been apparent reductions in adult population density and the occurrence of very dense swarms in the northern Southwest Atlantic. These changes were associated with latitudinal and longitudinal rearrangement of population distribution — including a poleward contraction in the Southwest Atlantic — and were likely driven by ocean warming, sea-ice reductions and changes in the quality of larval habitats. As swarms are targeted by fishers and predators, this contraction could increase fishery–predator interactions, potentially exacerbating risk to already declining penguin populations and recovering whale populations. These risks require urgent mitigation measures to be developed. A circumpolar monitoring network using emerging technologies is needed to augment existing surveys and better record the shifts in krill distribution.
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Siegert Martin J., Bentley Mike J.,
Atkinson Angus, Bracegirdle Thomas J., Convey Peter, Davies Bethan, Downie Rod, Hogg Anna E., Holmes Caroline, Hughes Kevin A., Meredith Michael P., Ross Neil, Rumble Jane, Wilkinson Jeremy. (2023),
Antarctic extreme events.
Frontiers in Environmental Science. DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1229283
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that fossil-fuel burning, and consequential global heating of 1.1°C to date, has led to the increased occurrence and severity of extreme environmental events. It is well documented how such events have impacted society outside Antarctica through enhanced levels of rainfall and flooding, heatwaves and wildfires, drought and water/food shortages and episodes of intense cooling. Here, we briefly examine evidence for extreme events in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean across a variety of environments and timescales. We show how vulnerable natural Antarctic systems are to extreme events and highlight how governance and environmental protection of the continent must take them into account. Given future additional heating of at least 0.4°C is now unavoidable (to contain heating to the “Paris Agreement 1.5°C” scenario), and may indeed be higher unless drastic action is successfully taken on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by mid-Century, we explain it is virtually certain that future Antarctic extreme events will be more pronounced than those observed to date.
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