218
Arctic Ocean, more vessels are navigating through, enlarging the risk of alien species to enter the Arctic Ocean through
ballast water. Vessels depend on it for stability and maintaining structural integrity. However, it contains unintended
aquatic species that are carried in the tanks. It is possible that
the transferred species survive to establish a reproductive
population in the host environment. I implemented a ballast
water tracer (BW-tracer) into a high-resolution version of
NAOSIM (North Atlantic/Arctic Ocean-Sea Ice Model). The
focus of my work is to identify the flow of the BW discharged
in the Arctic and areas of accumulation with potential for
invasive species to survive. In 2013, 17.407 vessels navigated the Arctic waters, of those, 202 vessels were of
Destination Traffic making 731 port calls in 37 different
Arctic ports. The estimated amount of discharged BW by
these vessels is about 13 million cubic meters. In the model,
the BW-tracer is released in those areas where we know
ships have been in 2013. My first results show that the seasonal cycle of the ocean mixing affects the BW-tracer distribution. In winter, the tracer reach depths of around 35 m
deep in the Barents Sea, where the maximum depth is about
80 m, and 750 m deep near the west coast of Spitsbergen
where the maximum depth is about 3000 m. In spring, the
sea ice starts to melt creating stratification in the upper level
of the ocean, and the BW-tracer remains within the first 15 m
deep in both regions. Moreover, strong surface velocities
spread the BW-tracer during spring and summer, and the
availability of sun and nutrients lead to more favorable living
conditions for non-indigenous species.
8 Tropical Aquatic Ecosystems Across Time,
Space and Disciplines
Mona Andskog
1,2
, Hannah Earp
1,2,3
, Natalie Prinz
1,2
, and
Maha Joana Cziesielski Olschowsky
4
1
Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen,
P.O. Box 330440, 28334 Bremen, Germany
2
Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT),
Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
3
current address: School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor
University, Menai Bridge, LL59 5AB, Wales
4
Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
8.1 Call for Abstracts
Coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses are among the most
diverse, productive and complex ecosystems on the planet.
They are also among the most vulnerable and are declining
at unprecedented rates. The high complexity of these environments means they are difficult to study from a single perspective or on single scales, thus making it of critical
importance to study them across time, space, and scientific
disciplines. Only then will we fully understand their functioning and how to successfully manage and preserve them
for future generations. This session will explore the lessons
being learned through current interdisciplinary and comparative tropical marine research.
8.2 Abstracts of Oral Presentations
8.2.1 Coral Reef Ecosystems in Times of Global
Change
Amanda K Ford
1*
1
Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT),
Fahrenheitstrasse 6, Bremen 28359, Germany
*invited speaker, corresponding author: amanda.ford@
leibniz-zmt.de
Keywords: Climate change, Local stressors, Coral reef
functioning, Resilience, Social-ecological systems
Coral reefs represent one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on earth. Despite having thrived for millennia, a multitude of local and climate change-related stressors
are threatening the continued prevalence of this ecosystem
within the current era of the Anthropocene. Rapid and strong
human-driven changes in climate, terrestrial and marine systems are increasingly facilitating regime shifts from coraldominated systems to those dominated by alternative
organisms such as fleshy algae or sponges. These regime
shifts are often associated with a loss of critical ecosystem
services provided by coral reefs such as coastal protection
and fisheries. To maximize the future prevalence of coral
reefs, efforts towards reducing local stressors (e.g., fisheries,
sewage pollution) should both reduce the likelihood of
regime shifts and facilitate maximum ecosystem resilience
(e.g., ability to resist and recover) to climate change-related
disturbances. While the effects of climate change on coral
reef ecosystems are relatively well understood, the role of
various local human impacts on system resilience remains
under debate. My work investigates how various levels and
types of local impacts can influence coral reef communities
and ecosystem functioning, with a primary focus on the
Pacific Island region. By understanding the impacts of different local stressors, I investigate how they can affect future
responses to increasing climate change-related stressors.
This has involved an evaluation of the monitoring metrics
that have the capacity to determine processes determining
resilience. Where regime shifts have occurred, I identify selfreinforcing positive feedbacks that promote reef degradation, with a primary focus of my work being on shifts towards
benthic cyanobacterial mats. A critical component of coral
reef futures is the changing behaviors and perceptions of
Appendices
Arctic Ocean, more vessels are navigating through, enlarging the risk of alien species to enter the Arctic Ocean through
ballast water. Vessels depend on it for stability and maintaining structural integrity. However, it contains unintended
aquatic species that are carried in the tanks. It is possible that
the transferred species survive to establish a reproductive
population in the host environment. I implemented a ballast
water tracer (BW-tracer) into a high-resolution version of
NAOSIM (North Atlantic/Arctic Ocean-Sea Ice Model). The
focus of my work is to identify the flow of the BW discharged
in the Arctic and areas of accumulation with potential for
invasive species to survive. In 2013, 17.407 vessels navigated the Arctic waters, of those, 202 vessels were of
Destination Traffic making 731 port calls in 37 different
Arctic ports. The estimated amount of discharged BW by
these vessels is about 13 million cubic meters. In the model,
the BW-tracer is released in those areas where we know
ships have been in 2013. My first results show that the seasonal cycle of the ocean mixing affects the BW-tracer distribution. In winter, the tracer reach depths of around 35 m
deep in the Barents Sea, where the maximum depth is about
80 m, and 750 m deep near the west coast of Spitsbergen
where the maximum depth is about 3000 m. In spring, the
sea ice starts to melt creating stratification in the upper level
of the ocean, and the BW-tracer remains within the first 15 m
deep in both regions. Moreover, strong surface velocities
spread the BW-tracer during spring and summer, and the
availability of sun and nutrients lead to more favorable living
conditions for non-indigenous species.
8 Tropical Aquatic Ecosystems Across Time,
Space and Disciplines
Mona Andskog
1,2
, Hannah Earp
1,2,3
, Natalie Prinz
1,2
, and
Maha Joana Cziesielski Olschowsky
4
1
Faculty of Biology and Chemistry, University of Bremen,
P.O. Box 330440, 28334 Bremen, Germany
2
Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT),
Fahrenheitstraße 6, 28359 Bremen, Germany
3
current address: School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor
University, Menai Bridge, LL59 5AB, Wales
4
Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
8.1 Call for Abstracts
Coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses are among the most
diverse, productive and complex ecosystems on the planet.
They are also among the most vulnerable and are declining
at unprecedented rates. The high complexity of these environments means they are difficult to study from a single perspective or on single scales, thus making it of critical
importance to study them across time, space, and scientific
disciplines. Only then will we fully understand their functioning and how to successfully manage and preserve them
for future generations. This session will explore the lessons
being learned through current interdisciplinary and comparative tropical marine research.
8.2 Abstracts of Oral Presentations
8.2.1 Coral Reef Ecosystems in Times of Global
Change
Amanda K Ford
1*
1
Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT),
Fahrenheitstrasse 6, Bremen 28359, Germany
*invited speaker, corresponding author: amanda.ford@
leibniz-zmt.de
Keywords: Climate change, Local stressors, Coral reef
functioning, Resilience, Social-ecological systems
Coral reefs represent one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on earth. Despite having thrived for millennia, a multitude of local and climate change-related stressors
are threatening the continued prevalence of this ecosystem
within the current era of the Anthropocene. Rapid and strong
human-driven changes in climate, terrestrial and marine systems are increasingly facilitating regime shifts from coraldominated systems to those dominated by alternative
organisms such as fleshy algae or sponges. These regime
shifts are often associated with a loss of critical ecosystem
services provided by coral reefs such as coastal protection
and fisheries. To maximize the future prevalence of coral
reefs, efforts towards reducing local stressors (e.g., fisheries,
sewage pollution) should both reduce the likelihood of
regime shifts and facilitate maximum ecosystem resilience
(e.g., ability to resist and recover) to climate change-related
disturbances. While the effects of climate change on coral
reef ecosystems are relatively well understood, the role of
various local human impacts on system resilience remains
under debate. My work investigates how various levels and
types of local impacts can influence coral reef communities
and ecosystem functioning, with a primary focus on the
Pacific Island region. By understanding the impacts of different local stressors, I investigate how they can affect future
responses to increasing climate change-related stressors.
This has involved an evaluation of the monitoring metrics
that have the capacity to determine processes determining
resilience. Where regime shifts have occurred, I identify selfreinforcing positive feedbacks that promote reef degradation, with a primary focus of my work being on shifts towards
benthic cyanobacterial mats. A critical component of coral
reef futures is the changing behaviors and perceptions of
Appendices