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Spatial and temporal changes in cumulative human impacts on the world's ocean
Benjamin S Halpern1,2,3, Melanie Frazier3, John Potapenko4
1Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA.
Nature Communications
|July 15, 2015
Summary
Global ocean impacts are rising, primarily due to climate change. This study maps cumulative human pressures, highlighting areas needing urgent marine ecosystem management and conservation efforts.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Oceanography
- Conservation science
Background:
- Human activities exert increasing pressure on marine ecosystems globally.
- Understanding cumulative impacts and their drivers is crucial for effective ocean management.
- Current knowledge of the patterns and scale of increasing human impacts is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate and map recent changes (over 5 years) in cumulative human impacts on marine ecosystems worldwide.
- To identify the primary drivers of these increasing impacts.
- To pinpoint areas experiencing the greatest increases in human pressure for targeted management.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cumulative impacts from fishing, climate change, and land/ocean-based stressors.
- Spatially explicit mapping of changes in human impacts over a 5-year period.
- Global-scale assessment of marine ecosystem pressures.
Main Results:
- Nearly 66% of the global ocean shows increased human impact.
- Climate change is the dominant driver of escalating marine pressures.
- Significant portions of the ocean (5%) face heavily increasing impacts, while 10% show decreasing pressures and low impact.
Conclusions:
- The study provides essential large-scale guidance for prioritizing marine management efforts.
- Addressing climate change is critical for maintaining and improving marine ecosystem health.
- Findings underscore the need for strategic interventions in heavily impacted ocean areas.
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