Climate change continues to impact UK waters. Regional impacts
identified and projected for our seas
The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) launched
its latest annual report card on 15th July 2010 providing the
very latest updates on how climate change is affecting our
seas.
Almost 100 scientists from 40 leading UK science organisations
contributed to this peer- reviewed report, which covers 30 marine
and coastal topics. The report includes a new regional seas climate
change impacts map, which highlight important differences in
climate change impacts across UK regional seas. These maps show
that whilst many impacts are being seen in southern UK waters,
future climate change will lead to impacts across all UK regional
seas.
The report also takes a first look at how the UKCP09 climate
projections can aid our
understanding of future marine climate change impacts, and for
the first time covers air-sea exchanges of CO2, deep-sea habitats,
waterbirds and human health.
New findings in the 2010-2011 MCCIP annual report card
include:
• Temperatures are generally increasing, but inter-annual
variability is high; 2008 UK coastal sea surface temperatures were
lower than the 2003 – 2007 mean.
• Some fish distributions have moved northwards over the past 30
years by distances ranging from around 50 to 400km, with coldwater
species such as monkfish and snake blenny moving the furthest.
• Climate change has contributed to a decrease by approximately
9% in the total number of seabirds breeding in the UK between 2000
and 2008. Breeding success has also declined over the same
period.
• Increasing sea temperatures may have the potential to increase
the geographic range of some harmful algal bloom species associated
with Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) events.
MCCIP's future work on marine adaptation through Marine Climate
Smart Working was also highlighted at the launch event. Building on
the evidence base provided in the annual report cards, this
new approach will provide a high profile vehicle to recognise the
issues, challenges, opportunities and achievements faced by
different users of the marine environment in attempting to put
marine climate change adaptation in place. We want to explain for
the UK what we can do and should do to maintain, sustain and
enhance our ways of life despite the marine climate change impacts
that are occurring and will occur in the future.
Minister for the Marine Environment, Richard Benyon, said:
"For hundreds of years our seas have supported our fishing
industry that provides us with food and coastal communities a way
of life, as well as the vital marine ecosystem that is home to half
the world species and habitats. But the seas and oceans are
changing and we are only just starting to understand what this
means.
Scientific studies through partnerships such as this provide the
research and knowledge that we need to understand how climate
change is affecting the world's waters and what action we need to
take."
Welsh Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane
Davidson said:
"I welcome this report which highlights the wide ranging impact
that climate change has on our everyday lives -from the impact on
plants and wildlife to the increased risk of flooding. It provides
us with a useful tool that will inform the design of our Marine
Conservation Zones and our wider planning for the sustainable
management of our marine areas.
I recognise that the Welsh Assembly Government has a critical
role to play in leading action to tackle the causes and
consequences of climate change. Alongside our firm commitment to
reduce emissions by 3% per year, the Assembly Government is
determined to respond to the unavoidable impacts of climate change
in order to help Wales minimise the impacts of costly disruptions
and safeguard the long-term wellbeing of our environment.
Later in the year I will launch Wales' Climate Change Strategy
which will set our approach to adaptation and the actions we will
be taking to manage our response to climate change in the years
ahead as our understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities
improves."
Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and
Environment in the Scottish Government said:
"The far reaching effect of climate change is not an issue any
government can address
alone, so it is vital that partnerships such as this exist. The
importance of Scotland's marine environment is reflected in our
Marine Act and the research drawn together by the partnership has a
key role to play in protecting this vital but vulnerable
environment. Our Marine Scotland scientists have contributed to the
work of the MCCIP, enhancing its relevance to our continued work to
maintain a healthy, diverse and productive marine environment."
Edwin Poots, Minister for the Environment in the Northern
Ireland Executive said:
"I welcome the valuable work the Marine Climate Change Impacts
Partnership plays in understanding and conveying the implications
of climate change in our seas. As my Department develops a new
marine planning system aimed at securing sustainable development of
our seas, including the long-term challenges posed by climate
change, upto-date scientific evidence will play an important role
in the development of the final marine plan."
Other key findings in the report include:
• Continued range shifts are being observed in plankton species,
which underpin the marine food chain.
• Whilst there are likely to be some negative effects on
commercial activities, there will be others that are at least
partially beneficial. For example, UK coastal tourism may grow,
although this would place stress on coastal infrastructure and
warm-water fisheries may expand, targeting species such as seabass,
anchovy and red mullet.
Notes for news editors
1. The launch of the 2010 MCCIP annual report card was on 15th
July, 2010 at the British-Irish Council meeting at Newcastle
University's Dove Marine Laboratory. The chair of the MCCIP annual
report card working group, Dr. Craig Wallace (NERC) and Professor
Dan Laffoley (Natural England and IUCN) addressed the launch
attended by all of the Defra and devolved administrations
environment ministers.
2. The 12-page summary report card can be accessed at www.mccip.org.uk/arc/2010/pdf. Detailed
peer-reviewed briefings on all the topics covered in the summary
report card can be found on the MCCIP website (www.mccip.org.uk/arc). The MCCIP
Secretariat is hosted at Cefas, Lowestoft and is contactable on
01502 524508 and office@mccip.org.uk
3. The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP) was
launched in March 2005 and is a partnership between scientists,
government, its agencies, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and
industry. The principal aim is to provide a co-ordinating framework
for the UK, so as to be able to transfer high quality evidence on
marine climate change impacts, and guidance on adaptation and
related advice, to policy advisors and decision-makers.
4. MCCIP partner organisations are:
• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Northern Ireland
• Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture
Science
• Countryside Council for Wales
• Department of Energy and Climate Change
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland
• EDF
• Environment Agency
• Joint Nature Conservation Committee
• Marine Scotland Science
• Marine Environmental Change Network
• Marine Institute, Ireland
• Natural England
• Natural Environment Research Council
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• Scottish Government
• Scottish Natural Heritage
• Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science
• States of Guernsey
• States of Jersey
• The Crown Estate
• UK Climate Impacts Programme
• UK Met Office
• Welsh Assembly Government
5. UKCP09 are the most recent UK climate change projections
produced in partnership by the UK Met Office Hadley Centre and
Defra's UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP). For the first time,
marine climate change projections are included, alongside
atmospheric changes. For more information see the UKCP09 website:
http://ukcp09.defra.gov.uk/ or
www.mccip.org.uk/projections
For press enquiries, please contact Stephen Dye (MCCIP
Secretariat) on 01502 524508